Football is a game of inches, fortunes, and total, public humiliation. These are the 20 worst football disasters ever recorded on the world stage — ranked by the Missed! Humiliation Index. World Cup bottle jobs, catastrophic misses, scandals, meltdowns and full-team crashes. Read it. Share it. Then play today's 3-clue puzzle.
Hosts humiliated by Germany 7-1 in the semi-final. Five goals in 18 minutes. A nation in mourning.
Final. Extra time. Zidane plants his forehead into Materazzi's chest and walks off into retirement. Red card. France lose on pens.
Italy's talisman blasts the decisive penalty over the bar in the World Cup Final shootout. Stands frozen. Ponytail wilted.
Holders Germany dumped out by South Korea. Last in the group. Neuer caught upfield like a confused tourist.
Last minute of extra time. Suárez handballs on the line. Gyan steps up... and hammers it off the crossbar. Ghana lose on pens. Africa weeps.
Uruguay's striker sinks his teeth into Chiellini's shoulder. Banned for four months. Italy go home anyway.
Anelka sent home for swearing at the coach. Squad refuses to train in protest. Crash out without a win.
A North Korean dentist puts Italy out of the World Cup. The squad pelted with tomatoes on return.
Reigning champions thrashed 5-1 by the Dutch and 2-0 by Chile. Home by matchday two.
Not technically a World Cup, but the bottle job that haunts every English fan. 2-1. Manager resigns on the spot.
Hours before the final, Brazil's superstar suffers a convulsion. Plays anyway. Sleepwalks. France stroll to the trophy.
Not a World Cup, but the gold standard of goalkeeper disasters. Concussion. Bowled it onto Benzema. Lobbed by Bale.
Dempsey's tame shot somehow squirms under the England keeper's palms and over the line. The Jabulani claims another soul.
Semi-final shootout. Waddle steps up and rockets it into Turin's upper deck. Gazza was already crying.
Germany chasing a winner vs South Korea. Neuer commits up the pitch. Loses it. Son strolls into an empty net. National humiliation sealed.
Ball hits Rivaldo's thigh. He collapses clutching his face. Hakan Ünsal sent off. FIFA fines him a trifling sum.
Messi's Argentina open Qatar 2022 by losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia. Tournament favourites for about 90 minutes.
Argentina drag out the 1990 final, kick everything that moves, lose 1-0 to Germany. Two red cards. Maradona weeps at the trophy.
The GOAT steps up vs debutants Iceland. Tame. Saved. Argentina drop two points and nearly go home.
On his 31st birthday, France's icon skies a penalty in the shootout vs Brazil. France still won the shootout. He never let himself forget.
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