World Cup nuggets: wardrobe malfunctions, dog catchers and borrowed golden boots
Serbian referee Milorad Mazic (front C) gives a yellow card to Senegal's forward Mbaye Niang (rear R) next to Colombia's defender Yerry Mina reacting on the football picth after being injured during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group H football match between Senegal and Colombia at the Samara Arena in Samara on June 28, 2018. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)Â Â
HĂ©ctor Castro is the only one-armed player to score in the World Cup finals having suffered a carpentry accident aged 13. Castro scored in Uruguayâs group opener with Peru and again in their final win over Argentina.
In the final between the hosts and Czechoslovakia, both teams were captained by their goalkeepers, Giampiero Combi and Frantisek Planicka, the only time this has happened.
Giuseppe Meazza tucked away Italyâs penalty in the 2-1 semi-final win over Brazil despite his shorts falling down as he approached the ball. Meazza nonchalantly dispatched the kick while gripping his errant shorts to avoid a wardrobe malfunction.
A double group stage tournament without any knockout game, though it so happened the final game decided it. To wipe away the horror of defeat by Uruguay in that match, Brazil abandoned its traditional white strip and adopted the yellow and green.
In the first televised World Cup, coverage was controlled by Eurovision. In the UK, only the second half of matches were shown live, while one of the semi-finals was deemed surplus to requirements with an Agricultural Parade live from Copenhagen considered more relevant to a European audience.
Just Fontaine knocked in his record 13 goals using boots borrowed from squad player Stéphane Bruey after his own were damaged. The Golden Boot had yet to be introduced so he was presented with an air rifle to celebrate his sharpshooting.
Jimmy Greaves is known as Garrinchaâs dog catcher in Brazil, having caught and cuddled a stray pitch invader in Englandâs defeat by Brazil. Garrincha adopted the animal and took it home. Greavsieâs reward was a 3-1 defeat and the dog peeing down the front of his jersey.
African countries boycotted the tournament in protest at being offered only a single qualification place for Africa and Asia combined. Europe was granted 10 of the 16 places.
Adidas provided the official match balls for the first time and the classic Telstar, with its black pentagons and white hexagons, was designed to be more visible on black and white televisions.
Against Brazil, Zaireâs Mwepu Ilunga secured a place in World Cup folklore by racing from a defensive wall to boot the dead ball downfield. He later claimed it was a deliberate protest over the non-payment of bonuses.
Black bands encircled the base of every goalpost, a symbol of protest and subtle memorial for the thousands of âdisappearedâ, those people taken away by the countryâs military junta.
The âDisgrace of Dijonâ â Austriaâs 1-0 defeat by Germany which was a carve-up to shaft Algeria â ensured the final pair of group matches would be played at the same time in future tournaments.
Uruguayâs JosĂ© Batista set a formidable record for the fastest World Cup sending-off with a scything first-minute reducer on Gordon Strachan. Over the next 89 minutes, Alex Fergusonâs Scots couldnât capitalise and the 0-0 draw put them out.
With an average of 2.2 goals per game this was the lowest-scoring World Cup. Fifa reacted to the sterile tournament by banning goalkeepers from picking up backpasses.
Diana Ross famously missed her penalty in the opening ceremony, but all 15 penalties taken during regular time in the tournament were converted - the only time there has been a 100% success rate. Alas for Roberto Baggio, his 100% penalty record for Italy ended in the final shootout.
Frenchâs Laurent Blanc scored the first-ever World Cup golden goal in the 113th minute against Paraguay. The rule, which had the undesired effect of making extra-time even more cagey, was abandoned after 2002.
Ahn Jung-Hwanâs golden goal ended Italyâs tournament and the South Koreanâs time at Italian club Perugia, whose president announced that he was terminating his loan deal as he was no longer welcome at the club.
The total of 28 red cards is the highest of any World Cup so it was somewhat fitting that Zinedine Zidaneâs last act as an international footballer was the final headbutt on Marco Materazzi.
Paul the octopus set a new trend of soothsaying creatures with a 100% record predicting results, including Spainâs final win. Sadly Paul did not have long to enjoy his new fame as he died a few months after the final.
Spainâs title defence was the worst ever, a 5-1 loss to the Netherlands and 2-0 to Chile making it the first time champions have lost their opening two games of the next tournament. They join Germany in 2019, Italy in 2010 and France in 2002 as champions who didnât progress past the first round.
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