Red Card After 56 Seconds, 3 Yellow Cards for 1 Player in a Game and 3 Other Crazy World Cup Moments

Red Card After 56 Seconds, 3 Yellow Cards for 1 Player in a Game and 3 Other Crazy World Cup Moments

Chukwu Ikechukwu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:17 PM
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  • The 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off in Qatar this month and all 32 qualified nations are already gearing up for the world's biggest football competition
  • Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to finally win the World Cup for the first time while making their last appearance at the global showpiece in Qatar
  • France will also be hoping to retain the trophy they won four years ago in Russia while Brazil has been tipped as a major title contender too

While every World Cup is a spectacular event, some pictures stick in our minds longer than others and are permanently etched into our memories.

France, led by wonderkid Kylian Mbappe, were the winner of football’s global showpiece four years ago and they will once again look to replicate the same feat in Qatar.

Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, FIFA World Cup, Argentina, England, Qatar 2022
Diego Maradona's controversial handball goal against England in 1986 is one of the craziest moments to have happened in a FIFA World Cup. Photo by Bob Thomas.
Source: Getty Images

The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on November 20, as hosts Qatar take on Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in the opening game.

From Graham Poll’s red card blunder to Zidane's headbutt and Maradona’s 'Hand of God', Sports Brief take a look at some of the World Cup's most iconic moments.

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1. Jose Batista's 56-second red card

On June 13, 1986, Uruguay's Jose Batista was shown the fastest red card in the Mexico City area of Nezahualcoyotl in 1986.

Batista was shown a red card inside the first minute in a group match against Alex Ferguson's Scotland, after he scythed down midfielder Gordon Strachan.

Batista’s dismissal by French referee Joel Quiniou remains the fastest in World Cup history.

2. Graham Poll’s 3 yellows blunder

English referee, Graham Poll entered the history books - albeit for the wrong reasons - during the 2006 World Cup hosted in Germany.

Graham Poll committed the biggest blunder of his refereeing career when he issued three yellow cards to a player in a group game he officiated, between Croatia and Australia.

The English referee showed Croatian defender Josip Simunic three yellow cards, before sending him off in stoppage time.

3. Zinedine Zidane's best and worst

The final match before Zidane's retirement - a final remarkable event was anticipated, and it did indeed occur but for all the wrong reasons.

The former Real Madrid player first scored the game's first goal with a 'Panenka' penalty, before leaving us with this memorable moment when - in retaliation to the former Inter Milan player's provocation - he headbutted Italy defender Marco Materazzi.

France would go on to lose the World Cup final, falling to Italy on penalties.

4. The 20-card Battle of Nuremberg

Portugal's 2006 World Cup clash with the Netherlands is informally referred to as 'The Battle of Nuremberg', due to its tempestuous nature.

During the Round of 16 match, Russian referee Valentin Ivanov saw fit to issue 16 yellow cards and four reds, the highest amount of any FIFA tournament, according to Bleacher Report.

Both sides finished the match with nine men, with Khalid Boulahrouz, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Costinha and Deco all getting their marching orders for amassing two yellow cards each in separate incidents.

5. Diego Maradona’s 'Hand of God' goal

The 'Hand of God' was a handling goal scored by legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, during the Argentina vs England quarter-final match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Wikipedia reports.

The goal was illegal under association football rules due to Maradona using his hand, but because the referees did not have a clear view of the play and video assistant referee technology did not exist, it stood to give Argentina a 1–0 lead.

Argentina went on to win 2–1, with Maradona scoring a second goal known as the 'Goal of the Century' en route to claiming the World Cup.

Full squads for tournament favourites

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on most squads for the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup in Qatar being announced, days before the tournament commences.

The squads for the favourites are stacked with ridiculous talent and could win it all, which should make the tournament entertaining and unpredictable.

Per FIFA rules and regulations, every nation must name a minimum of 23 players but can call up to 26. Three players must be goalkeepers.

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Chukwu Ikechukwu
Chukwu Ikechukwu Godwin is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in the Nigerian media industry. He has worked both in Radio (Today FM, Rhythm FM, Wish FM) and Television (Silverbird TV) as a Sports Analyst..
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