Memorable Red Cards in World Cup History Part 1

Gianfranco Zola: World Cup 1994

On July 5, 1994, the loved Italian Gianfranco Zola turned 28, and perhaps Arrigo Sacchi's gift to him was his participation in the World Cup for the first time against Nigeria.

Just 12 minutes after Zola had entered, in a legitimate tackle on the ball with Nigeria defender Augustin Iguavon, the latter fell, claiming an injury, the referee's whistle blew to announce a foul and a red card that excluded Zola from his first and only match in the history of the World Cup.

And Zola's expressions, in which childhood mingled with anger and a sense of injustice, clearly indicate the mistake of the referee's decision. As a result, the Italian player was prevented from appearing with his national team in the quarter-final match and the semi-final match of the World Cup.

In the final, in which Italy lost on penalties, Zola remained on the bench and did not participate.

One wrong decision was enough to limit Zola's participation in the World Cup to only 12 minutes.

David Beckham: World Cup 1998

The moment Beckham was sent off in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup, and after a foul without a ball during the pause in play and in front of the referee against Diego Simeone, was a defining moment in the career of the famous Englishman.

Of course, the English press then spared no effort in punishing Beckham, In their view, he was the spoiled teenager who was not up to the responsibility and caused a new elimination, and another World Cup failure for the Three Lions team.

In one moment, after England lost the match on penalties, Beckham turned into the enemy of the English nation.

But fate had other measures and gave Beckham the opportunity to reconcile with the English, and the opportunity to take revenge on Argentina.

The first was in 2001 when England needed a goal against Greece in order to qualify for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, and it was Beckham who scored the goal with a brilliant free kick, and in one moment also turned into the champion of the English nation.

As for the moment of revenge, it was in the group stage against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup, when the referee awarded a penalty for England, and Beckham executed it successfully and put it in the net, and the match ended with Argentina losing 1-0, which was the most important reason for their elimination from the group stage at the time.

Pepe: World Cup 2014

Pepe, the Portuguese defender with a long reputation for violence in the stadiums, received a red card after he headbutted German Thomas Müller in the 30th minute in the match between the two teams in the group stage, and while the Germans advanced 2-0.

In fact, this expulsion was unfair, as Pepe did not harm Muller, and the intervention was normal and deserves a yellow card as a maximum.

This expulsion had a severe impact on Portugal, who lost the match 4-0, and was eliminated from the group stage.