Argentine legend Maradona celebrates the 1986 trophy

Sunday, July 12, 2026

The recurring encounter between two teams in the World Cup does not always follow the same direction. In some cases, the team that lost the first match succeeds in avenging its defeat, while in other instances the winner manages to cement its superiority and prove that its previous victory was no coincidence.

The 1986 final in Mexico is among the most famous matches, after Maradona led Argentina to its second title by defeating West Germany 3-2. Argentina took a two-goal lead before the Germans fought back to equalize, but Maradona’s magical pass to Jorge Burruchaga decided the final in Argentina’s favor.

Just four years later, the two teams met again in the 1990 Italy final, the first final to feature the same two teams in consecutive editions. This time, the match was completely different: Germany delivered a more balanced performance and capitalized on a penalty kick scored by Andreas Brehme five minutes from time to win 1-0, avenging its 1986 loss and claiming its third world title.

The 1998 round of 16 witnessed one of the most exciting matches, as the two teams drew 2-2 before Argentina advanced on penalties. However, the most notable event was the red card received by Beckham after a clash with Diego Simeone, making him the most criticized player in England. Four years later, the teams met again in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup. In the 44th minute, England earned a penalty, which Beckham himself converted to score the only goal, giving England a perfect revenge. That victory later contributed to Argentina’s failure to advance from the group stage.

In the 2010 South Africa final, Andrés Iniesta decided the historic match with a goal in the 116th minute, leading Spain to its first world title, while the Netherlands suffered a new disappointment. But fate gave the Dutch a quick chance for revenge. In the opening match of the two teams in Brazil 2014, they met again. Despite Spain taking the lead through Xabi Alonso, the Dutch response was resounding: Robin van Persie scored his legendary header, and Arjen Robben added two goals, ending the match with a 5-1 victory for the Netherlands, which helped ease the pain of 2010.

In 2010 in South Africa, in a quarterfinal match, Germany defeated Argentina 4-0. Four years later in Brazil 2014, the World Cup gave Argentina a chance for revenge, this time in the final. Despite Argentine hopes of settling the score under Messi’s leadership, the German machine had the last word. In the 113th minute, Mario Götze scored a historic goal that gave Germany the title and cemented its superiority over Argentina for the second consecutive time.

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