FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The 1970 World Cup brought unforgettable moments to world football, but the match that remained longest in the memory of fans was the semi-final between Italy and West Germany. The confrontation, held at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico, was later christened the “Match of the Century” due to the dramatic pace, great rivalry and extraordinary emotions it produced.
Italy took the lead in the eighth minute, when Roberto Boninsenja scored the first goal of the match. After that moment, both teams created scoring chances, while the Italians tried to defend the minimal lead until the end of regular time.
When everything seemed to be closed in favor of the "azures", Karl-Heinz Schnelinger equalized in the 90th minute, sending the match into extra time and opening a dramatic chapter in football history.
One of the most iconic images of that evening was that of Franz Beckenbauer, who continued to play with his arm bandaged, after Germany had used up all of their substitutions and the captain did not want to leave the team with one less player.
Just four minutes into extra time, Gerd Müller gave West Germany the lead. However, Italy's response came immediately, as Tarcisio Burgnish equalized just four minutes later.
The spectacle continued at a frantic pace. Luigi Riva put Italy back in front in the 104th minute, but Müller scored again for the Germans, tying the score at 3-3 and keeping his team's hopes alive.
In a match that seemed to never end, Gianni Rivera scored the decisive goal in the 111th minute, just a minute after Muller equalized. Italy managed to maintain their advantage until the end and secured their place in the World Cup final.
" If someone hasn't seen this match, they've missed half the beauty of football ," declared Gianni Rivera after the match.
The escape that occurred during the match
In addition to the sporting drama, this challenge also had unusual consequences off the field. In the prison in the Mexican city of Tixtla, 23 prisoners considered dangerous managed to escape during the match.
According to reports at the time, the prison guards had left their posts to watch the Italy-West Germany match broadcast in a hall inside the institution. The intensity and excitement of the match caused them to be completely distracted for approximately 120 minutes, creating the opportunity for the prisoners to escape unnoticed.
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