10 thrilling late goals scored in World Cups

#2 Andres Iniesta vs Netherlands, 2010

Iniesta scored the most important goal in Spanish football history

Spain were always considered one of football’s major underachievers having failed to live up to fans’ expectations. After ending Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup with quarter-final defeats, Spain failed to make it past the group stage in Euro 2004 and lost in the last 16 at the 2006 World Cup despite winning all their group games.

After the 2006 World Cup, a new look Spanish side won UEFA Euro 2008 and were considered heavy favorites to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This side consisted of skipper Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Fernando Torres, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Gerard Pique, and many other young players who would go on to become superstars.

Spain began their tournament in a horrible manner with a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland. This was followed by a 2-0 win over underdogs Honduras. Spain then confirmed their last 16 berth with a 2-1 win over Chile. In the last 16, Spain beat neighbors Portugal 1-0.

This was followed by 1-0 wins over Paraguay and Germany in the quarterfinals and the semifinals respectively meaning Spain were through to their maiden World Cup final

In the final, Spain were up against a resilient Dutch side who had upset Brazil in the quarterfinals and were yet to lose a game in the tournament. The final was an aggressive one with tackles flying in all over the pitch and 14 yellow cards being shown in total.

The Dutch had most of the chances but Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas kept his side in the hunt. In the 116th minute, midfielder Iniesta gave Spain their greatest moment in World Cup history by scoring the winner. This goal gave Spain their first ever World Cup victory.