Top 5 most memorable World Cup playoffs ever

Cruel as it may be, we have been witness to many fascinating FIFA World Cup playoff over the decades, where the victor of the knockout two-legged tie has made it to the finals of the tournament, while the loser has left with nothing to show for their efforts through qualifying.

Here is a list of 5 such memorable World Cup playoff ties:

5. Argentina vs Australia (1993)

After a horrid qualifying campaign that saw them succumb to an embarrassing 5-0 defeat against Columbia, Argentina had a chance to salvage some pride when they faced Australia in a playoff to reach the finals of the ’94 USA World Cup. Diego Maradona, who had been banned 15 months for drug use, returned and set up Abel Balbo’s first goal in Sydney, but Australia equalised to keep the scores level going into the return leg.

Australia fought well in Argentina, but lost out in the most cruel of fashions, as Gabriel Batistuta’s cross hit Alex Tobin before looping over the Aussie keeper into the net, the goal helping the South Americans claim a massive win.

4. Wales vs Israel (1958)

In the first intercontinental playoff for the World Cup in the tournament’s history, Wales, who were runners-up in their qualifying group, took on Israel in a two-legged tie after Israel’s prospective opponents from both Asia and Africa refused to face them. While both teams were hoping to make their first World Cup appearance, Wales proved much too strong for Israel, beating them 2-0 in both legs to record a 4-0 aggregate victory.

However, for two members of the team, this playoff had much more meaning. If they hadn’t been playing the playoff, then manager Jimmy Murphy and striker Colin Webster would have been travelling with their team Manchester United at the time when the team were hit by the Munich air disaster.

3. Australia vs Uruguay (2005)

In a repeat of the 2002 World Cup playoff, Australia faced off against Uruguay, hoping to erase the sad memories of their loss against the South Americans the last time around. They had not reached a World Cup in three decades after losing a succession of playoffs, but were determined to board the flight to Germany, and matched Uruguay’s 1-0 win in the second leg to take the tie to extra time.

Eventually, it came down to penalties, with 82,000 fans celebrating John Aloisi’s penalty that took the Socceroos to the World Cup.

2. Algeria vs Egypt (2009)

Algeria and Egypt, separated geographically by only Libya, have always been bitter rivals, with matches between the two nations known to be fiercely-contested derbies. However, their World Cup playoff for the 2010 World Cup turned more ugly than many would have thought.

After the group stages of qualifying, the teams finished level on 13 points and level on all tiebreakers (goal difference in all group matches (+5), goals scored in all group matches (9), points in all Algeria–Egypt matches (3), and goal difference in all Algeria–Egypt matches (0)). Therefore, the two teams had to play one-off game at a neutral venue, chosen later to be Sudan, to choose a winner who would qualify to the World Cup.

The closely fought match ended 1-0 in Algeria’s favour, but there were reports of violence both before and after the game, as Algerian fans stoned the bus carrying the Egypt players after a training session, while Egyptian fans were attacked while leaving the stadium. There were also violent demonstrations, riots and flag burnings in both countries, with the Egyptian FA filing a complaint with FIFA in the aftermath.

1. France vs Republic of Ireland (2009)

In arguably the biggest controversy in the history of World Cup playoffs, Thierry Henry and France cheated Ireland out of a spot for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with the striker handling the ball twice inside the box before delivering an assist for an extra time winner.

With the tie balanced at 1-1 after 180 minutes of football, extra time was required to separate the two teams, and as Florent Malouda‘s freekick was played into the box towards the end of the first 15 minutes of additional time, Henry appeared to handle the ball on two separate occasions before squaring a pass for William Gallas to tuck into the net.

An incensed Ireland demanded a replay for the goal that eventually turned out to be the winner, and while FIFA did hold a Displinary Committee meeting regarding the incident, no further action was taken, allowing France to move into the World Cup at Ireland’s expense.