The Great World Cup Goals, #8: Javier Zanetti (Argentina) vs England, 1998 (Video)

Chris Wright

13th, May 2014

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By Chris Wright

World Cup/Zanetti scores

While we accept that Michael Owen should really take the honours in the ‘goal of the night’ stakes as far as the last-16 ding-dong between Argentina and England at France ’98 is concerned, Pies have always reserved a special place in our jaded heart for the goal that cancelled it out seconds before half-time.

With the world and his dog expecting Gabriel Batistuta to pull the trigger on a trademark ballistic free-kick, Batigol slipped a pass down the side of the England wall to play in Zanetti, who broke from behind the wall and duly gave the clever preordained set-piece the finish it so richly deserved by turning and jamming a shot past David Seaman to level the scores at 2-2.

What happened after that is all a bit of a blur.

More in the series…

#1 – Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina) vs Mexico, 2006
#2 – Saeed Al-Owairan (Saudi Arabia) vs Belgium, 1994

#3 – Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Holland) vs Uruguay, 2010
#4 – Pierre Njanka-Beyaka, (Cameroon) vs Austria, 1998
#5 – Nelinho (Brazil) vs Italy, 1978
#6 – David Platt (England) vs Belgium, 1990
#7 – Alessandro Del Piero (Italy) vs Germany, 2006