#2 Frank Lampard vs Germany
England, over the recent years, have established themselves as the perennial underachievers in major tournaments and the situation was no different in the 2010 World Cup. After lumbering to the knock-out stages, finishing 2nd to United States of America, England faced old foes Germany in the round of 16.
(Video Courtesy: Mark James YouTube Channel)
Germany took the lead in the 20th minute via a Miroslav Klose goal and doubled their lead via a Lukas Podolski goal in the 32nd minute. Surprisingly, what followed was a spirited English fight-back as they pulled one back as Matthew Upson found the back of the net in the 37th minute. The scores could have gone on to be level and the result different altogether had the referee and his assistants managed to spot the subsequent events.
In the 39th minute, Frank Lampard let fly a shot from outside the box which beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, the shot bouncing off the cross bar and beyond the goal line, but England were denied an equaliser, as the referees didn’t spot it.
The let-off by the officials helped Germany as they ran riot against a demoralised English unit and finished the game with a comfortable 4-1 scoreline. While some believe that Fabio Capello’s men lacked the required quality and would have been knocked out irrespective of the goal being allowed or not, the fact remains that technology could have turned the game on its head.
