The world was watching; we continue our silver anniversary celebration with a look at the most memorable World Cup finals moments of the past quarter-century - The 2002 World Cup

Soccer Digest, June-July, 2002 by Michael Lewis

15. The hand of a clod Argentina vs. Soviet Union, first round, 1990

You've got to, ahem, hand it to Diego Maradona. He proved that you can indeed have it both ways. He is best remembered for the Hand of God goal, but he also used his hand to deny the Soviet Union a goal in this 2-0 Argentine victory, knocking away a goal-bound header by Oleg Kuznetsov. Referee Erik Fredriksson, who was only 10 feet from the incident, didn't do a thing. FIFA sent Fredriksson home, not selecting him to officiate in the second round.

16. A stunning start Cameroon vs. Argentina, first round, 1990

Reduced to 10 players because of a red card, Cameroon started off this Cup with a bang with a 1-0 victory over defending champion Argentina. In this physical game, the Africans hacked Diego Maradona all day. For his part, Kana Biyik was sent off in the 60th minute. Cameroon refused to play in a shell, however, and Biyik's brother, Oman, headed home the lone goal of the match five minutes later. Cameroon ended the game with two players down after Benjamin Massing was sent off in the 88th minute.

17. The pass Argentina vs. West Germany, finals, 1986

While not as spectacular as his earlier goals, this seemingly innocent Maradona pass to Jorge Burruchaga was a Cup winner. With seven minutes remaining, Burruchaga took the through ball and beat goalkeeper Harald Schumacher--only to erase a two-goal deficit. Argentina deservedly held on to win, 3-2. Not surprisingly, Maradona was crowned player of the tournament.

18. The double switch Italy vs. Norway, first round, 1994

This was Italian opera at its best. With the match only 21 minutes old, Italian goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca handled the ball outside of the penalty area and was red-carded. Luca Marchegiani replaced him in goal, but a field player needed to be taken off. Incredibly, Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi selected the team's undisputed star, Roberto Baggio, who left the field shrugging his shoulder and saying, "Why me? Why me?" Italy somehow prevailed as Dino Baggio, no relation to Roberto, scored on a header in the 69th minute.

19. With seconds to spare England vs. Belgium, second round, 1990

After a fast-paced opening 45 minutes, England and Belgium slowed down a bit in the second half and extra time. As time was running out and the game was most likely headed toward penalty kicks, England passed the ball around the midfield. Suddenly, Paul Gascoigne lofted the ball into the penalty area to David Platt, who volleyed it home for a 1-0 win in a stunning and dramatic finish.

20. Early whistle Brazil vs. Sweden, first round, 1978

Brazil thought it had secured a late 2-1 victory over Sweden after Zico's corner kick went directly into the net, but referee Clive Thomas had whistled the end of the match only a second before the ball crossed the goal line. The Brazilians settled for a 1-1 tie, and Thomas was pelted coins as he left the pitch.

Had Brazil won, it would have been placed in a second-round group with Italy, West Germany, and the Netherlands rather than Peru, Argentina, and Poland, allegations of goal-rigging between Argentina and Peru may never have come to light, and there may have been a different matchup in the tournament final.