Italy Roberto Baggio is crestfallen even as Brazil goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel celebrates following their triumph in the 1994 World Cup final. AFPThe World Cup has witnessed many dramatic moments and here we take a look at some of the biggest penalty misses in the history of the tournament.
Roberto Baggio - Italy vs Brazil, 1994, final
In what would be the first World Cup to be decided by a penalty shootout, Roberto Baggio's decisive penalty would go on to become an infamous moment in World Cup history. Silver Ball winner Baggio blazed his penalty over the bar gifting Brazil their fourth title.
Chris Waddle – England vs West Germany, 1990, semifinals
The closest England had come to repeating the glory of 1966 was the 1990 semifinal against West Germany. Chris Waddle smashed his penalty by inches over the bar, in what might seem on footage like he missed by yards.
Zico – Brazil vs France, 1986, quarterfinals
Zico, who came on as a second-half substitute, had a golden chance to put Brazil ahead after Branco was felled by French goalkeeper Joel Bats in a thrilling quarterfinal. Zico, who provided the pass for Branco, was barely on the ground for five minutes when he decided to take the penalty. Bats blocked the penalty and was the French hero as they went on to win 4-3 in the shootout. Zico converted his kick in the shootout, but Bats dashed Brazil's hopes with his heroics.
Asamoah Gyan - Ghana vs Uruguay, 2010, quarterfinals
In the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa, the Ghana striker skimmed the crossbar with the last kick of the game after the Africans were awarded a penalty following Luiz Suarez' save with the hand. Ghana went on to lose the shooutout.
Alberto Garcia Aspe, Marcelino Bernal, Jorge Rodriguez - Mexico vs Bulgaria, 1994, pre-quarterfinals
Three players together make this list. Alberto Garcia Aspe, who had scored in regular time, rifled a kick well over the crossbar which stunned his teammates along with all the spectators.
Marcelino Bernal was next, the Bulgarian goal keeper Borislav Mikhailov accurately guessed Bernal's shot and blocked it. Jorge Rodrigues also failed to beat Mikhailov as Mexico missed their first three attempts. Bulgaria won 3-1 to book a place in the last eight.
