11. The Hand of God

On June 22, 1986, Argentina and Britain clashed in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. It was the first time these two teams had met on the pitch since their homelands had met on the battlefield during their war over the Falkland Islands. World opinion (and perhaps referee decisions) seemed to be on the side of Argentina, which helps explain the ruling on the most famous goal in World Cup history. Five minutes into a scoreless second half, Argentina's Diego Maradona leaped into the air and knocked a ball into the goal, but illegally with his hand. The referee let the goal stand; when asked about it later, Maradona claimed "the hand of God" sent the ball into the net.