10. Matt Holland, Republic of Ireland vs Cameroon
For the Irish, World Cup 2002 wasn’t just about Roy Keane telling Mick McCarthy to do something medically impossible: they beat Saudi Arabia, and drew with both Germany and Cameroon to make the last 16.
Ipswich Town's pocket rocket Matty Holland scored a belter, too. Capitalising on a bungled headed clearance by the Indomitable Lions’ domitable-looking Raymond Kalla, Holland lashed a Bobby Charlton-style daisy-cutter hard and low past Boukar Alioum. A jubilant, Keane-free McCarthy performed a Yorkshire jig up the touchline.
Goal at 0:50
9. Diego Forlan, Uruguay vs Senegal
Alvaro Recoba’s delicious free-kicks caused chaos in opposition boxes for Uruguay, and while this effort was headed clear by a lofty Senegalese defender, Manchester United’s flaxen-haired forward Forlan was left in acres of space to pick up the rebound. The Uruguay sub, who’d just broken into the side as a youngster, chested coolly before arrowing home with his right peg.
This aside, 2002 was a disappointment for Forlan – but with 112 caps and having been named Player of the Tournament at World Cup 2010, he's a bona fide Uruguay legend.
8. Junichi Inamoto, Japan vs Belgium
Having lost all their games at their first ever World Cup in 1998, Japan arrived as an international footballing force in their home tournament, winning Group H and sending their supporters into a delirious fit of expectation. Inamoto’s splendid effort against Belgium in their first match certainly helped: he turned his body neatly to get away from one opponent from deep in midfield and rocketed past another with a fine second touch, before ghosting into the box and placing past Geert de Vlieger neatly.
Despite being on the Arsenal books he never played for the Gunners, instead becoming a minor hit at Fulham – and a major hit at home, where his bleached look saw him rival David Beckham in the popularity stakes.
7. Jared Borgetti, Mexico vs Italy
A brilliantly simple piece of football: a great angled cross to which Borgetti added an expert caress, watching the ball and rotating mid-air to take both his Italian marker (the pretty useful Paolo Maldini) and keeper (Gianluigi Buffon, also no mug) totally out of the equation.
The goal helped Mexico win their group (they lost to USA in the last 16), and Borgetti deserves bonus points for his hypnotic sprinting-and-mad-ranting celebration.
Goal at 1:03
6. Salif Diao, Senegal vs Denmark
The best counter-attacking goal of the tournament, starting virtually from Senegal’s own corner flag. Henri Camara won the ball for El Hadji Diouf, who cockily picked out Diao with a backheel; he in turn rolled to a rampaging Khalilou Fadiga.
With the team having moved forward as a wave, Fadiga had plenty of options for his final pass, but chose to slide it to Diao, who'd made up remarkable ground. The big man squeezed between two defenders, then dinked neatly sideways to leave goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen on his knees and bewildered. On the touchline, Diao’s long-haired French coach Bruno Metsu wigged out like Michael Bolton after a particularly smooth sax solo.
5. Ilhan Mansiz, Turkey vs Senegal
At the start of extra-time in the quarter-finals between two sides that had entirely cancelled each other out over 90 minutes, this fixture already looked destined for penalties. But suddenly Umit Davala’s bazooka cross was turned in quite brilliantly by Ilhan, who shaped his body perfectly to fire home across the goalmouth into the far corner.
Ilhan's strike was all the more important because it was a Golden Goal – the match ended immediately, with Turkey reaching the semis. A 32-man Turkish pile-up ensued, while Senegal’s dreamboat coach Metsu sulked like Michael Bolton with a faulty mouthpiece. Incredibly, Ilhan is now an internationally renowned figure skater.
0:10 in
4. Nelson Cuevas, Paraguay vs Slovenia
One of the glories of the World Cup, certainly in the pre-broadband era, was witnessing preposterously talented South Americans like Cuevas that you’d never seen play (unless you happened to have popped over for a River Plate match or international fixture in Asuncion).
Here, Cuevas got the ball 30 yards out, danced around his marker until he was woozy, skipped past the advances of a retreating Slovenian, evaded another lumpen challenge and pumped an unstoppable strike past the keeper, grazing the underside of the bar artfully just because he can. A thing of beauty from a wing marvel who curiously once trained with Portsmouth.
3. Francisco Arce, Paraguay vs South Africa
There were some absolutely terrific free-kicks at World Cup 2002 (Roberto Carlos hit a traditional blockbuster against China, and Spain’s Gaizka Mendieta angled a pearler against South Africa), but Chiqui Arce’s cheeky effort against South Africa took the biscuit.
Watch and learn, kids: Arce (“it’s pronounced Ar-saaaay, actually...”) sculpted a pinpoint right-foot swinger into the top corner. “We practised free-kicks so much, we must have had a 60% success rate,” said the notorious dead-ball specialist afterwards. “It went into an area that made it impossible to save.”
2. Dario Rodriguez, Uruguay vs Denmark
Denmark beat Uruguay 2-1, with Jon Dahl Tomasson named man of the match for two crisp strikes up the other end – but Rodriguez’s wicked finish is the one that lives long in the memory.
Alvaro Recoba’s corner was cleared by the Danish defence, juggled by Pablo Garcia and looped over to looming left back D-Rod, who caught it plum to larrup home from 25 yards. Along with Forlan’s strike, this was a rare highlight of a poor World Cup for Uruguay, who went out in the group.
1. Edmilson, Brazil vs Costa Rica
One of the greatest strikes of any World Cup, full stop, in one of 2002’s best games. The ball into the box is a little bit non-league: Junior’s meek cross deflected off a Costa Rican shin and looped innocuously towards goalkeeper Erick Lonnis’s near post.
But Edmilson’s improvisation was world class: with his back to goal, he executed a 180-degree mid-air twist to catch the ball perfectly at head height in an overhead kick that morphed balletically into a volley.
The game ended 5-2 to Brazil, who eventually won the tournament. The defensive midfielder had never scored for the Seleção before, and would never do so again – but this one was worth 50 tap-ins.
