Canigga & Forlan feature in top 5 forgotten World Cup goals

From Andres Iniesta in South Africa to Dennis Bergkamp in France, there are plenty of memorable goals to be found among the World Cup archives – but what about the goals that get forgotten?

With so many strikes to savour, it’s understandable that a few great ones fall through the cracks, often coming as consolations or mere memories from tournaments that ultimately ended in failure.

Here are five of our favourites:

Claudio Canigga – Argentina vs Nigeria – USA 1994

While Diego Maradona grabbed the headlines both good and bad at the World Cup in the early 90s, another bad boy of Argentina was quietly putting in a series of sensational performances for La Albiceleste.

Famous for scoring the winner against Brazil in 1990, four years later Canigga added another memorable strike against Nigeria. Applying the same quick free-kick routine that would later see Javier Zanetti undo England’s defence in 1998, his curling finish against Nigeria remains a joy to behold.

Mustapha Hadji – Morocco vs Norway – France 1998

Morocco were so nearly the surprise package of this World Cup, beating Scotland 3-0 in sensational style in their final group game only to discover qualification rivals Norway had shocked holders Brazil with a last minute winner.

The tournament nevertheless remains a memorable one for the North African nation and midfield dynamo Mustapha Hadji, who earned a move to the Premier League off the back of this goal, scored in Morocco’s 1-1 draw with the Scandinavians.

Diego Forlan – Uruguay vs Senegal – Japan/South Korea 2002

Eight years before the Uruguayan won the Golden Ball for being the best player at the South African finals, Forlan was putting many a Premier League-based doubter in his place with an absolute screamer for the South Americans in their often forgotten 3-3 classic with Senegal.

Needing a win to stand any chance of qualifying, Uruguay looked dead and buried at half-time with the score 3-0 to Senegal. Richard Morales pulled one back just before the break, but it was Forlan’s wonderstrike that brought the game to life, though they fell just short in the end.

Bakary Kone – Ivory Coast vs Holland – Germany 2006

Drawn in a tough group alongside Argentina, Serbia & Montenegro and Holland, the Ivorians had already lost their opener to the South Americans before facing the Dutch who raced into a 2-0 lead within 25 minutes.

The Elephants didn’t give up without a fight though and found themselves back in the game before the break, courtesy of this great goal from Bakary Kone. It may not have been enough to keep them in the tournament, but it remains a memorable moment for the World Cup debutants.

Fabio Quagliarella – Italy vs Slovakia – South Africa 2010

Defending champions Italy were an unmitigated disaster in South Africa, finishing winless and bottom of a poor group containing Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand. The clincher was a 3-2 defeat against the European nation, though the game did offer one, often forgotten highlight.

With the Azzurri 3-1 down late on and heading out, Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella – a substitute – produced the one moment of genuine class, lobbing Jan Mucha to create his very own World Cup souvenir moment.

Do you have any memorable goals that have been forgotten? Tweet @JackBeresford86 with your views now!

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