Only once in the history of the Puskás Award has the same World Cup provided two finalists for the honor of the best goal in the world.
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It happened in 2014 when Colombian James Rodríguez won with his wonderful goal against Uruguay in the round of 16. The goal that finished third that year came off the head of Dutch striker Robin van Persie during Holland’s opening World Cup match.
Spain could not maintain its 1-0 lead until halftime. That’s when Daley Blind sent in a long ball that took Van Persie into the penalty area. The Dutch captain then lunged for the ball and put it over goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ head to equalize.
The 5-1 victory helped the orange exact some revenge against Spain, who had defeated them in the 2010 World Cup final. The four-goal difference was the largest margin of defeat for a defending champion in World Cup history and the second-largest defeat in Spain’s World Cup history. It also marked the beginning of a forgettable tournament for The Redwho was eliminated after the group stage.Advertisement
“It’s the best goal of my career,” van Persie said afterwards. “It was a brilliant goal, even I have to say that.
“I look at the chance, and this was one of the biggest so far in my career. It was a bit of a gamble, but I saw Casillas off his line before the cross arrived. It was a header, but a high header – a great goal.”
The Dutch would reach the semi-finals before falling to Argentina on penalty kicks. In the third place match, they would beat Brazil 3-0.