Top 10 World Cup Last Minute Goals Ever: When the Clock Almost Ran Out

World Cup last minute goals are the moments that stop the world. Ninety minutes of tension, a nation holding its breath, and then one strike that changes everything these World Cup last minute goals are why the tournament never lets you look away. World Cup 2026 has already given us Tielemans in 120+5 and Ramos in 90+4. But this competition has been producing last minute magic since 1966. Here are the ten greatest last minute goals in World Cup history.

Here are the ten greatest last minute goals in World Cup history

Quick Reference Table

Rank	Goal	Player	Minute	Match	Year
1	World Cup final winner	Geoff Hurst	120	England vs West Germany	1966
2	World Cup title winner	Andres Iniesta	116	Spain vs Netherlands	2010
3	World Cup final winner	Mario Gotze	113	Germany vs Argentina	2014
4	World Cup final winner	Jorge Burruchaga	83	Argentina vs West Germany	1986
5	Semifinal winner	Fabio Grosso	119	Italy vs Germany	2006
6	Semifinal winner	Mario Mandzukic	109	Croatia vs England	2018
7	Quarterfinal stunner	Denis Bergkamp	90	Netherlands vs Argentina	1998
8	Extra time winner	David Platt	119	England vs Belgium	1990
9	Comeback winner	Youri Tielemans	120+5	Belgium vs Senegal	2026
10	Knockout winner	Goncalo Ramos	90+4	Portugal vs Croatia	2026

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1. Geoff Hurst, England vs West Germany, 1966 (120th Minute)

They think it is all over. It is now.

England led 3-2 deep into extra time of the World Cup final at Wembley. West Germany were pushing everyone forward desperately searching for an equaliser. Hurst picked up the ball, ran at goal and fired into the top corner in the very last second of the match. Kenneth Wolstenholme’s commentary became the most famous line in football history. Hurst became the only player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final. England lifted the trophy. And this goal became the benchmark against which every last minute goal in World Cup history is measured.

2. Andres Iniesta, Spain vs Netherlands, 2010 (116th Minute)

One touch. One shot. Spain’s first World Cup title.

The 2010 final had gone 116 minutes without a goal. Both teams had chances. The match looked destined for penalties. Then Cesc Fabregas threaded a pass through to Iniesta on the right side of the penalty area. One touch to control. One shot low into the corner. Spain were world champions for the first time in their history. Iniesta stood in front of thousands of orange shirts with his arms wide open and revealed a shirt dedicated to his friend Dani Jarque who had passed away the year before. One of the most emotional last minute goals football has ever produced.

3. Mario Gotze, Germany vs Argentina, 2014 (113th Minute)

Joachim Low told him to show the world he was better than Messi. He delivered.

The 2014 World Cup final had gone 113 minutes without a goal when Andre Schurrle crossed from the left. Gotze controlled the ball on his chest and volleyed it into the net with his left foot in a single movement. The goal was so technically perfect it looked impossible. Germany won their fourth World Cup. Gotze became a national hero. Still replayed as one of the great moments of skill under the ultimate pressure.

4. Jorge Burruchaga, Argentina vs West Germany, 1986 (83rd Minute)

Argentina were 2-0 up. West Germany pulled it back to 2-2. Then Maradona delivered one final moment of genius.

With six minutes left in the 1986 World Cup final Maradona threaded a perfect pass through the German defence and Burruchaga strode clear, rounded the goalkeeper and slid the ball home. The goal gave Argentina the World Cup and ensured eternal glory for a team built around the greatest player who ever lived. Without Burruchaga’s composure in that moment the final goes to extra time. He never flinched.

5. Fabio Grosso, Italy vs Germany, 2006 (119th Minute)

Penalties were sixty seconds away. Then Pirlo found Grosso.

Italy and Germany had been locked at 0-0 for 119 minutes at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. The entire German nation was ready for a shootout on home soil. Then Andrea Pirlo delivered a sublime no-look pass to the unmarked Grosso who swung his left foot and curled it past Jens Lehmann into the top corner. The stadium went silent. Alessandro Del Piero added a second moments later. Italy were in the final. Germany’s dream of winning the World Cup at home was over.

6. Mario Mandzukic, Croatia vs England, 2018 (109th Minute)

England had never been this close to a final since 1966. Then Mandzukic happened.

Croatia and England were level after 90 minutes and into extra time. The match was locked at 1-1 when a loose ball fell to Mandzukic in the penalty area in the 109th minute. He reacted quicker than anyone around him and fired past Jordan Pickford. Croatia were in their first ever World Cup final. England were going home. Mandzukic’s goal broke English hearts and sent Croatia into football history.

7. Denis Bergkamp, Netherlands vs Argentina, 1998 (90th Minute)

Among all World Cup last minute goals, this is the one most often called the greatest ever scored in a knockout game.

The quarterfinal was tied at 1-1 heading into the 90th minute when a long ball was launched into the Argentine area. Bergkamp controlled it with one touch, used his second touch to beat the last defender and fired past the goalkeeper with his third. Three touches. Zero margin for error. All in the 90th minute of a World Cup quarterfinal. Bergkamp has called it the best goal of his career. He is right.

8. David Platt, England vs Belgium, 1990 (119th Minute)

Penalties were one minute away. Then Gazza delivered the free kick.

England and Belgium had been locked at 0-0 for 119 minutes when Paul Gascoigne whipped in a free kick from the left. Platt met it on the volley without letting it bounce and fired it into the top corner. One of the most technically brilliant goals ever scored in extra time. England were through. Platt had never seen the ball coming but he put it exactly where it needed to go without a moment’s hesitation.

9. Youri Tielemans, Belgium vs Senegal, 2026 (120+5)

Two goals down. Four minutes of normal time left. Among recent World Cup last minute goals, this is the most dramatic comeback of the 2026 tournament.

Senegal led 2-0 and Belgium looked dead and buried. Lukaku pulled one back in the 86th minute. Tielemans equalised in the 89th. Then with the shootout looming Tielemans stepped up in the 120th plus 5th minute and converted the penalty to complete one of the most stunning comebacks in recent World Cup history. From 2-0 down to winning in the last second of extra time. Football does not get more dramatic than this.

10. Goncalo Ramos, Portugal vs Croatia, 2026 (90+4)

The substitute who sealed it when Croatia were pushing for a equaliser.

Portugal led 2-1 but Croatia had a Gvardiol goal cancelled and were throwing everything forward in stoppage time. Deep into the 90th plus 4th minute Goncalo Ramos came off the bench and fired home to kill the game stone dead. The goal ended Croatia’s World Cup and sent Luka Modric home for the last time. It also protected Ronaldo’s penalty as more than just a footnote and sent Portugal into the next round.

Why World Cup Last Minute Goals Hit Different

A last-minute goal in a league match wins three points. A last-minute goal at a World Cup ends careers, starts legends, and gets replayed for the next fifty years. The pressure is unlike anything else in sport. One player, one moment, the entire nation watching. World Cup 2026 has already given us two of them. The tournament is not even halfway done.

Read More About: Top 10 World Cup Penalty Shootouts of All Time

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This is GoalVerdict's editorial analysis based on squad quality, form and tactics — not betting advice.