Just because it’s the World Cup doesn’t mean everything about it need be of World Cup quality. Take the pitch in the 1974 semifinal between hosts West Germany and Poland, for example – it looked like it belonged hosting the 400m butterfly at the Summer Olympics rather than a World Cup game. And that’s precisely why it became known as the Wasserschlacht, German for water fight.

The game wasn’t a semifinal, per say, but it was: the winner would win up winner of Group B and thus unofficially, it was a semifinal. Therefore it was a largely important game. Factor in German-Polish relations and, well, wars have been started over less. (Too soon?)

The skies above Frankfurt had opened that day, and Poland were unhappy because the pitch was a pool. It’s impossible to say the Polish were favored, particularly on German soil, err, mud, but they played the prettier, pacier football by all accounts and prettier football, as we know, does not like water. It’s like those things from that movie with the guy that I wouldn’t dare spoil for anyone even though you’re about ten years late.

Poland wanted the game postponed; West Germany, as hosts, wouldn’t. The pitch was drained and rolled as best they could and the game would go on, and the Germans would win 1-0. They’d then go on to win the whole darn thing at home against those Dutch fellows, as though they’d just swung each arm on either side (the left over East Germany) and knocked down their neighbors for the title.

The game is perhaps less remembered than the state of the pitch and the controversy surrounding it, like any good World Cup semifinal.

For those brand new to the sport, Portugal is very much a household name in the footballing realm. The Euros of the new millennium, the knockouts of the World Cup, not to mention the household names – a couple of wingers who’ve enjoyed Real Madrid paychecks at one time or another in particular.

But it wasn’t always so rosy. Or any color at all – before 2010 they’d only made four World Cups in their history, attempting to qualify for seventeen. But for their short history, they’ve provided enough drama to fill a thousand World Cups.

World Cup 1966 – England

Before there was Cristiano Ronaldo and before there was Luis Figo there was one man: Eusebio. Well, there were many, but the man from Mozambique is easily Portugal’s greatest ever player, one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots, and when Portugal finally made their first World Cup in ‘66, he threw them on his back with some of his teammates from Benfica’s Dream Team.

It was to be the most brilliant of starts, a first minute goal from Jose Augusto; his second would win the game, and they would beat Hungary in their first ever World Cup game, 3-1. The second game was against Bulgaria: 3-0, with Eusebio getting his first of many. That meant a third group date with Brazil – Pele’s Brazil. However, the greatest of all-time was injured, and would leave even more injured – he’d take an absolute beating – as the game would descend into infamy.

But for all its infamy, Brazil would concede a header to a man 158cm tall, Simoes, while Eusebio was extraordinary, scoring twice, and Portugal ran out group winners with a perfect record. Brazil, on the other hand, went home.

They’d get North Korea, the great giant slayers of Italy, and if Eusebio was extraordinary against Brazil, he was on another planet against North Korea, and largely because the defense wasn’t. By the 25th, it was 3-0 North Korea. Then Eusebio took over. One of the great individual games in World Cup history.

Five to three, and to the semifinals they’d go. Watching that first Eusebio goal, you really get a glimpse of his legendary speed – the way he closed the gap within three steps on a ball seemingly too strong is just incredible. The fourth, the penalty he wins then converts, simply confirms his blazing pace.

In the semifinals, they’d meet England. Historians will remember that in ‘66, this clearly couldn’t have gone well. England hadn’t scored a goal yet, and they had the advantage of playing at home. Liverpool – Goodison Park – was the venue, until it wasn’t, because English officials preferred Wembley, obviously, so it was moved to Wembley. Controversial move one. Eusebio also had four goals chalked off for offside – but there’s no video available to determine the merits.

Eusebio would eventually get his good goal, in the 82nd via a penalty, but it was too little, too late: England 2 – Portugal 1. The Portuguese would then win the third-placed game including, yes, a Eusebio penalty. And with that, Eusebio would have nine goals off four penalties – the former led the tournament, the latter set a record. A bittersweet World Cup debut for Portugal; the rise of a superstar in Eusebio.

World Cup 1986 – Mexico

And the disappointment would have to linger for 20 years, because that’s how long it took for Portugal to make another World Cup. All those years of the great Eusebio and just one World Cup.

Their return would descend into madness: the Saltillo Affair.

Due to insufficient bonuses and “poor conditions” to paraphrase – a more elaborate explanation here – the players threatened a strike before the tournament, this after Antonio Veloso had failed a drug test. It was a horrendous start before their first game against old nemesis England. The wheels had fallen off and expectations had followed in suit. And then came revenge: 1-0 to Portugal. After all the drama, they’d won the first game.

Then the wheels would come off again – on the pitch this time. They’d fall 1-0 to Poland, which brought forth the all-important final game against Morocco. A game they probably should’ve won, but succumbed to victory, and then got to leave Mexico for real. The loss to Morocco might’ve been preferable to the treatment they got at home though.

World Cup 2002 – South Korea/Japan

It wasn’t quite 20 years, but it was close enough – and this one was damn near a repeat. With some of the Golden Generation in tow, they again failed to match lofty expectations after pre-tourney drama involving matters unrelated to football.

The first game was against the US; a game which they were expected to win. They didn’t: 3-2 US, the game a Himalayan climb at 3-0 in the 36th. The second game, against Poland, couldn’t have been more different. Pauleta flew left, right and all over the place with a hat-trick in a 4-0 thumping.

The hosts – well, one of them, South Korea – then beckoned in the final match, a decider, just as in ‘86 – and ‘86 would be repeated. Within a half hour Joao Pinto would be sent off; by the seventieth, it was down to nine; and at the final whistle, 1-0 South Korea. Dashed expectations once again.

World Cup 2006 – Germany

For the first time, back-to-back World Cups. For the fourth time in four, it was engulfed by drama. Figo was still around and his heir, Cristiano Ronaldo, was making his World Cup debut along with Deco, one of the best playmakers in the game, as Portugal had finally entered the internationally footballing big time, making the Euro 2004 final at home and having participated in three straight major tournaments.

This time, there would be no first round exit – they drew a rather easy group and dispatched of it as such: 1-0 Angola; 2-0 Iran; 2-1 Mexico. And then the fun began.

If not for the controversy surrounding their next game, you could be excused for forgetting just who won the card fest known as the Battle of Nuremberg: 16 cards, 9 yellows for Portugal – both records. It earned four eventual reds and ref Valentin Ivanov World Cup infamy.

Maniche scored, Portugal won, but the lasting images from the game, and partially the tournament, are all those pretty colors running wild.

The quarterfinal against England was defined by two things: The Wink and keeper Ricardo. One hour on, Wayne Rooney was sent off for a stamp, the ref perhaps aided by club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo’s convincing, who then infamously winked to the bench after Rooney had gone. All drama, all the time. And then it went to penalty kicks where Ricardo was simply heroic, saving 3 of 4 and putting Portugal into the semis.

Forty years on, a semifinal.

There the heroics would end, and so too would advancement in the tournament: a 1-0 loss to France in the semifinal on a penalty and a loss to hosts Germany, 3-1, put them into fourth. A semifinal loss always crushing, but a far cry from two straight disappointing first round exits.

- More World Cup histories.

As World Cup histories go, Italy has a good one. Only that Brazilian footballing juggernaut has won more titles, five to four, and Italy have a long and rich history as one of the sport’s best teams. It’s awfully long, in fact. (For the full depth of the Italian national team history, might we suggest majoring in it at school? Also available for a doctoral program, one would assume.)

The long history started out awfully well for the Italians too. They hosted their first tournament in 1934 before heading to France in 1938. Both good memories, to say the least.

1934 World Cup – Italy

It’s good juju when your inaugural World Cup is in your own backyard, and Italy had that fortune in 1934. In fact Uruguay had been given the honor of hosting the first edition, and they walked away with the trophy at the end. This would become something of a theme.

The name is Vittorio Pozzo. (Spoilers ahead.) He was to become the first coach to win two World Cups; today, he remains the only coach. Obviously with a tag line like that nearly 75 years later, the tournament went particularly well. His aura is and was almost that of a military general, a serious man who took football seriously. He was one of the first to initiate what’s now known in Italy as ritiro – camp away from home. He also favored the oriundi, the foreigners of Italian blood, famously saying, “If they can die for Italy, they can play for Italy.” – as good a kibosh as you’ll ever hear.

Most sides favored the 2-3-5 at the time, but Vittorio’s tactical idea had a slight bend – it was the Metodo or WW or 2-3-2-3.

In their first ever World Cup game they ran out 7-1 winners over the United States, with a score sheet that reflects the integral members of the World Cup win: Angelo Schiavio got three and Raimundo Orsi two – both oriundi – while Giovanni Ferrari and Giuseppe Meazza each hit one. The latter, Meazza, may sound familiar as one of Italy’s greatest ever, perhaps even ahead of his time, players, an extraordinarily skilled inside forward; or, he may sound familiar as the former Inter & Milan player for whom the San Siro is named.

With the World Cup very much new, the “first round” of the finals was simply the US game – this meant that win earned them a trip to the quarterfinals with Spain. It wouldn’t go as smoothly, with Ferrari scoring his second of the tournament, but a 1-1 after extras necessitating a replay. All they’d need in the replay was a little Meazza in the 11th to send them to poignantly the San Siro semifinal (it’d opened in 1926). There, they’d meet football’s original geniuses: Hugo Meisl’s Austrian Wunderteam.

They’re spoken of in the same mystical aura as the Mighty Magyars of Hungary for their visionary ball-on-the-floor attacking and dominating grasp on the game. Lady Luck, however, was an Italian on the day of the semifinal: it poured buckets by all accounts, and one needs no grasp of history to understand what a muddied pitch – presumably when groundskeeping wasn’t of the ilk it is now – does to quick passing football. The Italians would win, 1-0, amid rumors there was a foul on the lone goal.

And though football and politics should probably have their own beds, they rarely do. This was the time of Benito Mussolini, with the Italian players required to do the fascist salute before the game and to be victorious after, and the World Cup was being held in Italy, so questions were raised about how much influence Mussolini had over the referee, Swede Ivan Eklind, who’d also done the semifinal. Like so many World Cup finals in history, it was controversial.

There were claims of a penalty on Antonin Puc which wasn’t called and in general “hard fouls gone unpunished”. Puc, however, would get his goal in the 70th, the first of the game and a jolt to Pozzo’s Italians. Orsi and Schiavio, the duo who’d thumped in five combined in the opener but hadn’t added to their totals in the next three, would come up heroes. In the 82nd Orsi would reply in storybook fashion, the methods of which seem to change by the article, forcing extra time, and in the fifth minute of extras Schiavio would bookend his World Cup with Italy’s first and last goals, and in the process earning Italy their first ever title.

Pozzo had led Italy to the second World Cup title, both having won on their own soil, but it wasn’t until four years later that he’d truly cement his legend.

1938 World Cup – France

It wasn’t home, but the Azzurri didn’t really have to travel far to defend their title – just over the border to France it was. The tournament had been whittled down to 15 teams after Austria, no longer the Wunderteam with Meisl’s death, had declined the invite with other things to worry about, such as being annexed by Nazi Germany – though some would join the German team. (For this, their opponents Sweden would get a first round bye.) Politics and football – never far apart.

This was also their chance to dispel any notion that they weren’t deserving of their 1934 victory and at least separate their football from Mussolini’s politics. That they would. However, they’d have to do it with new faces – though Pozzo was still around, only four players took part in both World Cups. Thankfully, Meazza and Ferrari were included in that exclusive group.

Picking up where they left off in Rome with those new faces, it was a 2-1 win in extra time via Silvio Piola, Italian legend and Serie A’s greatest goalscorer, to set up a meeting with hosts France. This was a rather big game, what with France hoping to continue the tradition of host nation supremacy and all – not to mention the winner would draw either Brazil, a high-flying favorite, or Czechoslovakia, who had a bone to pick with Italy.

Though the tournament was abroad, Mussolini’s grasp was never far away. Instead of the House of Savoy blue, he requested the Azzurri wear black shirts, putting his fascist ideals on tour. Once again it would be Piola, scorer of the winner and third in a game that ended 3-1 – a game which also included some rough goalkeeping.

And this brought forth perhaps one of the biggest, and more arrogant, personnel missteps in World Cup history. Brazil and Czechoslovakia had participated in a rough’n'tumble 1-1 draw in which they saw two reds on the 12th of June, which then necessitated the replay two days later on the 14th, with the semifinal to be played on the 16th. An absolute scheduling nightmare. Brazil won the replay 2-1 to head to the semis, but after over 200 minutes of World Cup football in 48 hours, Brazilian coach Adhemar Pimenta famously stated he was “resting Leonidas for the final”. Leonidas was, of course, their best player, one of the best players in the world, and scorer of six goals already in the World Cup, including four in the Hollywood action flick known as Brazil 6 – Poland 5 from the opening round.

It would backfire enormously according to FIFA: “a costly error of judgement as the Azzurri prevailed 2-1 in a disappointingly low-key contest”.

With that, Italy were back in their second straight final, to be played in Paris. It was the two “old” horses from ‘34, Meazza and Ferrari, who ruled the day. A brace apiece for Gino Colaussi and again Pinola, who would fall second to Leonidas on the scoring charts with six, after intricate work and silver platter service from the men sitting inside on either side of Silvio. It’s one of the better replays from the early, early World Cup days, and you can see just how little the goalscorers had to do for their final heroics.

They’d repeated as champions, something only since achieved by Brazil in ‘58 & ‘62, while becoming the first side to win on foreign soil. More importantly, they proved they were well deserving of their crown as football’s kings, with and awfully impressive two-for-two ratio. And once again it was Pozzo, Italy’s great leader – not that Mussolini guy – who’d taken them to glory.

- More World Cup team histories.