5. David Beckham (England vs. Colombia, June 22, 1998)
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The goal: From a relatively central position 30 yards from goal, Beckham and Darren Anderton stood over a free kick. The former of those two stepped up to strike the dead ball, which got the better of the four-man Colombian wall. Having positioned himself on the left side of his goal, goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon made a desperate dive to keep out Beckham's effort, but the ball was always curling away from him as it nestled into the bottom corner of the net.
The significance: Having defeated Tunisia and then lost to Romania, England needed to defeat Colombia to advance beyond the group stages. Anderton gave the Three Lions the lead in the 20th minute with a powerful drive and then 10 minutes later Beckham's intervention sealed the victory. The Manchester United midfielder had featured in each of the qualifiers, but it was his first outing at that World Cup, having been accused by manager Glenn Hoddle of not being fully focused on the tournament. It was also his first goal at international level.
4. Bobby Charlton (England vs. Mexico, July 16, 1966)
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The goal: The Man United attacking midfielder inherited possession just inside the England half and then proceeded to move forward with the ball. He continued as the Mexican defence retreated and, with a jink 25 yards from goal, Charlton opened up the opportunity for a right-footed shot. His rising effort got the better of Ignacio Calderon, who could get nowhere near the ball as it flew into the net.
The significance: There was much excitement when hosts England kicked off the tournament against Uruguay, but a 0-0 draw dampened that optimism. Consequently, next time out a win was required against the Mexicans and Charlton's powerful drive, which opened the scoring, settled the nerves inside Wembley. England went on to win the match 2-0.
3. Joe Cole (England vs. Sweden, June 20, 2006)
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The goal: A deep cross from the right flank from captain Beckham was kept alive by Peter Crouch at the back post, but an onrushing Frank Lampard was beaten to the loose ball and the Swedes cleared the danger. A lurking Cole was waiting 30 yards from goal and, having controlled the ball on his chest, the then-Chelsea playmaker lashed a volley with the outside of his boot towards goal. At 6'6", Andreas Isaksson was one the tournament's tallest goalkeepers, but he was clutching at thin air as Cole's strike entered his net via the right hand post.
The significance: With wins against Paraguay and Trinidad under their belts, England had all but guaranteed their place in the last 16. Nevertheless, a draw would secure it and Cole's opener from distance set Sven-Goran Eriksson's charges on their way as they shared four goals evenly with the Scandinavians.
2. David Platt (England vs. Belgium, June 26, 1990)
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The goal: After being brought down midway inside the Belgium half by Stephane Demol, Paul Gascoigne dusted himself down to chip the resulting free kick into the penalty area. As the ball was floated in, Platt wriggled free of his marker, before allowing it to drop over his left shoulder. Rather than control the ball, the midfielder swiveled and volleyed goalwards all in one action, which left Michel Preud'homme little chance.
The significance: There had been very little to separate England and Belgium during their encounter in the last 16 of Italia 90, so much so that with 60 seconds remaining, the tie was heading for a penalty shootout. However, Platt ensured that there would be no drama as his goal in Bologna saw England advance through to the quarter-finals.
1. Michael Owen (England vs. Argentina, June 30, 1998)
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The goal: Beckham's chipped pass picked out an 18-year-old Owen inside the centre circle. His first touch, with the outside of right boot, took the Liverpool striker away from Jose Chamot. Next in his path was Roberto Ayala, but the centre-back, who had stood firm on the edge of the box, could not prevent the speedy frontman from entering the Argentine penalty area. Then, with just Carlos Roa in goal to beat, Owen showed great composure to fire across the goalkeeper and into the top corner of the net.
The significance: A fifth-minute penalty from Gabriel Batistuta put Argentina in front, but Alan Shearer soon responded - again from the spot. Owen's big moment, in which he announced himself to the world, arrived in the 16th minute, putting England 2-1 up in the process. The match eventually ended 2-2, though, with the South Americans ultimately prospering 4-3 from the subsequent shootout.
Liam Apicella
