Former West German team goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski, who had conceded the "ghost goal" at the Mondial-66 against the English, has died at the age of 84, announced on Monday family at the SID sports agency, a subsidiary of AFP.
"I will die with the certainty that the balloon had not returned"
The vice-world champion of 1966, died of a long illness, will remain best known for the affair of the "ghost goal", one of the most controversial in the history of football, during the final of the World Cup lost 4-2 in overtime against England, a match that still causes talk in Germany.
As England and West Germany play in the 11th minute of extra time and the score is 2-2 on 30 July 1966, the strike of English striker Geoff Hurst hits the crossbar of Tilkowski's goal then bounces off the ground. In front of or behind the line? Despite the protests of the German players, the Swiss referee, after taking the formal advice of his assistant, will award the goal which will lead to the English triumph.
Hans Tilkowski, the man who "cashed" in the most famous ghost goal in history, is dead. https://t.co/E6ULyGTDjb
- Maxime Dupuis (@maximedupuis) January 6, 2020The controversy remains whole until today without the specialists not being able to agree on whether or not the ball really crossed the line. The event made such an impression in Germany and Great Britain that it entered everyday language: a “Wembley-Tor” in German (literally Wembley's goal) is a goal whose validity is difficult to determine and ready for controversy, while the evocation in England of "the Russian referee", in reference to the assistant referee who validated the goal, Azeri Tofik Bahkramov, is synonymous with controversial decision.
This goal traumatized Hans Tilkowski who found it difficult to evoke this painful episode: "I will die with the certainty that the ball had not entered!", He had declared. His international career will end in 1967 after 39 selections, at only 31 years old.
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