FIFA World Cup goals with disputed scorers

This article lists goals in FIFA World Cups where there has been some dispute as to the scorer of the goal. Such goals can usually be divided into two broad categories; 'mistaken identity' and 'perspective'.

Mistaken identity

Many football archives use the official FIFA match reports as a resource for World Cup goalscorers. However, in many instances, video evidence and/or contemporary newspaper reports conflict with FIFA. The most accurate known record of World Cup matches is Cris Freddi's book, "The Complete Book Of The World Cup 2006", which uses video footage where available and contemporary, compatriot newspaper reports when there is no video (1930, 1934, many games in 1938 and 1950). For many goals, FIFA's information is outdated, although their match reports are hardly ever edited. There is now video footage available of almost every goal from 1954 onwards. In most such cases, Wikipedia reports Freddi's best intelligence. For example, old resources used to 'award' an Italian goal against Mexico in 1970 as a Peña own goal; however video evidence shows him several yards away. The number on the player's shirt clearly shows it is Guzmán, not Peña, who is largely uninvolved with play.

Perspective

More recently, there is some conflict between crediting an attacking player or 'awarding' an own goal - see Brazil v Costa Rica in 2002 or Argentina v Mexico in 2006. FIFA usually prefers to give goals to attacking players. Due to this tendency, Ronaldo is widely credited as being the FIFA World Cup's record goalscorer with fifteen; Freddi would contest this as he credits his first against Costa Rica in 2002 as a Luis Marín own goal. There are several such goals where, unlike those of the first category, there is no clear 'accurate' or 'inaccurate' information, it is rather a matter of interpretation. With these, many of which are listed in this article, Wikipedia follow's FIFA's lead.

1982

*Italy 1 Peru 1: Peru's late equaliser was a long shot by Rubén Toribio Díaz which deflected in off the leg of Italy's Fulvio Collovati. The goal is sometimes classified as a Collovati own goal, especially in Italian records and statistics.
*Algeria 3 Chile 2: Algeria's second goal was a close-range shot by Salah Assad which took a big deflection off Chile defender Elias Figueroa before spinning into the net. The ball did not appear to be going in before it hit Figueroa.

1986

*Soviet Union 6 Hungary 0: Soviet Union's fifth goal sometimes credited to Ivan Yaremchuk, but more commonly given as a László Dajka own goal. Video shows that the decisive final touch is Dajka's.

1990

*West Germany 4 Yugoslavia 1: West Germany's fourth goal was credited to Rudi Völler, but the replays clearly showed that Andy Brehme's initial shot was half-saved by Yugoslavia goalkeeper Tomislav Ivković, who then accidentally pushed it into the net under pressure from Völler as he tried to prevent it crossing the line.
*West Germany 5 United Arab Emirates 1: West Germany's third goal was again credited to Völler, but his header from a corner was punched off the line by UAE defender Ibrahim Meer, only to be kicked into the net by his twin brother Eissa Meer.

1994

*Switzerland 4 Romania 1: Switzerland's fourth goal mistakenly credited to Adrian Knup in FIFA report, who didn't touch the ball. Georges Bregy is the scorer, his free-kick clearly deflected off a Romanian defender, not Knup. All Swiss sources credit goal to Bregy. FIFA World Cup goalscorers article counts Bregy as the scorer.

1998

*France 3 South Africa 0: France's third goal credited to Thierry Henry, possibly out of charity on FIFA's part to Pierre Issa, who cleared Henry's shot off his line with his left foot but over it with his right, having already scored an own goal to make it 2-0.
*Spain 2 Nigeria 3: Nigeria's second goal credited to Garba Lawal, whose cross was turned into his own net by Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. French headline was "Zubi n'arrêta" (Zubi didn't stop it).
*Germany 2 F.R. Yugoslavia 2: F.R. Yugoslavia's first goal credited to Predrag Mijatović. His cross may or may not have been touched in by Dejan Stanković, and German Jens Jeremies turned it over his own goal-line after the ball came back off the post. Also, Germany's first goal credited to Siniša Mihajlović (o.g), who deflected in a free-kick from Michael Tarnat, who is sometimes listed as the goalscorer.
*Spain 6 Bulgaria 1: Spain's fifth goal credited to Kiko Narváez, despite ball subsequently ricocheting off crossbar, goalkeeper Zdravko Zdravkov and defender Georgi Bachev.

2002

*Paraguay 2 South Africa 2: South Africa's first goal credited to Teboho Mokoena, sometimes listed as an own goal by Estanislao Struway.
*Costa Rica 2 Brazil 5: Brazil's first goal credited to Ronaldo, some sources give it as a Luis Marín own goal. Marín's touch is decisive, Ronaldo's claim to the goal is tenuous. Freddi: "FIFA still persist in crediting the goal to Ronaldo, but it's a joke, completely unacceptable. When Júnior stabbed the ball in low, Ronaldo barely touched it sideways before Marín lunged in to bulldoze it past his own keeper."
*Denmark 0 England 3: England's first goal credited to Rio Ferdinand, many sources give it as a Thomas Sørensen own goal. Ferdinand headed a David Beckham corner sideways, before the Danish goalkeeper fumbled the ball back over his goal line. Freddi: "FIFA awarded this one to Ferdinand: 'If it is 50-50 then we will go with the attacking player.' Yes, but this was closer to 5-95."

2006

*Argentina 6 Serbia & Montenegro 0: Argentina's fourth goal was officially credited to Hernán Crespo, but the replays cast his claim into doubt. Crespo and Serbian defender Goran Gavrančić slid in together at the far post towards Lionel Messi's cross, and the ball was turned in. Replays suggested that Gavrančić may well have got the final touch.
*Argentina 2 Mexico 1: Argentina's first goal officially credited to Hernán Crespo, despite video showing it might easily be a Jared Borgetti own goal. Crespo got a faint toe to a corner, while Borgetti simultaneously headed the ball into the Mexican net. Borgetti's touch was certainly stronger, but as both happened simultaneously Crespo gets credit from FIFA.

2007 (Women)

*Germany 11 Argentina 0: First and last goals were corners fisted into her own net by Argentina goalkeeper Vanina Correa. FIFA match report credits both to corner takers, even though neither were going in without Correa's assistance.