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Worst Cup dives
RIVALDO Brazil, 2002
Late in a tightly contested first-round match between Brazil and Turkey, Rivaldo settled in to take a corner kick. As he dallied, frustrated Turkish defender Hakan Unsal kicked the ball at him in anger. Though it struck Rivaldo harmlessly in the leg, he clutched his head, fell to the ground and writhed as if he'd been harpooned. Unsal was red-carded. Turkey lost. An unrepentant Rivaldo was fined $10,000.
MICHAEL OWEN England, 1998
Moments before scoring one of the most scintillating goals in World Cup history during the Round of 16 against Argentina, Argentine defender Roberto Ayala made a move to intercept the fleet-footed Owen. There wasn't a hint of physical contact. The ensuing penalty tied the match 1-1. One hundred and nine minutes later, the game ended 2-2. Ayala scored the decisive penalty that sent England out.
ROBERTO ROJAS Chile, 1989
During a qualifier against Brazil, goalkeeper Rojas, facing defeat, tried to have the match cancelled. When a flare was tossed close to his goal, Rojas stepped into the smokescreen, pulled a small knife from his glove and cut his own head open. The game was cancelled. His act was caught on TV, however, Chile forfeited. Rojas was banned for life. The woman who threw the flare was later featured in Brazilian Playboy.
JURGEN KLINSMANN West Germany, 1990
The Barishnikov of the dive, Klinsmann didn't just fall down — he routinely rose like a high diver and risked serious injury slamming himself into the ground. In the Italia90 final, he rushed toward Argentine Pedro Monzon, took flight several feet before contact and rolled not once, not twice, but thrice. Monzon was ejected, the first red card in a World Cup final.
SLAVEN BILIC Croatia, 1998
During a goalmouth scramble in the semifinal between France and Croatia, defender Laurent Blanc tried to rub Bilic off with an upraised arm. Though Blanc's elbow clearly didn't come within a foot of Bilic's noggin, the big Croat fell like a sack of potatoes, pretending to be unconsciousness, then awake, then in excruciating pain. Blanc's ejection cost him his spot in the final against Brazil. Bilic's playacting cost him the respect of some of his own teammates