It is one of England’s main objectives: to help the Three Lions win their only major trophy to date.
But for 58 years, Geoff Hurst’s goal in the 101st minute of the 1966 World Cup final has been debated.
The referees ruled that Hurst’s explosive shot, which rebounded off the crossbar, had crossed the goal line.
But since then, fans and experts from around the world have repeatedly asked themselves the question: has a line been crossed or not?
In a bid to settle the debate once and for all, MailOnline spoke to scientists about ‘the most controversial goal in football history’.
Scientists give their verdict on whether England’s third goal in the 1966 World Cup final actually crossed the goal line
England captain Bobby Moore holds up the World Cup (Jules Rimet Trophy) with his teammates at Wembley Stadium, 30 July 1966
In the classic match, England led 2-1 in the 89th minute until West German defender Wolfgang Weber scored a spectacular equaliser in the closing stages.
After 90 minutes the score was 2-2 and extra time was needed. The Three Lions were not discouraged and went for the winning goal.
With eleven minutes of added time, England midfielder Alan Ball crossed from the right. The ball was received by Hurst, who turned and fired from close range.
The ball hit the underside of the crossbar and flew down onto the grass. Where exactly the ball landed is still a matter of debate.
In the modern game, the position of the ball in relation to the goal line is constantly monitored by seven cameras, meaning that every decision made is considered a goal (or not) within seconds.
But in 1966, such technology did not exist and only a limited number of TV cameras captured the event so that we could study it again in detail almost 60 years later.
Dr Key Bray, theoretical physicist and former scientific advisor to Southampton FC, told MailOnline that part of the problem these days is the lack of camera angles.
Seven cameras are mounted on the roof, aimed at each target and together displaying an accurate location of the ball relative to the goal line
“I honestly do not believe any of the analysis or conclusions that come from the famous video of the goal,” said Dr. Bray, who Article from 2012 ‘When is a goal no longer a goal?’
‘One camera is not enough and a three-dimensional representation can only be achieved using two or more cameras.
‘I don’t think we can say for sure that the ball completely crossed the line, but the referees allowed the goal and that’s the way it is.’
In the mid-1990s, Ian Reid and Andrew Zisserman were working at the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Engineering an article published to score what they called ‘probably the most famous and controversial goal in the history of football’.
By studying many frames from just two cameras, they created an approximate 3D projection to plot the vertical projection of the ball on the ground.
In the mid-1990s, Ian Reid and Andrew Zisserman of the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Engineering published a paper addressing the controversy
In soccer, the entire ball must cross the entire line, but this can often be too close for the referee to call. The modern technology pictured gives an accurate determination in just seconds
The duo concluded that the ball hit the ground on the line and was “at least 3 inches away from scoring a goal,” even when taking into account the “worst possible errors.”
Professor Zisserman told MailOnline: ‘When we were working on this in 1996, we found that the ball had not crossed the line.’
However, they also pointed out a lack of viewing angles and the possible movement of the cameras (not in a fixed position) – issues that may have influenced the conclusion.
According to Dr Kyle Ferguson from the Centre for Sports Enterprise at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, no single study can ‘definitively answer the question’.
‘There have been a lot of industry reviews and television has tried to use technology to answer this,’ Dr Ferguson told MailOnline.
‘Today’s technology allows us to judge the match and control every action.
‘But then the game was decided by referees and their best guesses. That made the game subjective, but it could still proceed and decisions didn’t have to be revised.
‘Maybe the question isn’t whether it was a goal, but which game was better: the 1960s or the 2020s.’
In the photo, Geoff Hurst (bottom left) falls to the ground after taking the shot, as his England team-mate Roger Hunt looks on. After the ball bounced off the grass, Hunt could have fired the ball into the net to make the goal unambiguous – but he didn’t, certain the ball had crossed the line. From this TV camera footage, it looks like Hunt may have been right
Geoff Hurst later said he was certain the ball had crossed the line, even though he had fallen after the shot and had not seen anything. He responded to this through his team-mate, striker Roger Hunt.
Hunt, who was standing about five yards away and had a good view of the ball with his face towards the goal, immediately threw his arms in the air to indicate he had scored, rather than trying to grab the rebound.
“If you’re a good striker you instinctively try to do your best,” said Hurst, who is now the only surviving member of the England World Cup-winning team.
‘But he (Hunt) put his arm up and shouted: “It’s a goal”, and that’s enough for me.’
Hurst of course went on to score once more in the match, making him the only man ever to score a winning hat-trick in a World Cup final.
Dr Reid stresses that the outcome of the match ‘does not change’ whatever conclusion you draw about the controversial goal.