Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and third-place match

The quarter-finals saw a transformed Italy prevail 4-1 over Mexico after trailing 0-1. The host took the lead against Italy with a Jose Gonzales goal, but his team-mate Gustavo Pena equalised with an own goal before half-time. Italy then took over, and dominated the second half. Two goals from Luigi Riva and one from Gianni Rivera saw them go through 4-1. In Guadalajara, Peru's World Cup adventure ended in the quarter-finals, where they lost 4-2 to Brazil after an entertaining and dramatic match between two equally attacking teams.
The game between Uruguay and the Soviet Union was goalless until five minutes from the end of extra time, when Victor Esparrago struck to send the South Americans through. The last quarter-final, a rematch of the 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany, produced one of the great matches of World Cup history. England suffered a serious blow before the game, when their great goalkeeper Gordon Banks was taken ill with food poisoning. His deputy Peter Bonetti stepped into the breach, and early in the second half England had a 2-0 lead and seemed to have West Germany firmly in its grasp. However, West Germany pulled one back with a goal from Beckenbauer in the 68th minute. In a panic, England coach Alf Ramsey decided then to substitute the tiring Bobby Charlton. Without Charlton, England lost its ability to set its own pace on the game and could not contain the relentless German attacks which eventually resulted in West Germany equalizing eight minutes from time with an Uwe Seeler header. Momentum had irrevocably shifted and West Germany avenged the 1966 final loss with Gerd Müller's winning goal in extra time after another Bonetti error, thus, ending England's reign as world champions.
The semi-finals featured an exciting final four, all four having won the World Cup in the past: Brazil vs Uruguay, in a rematch of the 1950 World Cup final, and Italy vs West Germany. In the all-South American match, Brazil managed to defeat Uruguay 3-1 despite falling behind 20 minutes into the match. The game was evenly matched for 70 minutes but the Uruguayans found Brazil's attack too much to overcome. This match also featured another bright moment by Pelé: upon holding possession near the box, he managed to rush all alone up to Uruguayan goalkeeper Ladislao Mazurkiewicz and, tipping the ball through his left side, the Brazilian ran through the right side, catching the ball on the run and then taking a shot to the empty goal. Unfortunately, Pelé missed by a sliver again. The other, all-European semi-final was regarded by many as the greatest World Cup game ever. Italy took a 1-0 lead through Roberto Boninsegna on 8 minutes after an excellent "one-two" combination with Luigi Riva. West Germany pressed to equalize for the rest of the game, until the very end when sweeper Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, then with Italy's AC Milan, scored in injury time. In extra time, Gerd Müller brought Germany the lead on 94 minutes before Italy defender Tarcisio Burgnich leveled the score with a rare international goal. On 104 minutes, Riva made it 3-2 past goalkeeper Sepp Maier, only for Müller to equalize six minutes later. Television cameras were still replaying this goal when Italy midfielder Gianni Rivera, left unmarked near the penalty spot, volleyed a fine Boninsegna cross past Maier for the winning goal in the 111th minute. Franz Beckenbauer sustained a broken clavicle after trying to gain a foul by diving during extra time. As Helmut Schön, the West German manager, had already used the two permitted substitutes, Beckenbauer stayed on with his arm in a sling. This match is regarded as the "Game of the Century", also known as the Partita del Secolo in Italy and Jahrhundertspiel in Germany. A monument at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City commemorates it. West Germany went on to win the 3rd place match against Uruguay (1-0).