2014 World Cup Ties 1998 Cup with Record 171 Goals

Noted for a number of high-scoring affairs in the group stage, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil ultimately matched the all-time record of 171 goals scored in a tournament, equaling the total from the 1998 Cup in France, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Since the 32-team format was introduced in 1998, no World Cup has produced more group-stage goals than the 136 we saw this year, according to BBC Sport. The previous mark was set in 2002, when the tournament co-hosted by South Korea and Japan featured an impressive 130 goals before the knockout rounds.

The 1998 Cup wasn't all that high-scoring until the knockout rounds, with a modest 126 goals from the group stage.

Following the thrilling group stage, this year's Cup was marked by close games, with the need for extra time contributing to added goals.

In the round of 16 alone, there were three games that went to extra time knotted at 0-0 and another two even at 1-1. Incredibly, those five matches produced seven extra-time goals, with both Belgium (against the U.S.) and Germany (against Algeria) earning 2-1 victories in contests that had been scoreless at the end of regulation time.

The quarterfinals brought a mere five goals in four games, while a semifinal between Argentina and the Netherlands went to penalties at 0-0. The scoring dried up as the weaker teams were weeded out, but nobody let Germany in on the secret.

The Germans blasted hosts Brazil by a score of 7-1 in one of the more memorable semifinals in World Cup history. Though the scoring otherwise fell off following the round of 16, the Germans' semifinal triumph will be what most fans remember when thinking of the high-scoring 2014 tournament.