World Cup Wonderland : Argentina

98: England-Argentina – War minus the shooting

Paul Simpson — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:53:00 GMT

Great goals, seminal sendings off, penalty heartbreak, Mick Jagger: England vs Argentina had everything. Those involved tell Paul Simpson the story...

"After tonight, England v Argentina will be remembered for what a player did with his feet.” Adidas had thoughtfully plastered those words over David Beckham’s face in an advert published on the morning of Tuesday 30 June 1998, the day these two old, fractious rivals went head to head in Saint-Etienne in the last 16 of the World Cup.

A tad more blatant, the Daily Mirror ran a picture of Diego Maradona’s sucker punch and the headline: “8PM TONIGHT: PAYBACK TIME.” David Hope, the then Archbishop of York, revealed he was “rooting for England, hoping it will be the foot of an English footballer – rather than the hand of God – that will make the difference”. Adidas and the Archbishop were proved right – just not in the way they had hoped.

While England sought vengeance in the Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Argentina’s players weren’t all as pumped up. As midfielder Matias Almeyda put it: “A kind of el clasico has been created around England versus Argentina matches because of the Falklands/Malvinas war. But the real el clasico is when we play Brazil.” His skipper, tireless midfield enforcer Diego Simeone, didn’t agree: “Quite apart from the political history, the desire of the whole country is to defeat England.”

The fixture’s allure had intrigued Mick Jagger, conveniently between Rolling Stones gigs, who travelled down from Amsterdam to Saint-Etienne to watch the match. The television cameras would later show him clapping and singing along – but out of time – with England fans. Meanwhile, in Buenos Aires, the British ambassador William Marsden invited colleagues, Argentinian friends and the media to watch the game over cocktails with embassy staff.

The tension was so unbearable even the diplomats couldn’t stay diplomatic. When Sol Campbell’s headed goal was disallowed, one Brit complained: “This isn’t a referee, it’s an Argentinian federal judge.” At the penalty shootout’s dismal climax, one very English voice shouted out: “Oh, f**king Batty.”

Silhouettes, Slough and St George: The build up

Marcela Mora y Araujo, Argentinian fan and football writer After it kicked off in Marseille, the British media had created a climate of fear. The night before the game, the French police turned off the lights in the main square, but loads of people gathered there awaiting the foretold explosion. Police cordoned off streets around the square, but access wasn’t denied. It was, a French officer shrugged, “at our own risk”. In the dark, you could just make out the swaying silhouettes filling the square. There were roars and ‘ahhs’ and occasional shouts. No actual fights took place. Most people had gone along expecting a catastrophe that had already been hyped out of proportion.

Chris Hunt, England fan, author of World Cup Stories and former editor of Match magazine By early afternoon on the day of the game, thousands of England fans were in town, some dressed as St George, drinking in the blistering heat. A few guys outside the railway station said tickets were changing hands for over £300, but they were convinced if they held their nerve until just before kick-off they’d get in for about £100. I saw them later and the plan had worked. It doesn’t happen like that any more.

Martin Mazur, Argentina fan, editor of El Grafico magazine At the Geoffroy Guichard end, English and Argentinian flags and banners were displayed altogether with no trouble. From the right, you could read ‘Campo Chico’, then ‘Wolves’, ‘Corrientes’, ‘Slough Spurs’, ‘Devoto’, ‘Piccadilly’... and so on. A few Argentinians who were surrounded by English fans dared to show a sky-blue flag with an inscription that read: ‘Malvinas Argentinas. Centro de Ex Combatientes de Malvinas en Ushuaia’. In other circumstances, this could have sparked disaster, but the banners all coexisted peacefully.

Araujo Jorge Valdano once said that England vs Argentina is the one fixture where the Mexican wave doesn’t stand a chance. I bumped into him before the match and he opened his eyes wide and said “I’m scared”. We were all scared – not of what of the fans might do but of the football. Even the weathered hacks were nervous. For once, that cliche about cutting the air with a knife rang true.

Hunt The Japanese guy I’d got my ticket from had bought a pretty good seat, yards from the pitch and a few seats from the England team’s families. We were penned in among a lot of Argentinians and watching the action through a 15-foot fence. It was just about light as the teams came out for kick-off. The atmosphere was astonishing. There really was a feeling among the fans that this was the year we were going to do it.

Kicks and cards: The opening exchanges

Steve Rushin, Sports Illustrated journalist We ducked into a bar in Saint-Etienne so grimly utilitarian it only had the words ‘SNACK BAR’ stencilled on the windows. The entire bar sang God Save The Queen before kick-off. When Argentina scored from a penalty, they belted out a chorus of “If It Wasn’t For The English You’d Be Krauts” to the tune of If You’re Happy And You Know It.

Gabriel Batistuta (whose goal from the spot made him the top-scoring Argentinian in World Cup history) The idea of scoring to break the record didn’t cross my mind for a second during the game. I’d have traded my goal for a victory in 90 minutes, without suffering so much.

Michael Owen When I was running into their box, I was more checked than kicked. If that foul had been committed outside the area, nine times out of 10 it would’ve been a free-kick, in the area it has to be a stone-cold certainty. So I’m still not certain mine was a penalty. But Hoddle did not tell me to go down if I was nudged in the area.

Glenn Hoddle The penalty wasn’t cast iron. But for their penalty, David Seaman had been booked so I was expecting the defender who’d brought Owen down to get a yellow or a red. Nothing happened. I said to the fourth official politely: “Where’s the card?” There was little I could do from the bench but I asked Incey to have a word with the referee. What did the ref do? He booked Paul Ince. I went berserk at the fourth official. I was so mad I was sitting down when Alan ran up to take the penalty and still sitting when the ball hit the back of the net. At that point, I thought it was a sign something was going to go wrong.

Slaloms, Scholes and songs: Owen’s wonder goal and Zanetti’s cunning riposte

Araujo Suddenly, as if he had grown a pair of wings, Owen took off gliding like an Olympic skier doing the giant slalom, each tilt of his body absolutely perfect. It was as if there was nothing else going on, just him and the ball. The Argentina defenders must have been equally mesmerised – he passed them one by one with no hesitation, totally in control, unstoppable. It felt like he was running towards me! Which he was. Just in front of me, the net bulged with the ball’s impact. Behind us there was stone-cold silence. I glanced behind me. My cousin and some mates were standing there. We shook our heads, smiling at the knowledge that we had just seen beauty, albeit against us.

Owen The defenders were back-pedalling because they didn’t want me to run at them again from deep. By the time I let rip, I’d run 20 or 30 yards. When you run that far at full pace, the defender has no chance. Anxiety and confusion were telling Ayala to pull back. By the time I pushed the ball across him, it was impossible for him to stop me from his standing start. Just then I saw Paul Scholes on my right, shouting either “Leave it!” or “Scholesy’s”. I wasn’t going to respond to the call. When I finally struck it, the keeper Carlos Roa had raced off his line so there wasn’t much space to work in, but I clipped it hard and fast towards the far corner.

Rushin The Snack Bar went barmy. I was knocked to the ground but recovered to sing “Michael Owen scores the goals Al-le-loo-oo-ia!” to the tune of Michael Rows The Boat Ashore.

Diego Maradona In my mind, Owen was the only good thing to come out of France 98. He had speed, cunning and balls.

Mazur Jose Chamot must still have nightmares about Owen. At that moment, Owen was playing like he was Maradona. But Zanetti’s goal was a masterclass in deception from a set-piece. Sublime.

Hoddle We saw the goal coming from the bench. As they shaped up to take it Peter Taylor shouted: “Look down the wall. There’s a dangerman out wide.” We saw Ortega lurking to the right, alongside the wall. I was standing up, screaming, trying to alert Graeme [Le Saux]. He was aware of Ortega, and knew he had to keep an eye on him, but the gap between them was too big. John [Gorman] had this sick, sinking feeling. He knew they’d score.

The foot of Beckham: England sees red

Diego Simeone Let’s just say the referee fell into the trap, a difficult one for him to avoid because I went down well and in moments like that there’s always a lot of tension. You could say my falling turned a yellow card into a red. The most appropriate punishment was a yellow. I was just being clever. It wasn’t a violent blow, just a little kick back with no force behind it and was probably instinctive. The referee was two steps away and probably punished the intention to retaliate.

David Seaman Beckham was conned into making a mistake. It was a bad tackle by Simeone and, when he was on the floor, Simeone shoved Becks’s head into the grass. Becks lost his head and flicked his foot up at him. The sending off was harsh but Becks was stupid to put the ref on the spot.

Hoddle When I saw it, I just thought: ‘What are you doing?’ How many times had we warned him about such behaviour? I was expecting a yellow card. But it was red for violent conduct. However mad I was with David, I was furious with the referee.

Owen If Simeone had done the flicking and David had been kicked, there’d have been no dismissal. David wouldn’t have rolled around on the ground.

Graeme Le Saux It isn’t hard to connect David’s sending off and Glenn’s treatment of David. Glenn may have harboured frustrations about his playing career – sometimes his training was all about showing you how it should be done. And he’d criticised David for not mastering a free-kick. The general feeling was that David deserved to be in the team for his performances and training, but Glenn felt he wasn’t properly focused and played Darren Anderton against Tunisia and Romania. If Hoddle had judged David’s character accurately, he’d have chosen his words more carefully. But he created this seething resentment in David. It was only a matter of time until David blew it.

David Beckham I know how disappointed the fans and players were. What I wasn’t ready for, at 23 years of age, was for all the blame of that defeat to be laid on me.

Hunt I remember my disbelief that he could have been so stupid. I was yards away from his parents and sister and moments after he left the pitch his sister dashed out looking close to tears. She reappeared minutes later looking solemn. Maybe she knew that people were about to start hanging effigies of her brother outside the pubs of England.

Mazur Beckham’s dismissal was controversial. Simeone overreacted. The referee was a disaster. But the tension was unbelievable. At one point, we thought it was all over. From where we were, Sol Campbell’s goal looked completely legal. We could see no foul.

Seaman Having watched the video, it was definitely a foul by Alan [Shearer] on the keeper. Alan went up for the ball but his arm hits the keeper. Apart from that, very little went on in the penalty area. The game seemed to go on forever, with our lads getting more knackered.

Paul Merson I’d have been gutted to lose to a goal like that. I’d heard the whistle as Sol headed home. When he ran by me in celebration, I wondered where the hell he was going while play was going on.

Daniel Passarella We kept trying to attack England down the middle, instead of on the flanks. That’s probably why we didn’t score a winning goal.

And now, the end is near: The shootout

Araujo You could almost hear heartbeats speeding up. It felt eternal, painful, like penalty shootouts often are, but more so. I was riveted by how close to the action I was. The players’ legs, the blades of turf, every hiss of the ball, it was all there.

Hoddle Some players weren’t up for it. Shearer, Owen and Merse were all certainties. David Batty was up for it. He was very, very confident. He told me he’d never taken one before, but it didn’t matter. You’d rather have someone who’s up for it.

Rushin Before the grim vigil of penalties, many in the Snack Bar turned their backs on the TV, unable to look.

Alan Shearer David told me he was going to smash it down the middle. For some reason he changed his mind and put it to the keeper’s right. Changing your mind at the last second is a crime on a penalty. But he was brave enough to take it.

Julian Barnes, novelist With his side on the verge of extinction, David Batty, who had never taken a penalty in his life before, juggled the ball over jauntily and flopped his kick straight into the keeper’s midriff. He said afterwards “When I knew I was the fifth man I envisioned stepping up to thump the last one in. I had positive thoughts all the way and it was only when I saw the Argentinians celebrating that I realised we were out.” On hearing this,  a despairing voice at my elbow commented: “Can’t bloody count”.

Al Batty, father of David Mary and I got the shock of our lives when David was asked to take a penalty. Neither of us expected David to score.

Le Saux I can still see David’s little skip of despair at the instant he sees the keeper parry it. It was terribly cruel on him.

Hunt I’ve seen some England defeats over the years, but that was definitely the hardest to take – possibly because I’d been so certain the World Cup had our name on it. To this day I’ve never been able to watch replays of the game or the penalties.

Tears, prayers and jesters: The aftermath

Passarella During and after the game, I thought a lot of my son [his 18-year-old son Sebastian had died in a car accident], this victory was dedicated to him. England respected their character and football philosophy and troubled us at certain moments. It was a game played with open hearts, intensity and rhythm, with two teams showing great character to come back. It was as exciting as a game of football can be. To send the English packing was wonderful.

Tony Adams I admired Beckham for crying. I was first back in the dressing room and he was in tears. I went over to him and said, “It’s all your f**king fault, you idiot! That was my last chance to do well in the World Cup and you’ve ruined it”. He looked at me, eventually saw I was half joking. It broke the depression slightly.

Araujo The stadium emptied in minutes, but the mobile TV units were heaving with personalities. Ian Wright sat alone, looking forlorn. We asked him for a reaction for Argentinian TV. “Sorry mate,” he shook his head kindly, “Not now.”

Hunt I couldn’t move for 15 minutes after the penalties. The only people left were the players’ families, waiting despondently for an escort out of the ground, and a few dozen dancing Argentinians. I remember thinking that this just wasn’t a day when I wanted someone in a blue-and-white jester hat to be blowing a large plastic horn in my face.

Elias Perugino, Argentine journalist During the celebrations, the Argentine physio Angel Castro, who’d been with the team for 30 years, dropped his Virgin Mary prayer card. Castro was devastated, crying, “Now, I will die, the prayer card has been with me in every World Cup, where did it go?” Next to him was a human mountain of players and staff with Passarella at the bottom wearing his best suit. The human mountain eventually collapsed. Passarella had the card in his hand and said: “Angel, it’s here, don’t worry, save it for the next game, we’re gonna need it.”

Franz Beckenbauer The 55th game of this World Cup finals was the best, certainly the most dramatic. David Beckham was red-carded for stupidity – losing your cool like that is unforgiveable. And yet England fought hard and got a draw after two great goals. First, there was that incredible run by Michael Owen, who was only 18 but as clinical as a veteran. Argentina’s equaliser was worth a look, too: a nice variation on a free-kick coolly converted by Javier Zanetti. Then came the sequel to the never-ending story of English penalty tragedies. Still, a tip of the hat to England.

Carlos Roa It was the best performance of my career. Listening to the national anthem before a World Cup game makes you feel pumped up, you feel like a patriot. And if you’re about to play England, so much the better. Two countries with a conflict behind us, in a kill-or-die game. You hear that history is forgotten, that a game is just a game. Well, it’s a lie. In England, the defeat was like a bomb. Just as it would have been in Argentina if we’d lost.

Le Saux The Argentina players were already on the bus, which was next to ours. They were really rocking, waving out of the windows, screaming with delight. They weren’t blatantly mocking us, just celebrating like crazy – like we would have done. Some England players reacted aggressively – Incey and the like, the usual suspects. There was a lot of gesturing and name calling.

Hunt It was like Armageddon at the station, a crush of England fans trying to get any train out of Saint-Etienne. The fans on the night blamed Beckham, not David Batty or the penalties.

Rushin Some fans in the Snack Bar were slumped over tables, others ran into the streets. As we left town after midnight, three sounds came from every precinct: the barking of dogs, the breaking of glass and the donkey bray of French police sirens: ee-yore, ee-yore, ee-yore.

Daily Mirror headline the following day ‘10 heroic lions, one stupid boy.’

FEATURE: The most politically charged game in World Cup history

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

94: What really went wrong with Colombia

FourFourTwo Team — Sat, 29 May 2010 07:55:00 GMT

A 5-0 thumping of Argentina in qualifying gave Colombia a reputation they just couldn’t live up to, reveals Henry Mance.

Forget the ‘Hand of God’. For Colombians, Maradona’s most famous mitt movement came seven years later, before their World Cup qualifier away to Argentina. Asked by a TV interviewer about Colombia’s chances, Maradona referred to the two countries’ footballing history. Argentina up here, he indicated with his right hand; Colombia down there. That was all viewers needed to know.

In the event, Colombia thrashed Argentina 5-0, and Maradona looked – not for the last time – like an unadulterated buffoon. Back in Colombia, all sense of proportion was lost. Crowds, the president among them, greeted the team’s return. During a subsequent friendly, one fan even took a celebratory roast platter down to the dugout.

Colombia, the country’s leading newspaper reported, was living a “collective feeling of belonging and nationalist ardour not seen since the war against Peru”, fought 60 years earlier. Pele then took the bandwagon global, making Colombia favourites for the World Cup.

It was only once the competition got underway that Maradona’s disdain was vindicated. Defeats to Romania (3-1) and the USA (2-1) meant that, despite a 2-0 victory over Roy Hodgson’s Switzerland, Colombia finished bottom of Group A. As Brazil and Italy advanced to the final, it was clear a new footballing superpower had not emerged.

Ejection dejection for Alexis Mendoza and Leonel Alvarez

How did Colombia go from favourites to failures? The point is, they should never have been so fancied. “Up until the Argentina game, we were a team on the rise,” argues Oscar Cortes, an unused squad member. “From then on, we went downhill.” Colombia failed to win any of their three warm-up games against modest opposition.

The popular wisdom is that the players were so over-confident that their World Cup preparation consisted of beer and brothels. In fact, while public expectation boomed, the Colombia set-up was haunted by a realism bordering on defeatism.

Cortes says he “never heard any of the players say we were going to win the World Cup, or get to the final. At most, we could have got one or two rounds further, that would have been fair.” Pacho Maturana, the coach, showed a disarming lack of confidence when he told a reporter: “For me, the important thing is to compete... to leave a mark, a footprint.”

What the players, but not the media, could see was that the key figures were not at their peak. The ageing Carlos Valderrama was recovering from injury, the ever-erratic Tino Asprilla was exhausted after a long season at Parma, and Freddy Rincon, then of Palmeiras, was out of form. Other players had their own problems: two days before the US game, right-back Chonto Herrera found out his brother had died in a car crash. (Nor was Rene Higuita there, having been in prison for profiting from hostage mediation.)

In any case, this was not a squad built to endure long days in a team hotel. Slick passers on the pitch, the players combined less easily off it. Valderrama’s uptight personality jarred with Asprilla’s general clowning; then there was the reserved Rincon and a large clique from Atletico Nacional.

The lack of squad spirit was evident against Romania: Gheorghe Hagi and Florin Raducioiu were naively afforded space, goalkeeper Córdoba had a day to forget, and Colombia could not rally a comeback.

Death threats came, demanding that Barrabas Gomez, brother of Maturana’s assistant Hernan Dario Gomez, should not play. Barrabas left the squad, but players say the impact of the threats lingered. In the circumstances, the defeat to the US – featuring Andres Escobar’s own goal – was actually less remarkable than the efficient victory over Switzerland.

The 1994 campaign looks less of debacle today, after Colombia’s failure to qualify for three successive World Cups. But if anything good has come out of Colombian football’s current decline, it’s that expectations are nearer reality.

ESCOBAR: THE TRUTH

After Colombia were knocked out, coach Pacho Maturana told the players that they were welcome to stay in the US until tensions back home cooled down. Chonto Herrera suggested to Andres Escobar that they take up the offer and see a bit of the country. Escobar declined. After all, he said, in Medellin everybody loves us. He quickly found out how wrong he was.

Escobar: shot dead in Medellin

Was Escobar killed for his own goal? Rumours have long said so, on the basis that the Cali and Medellin drug cartels had bet heavily on the outcome of the World Cup. The courts, in contrast, found that Escobar had been killed over what Colombians call “a skirt problem”.

After approaching a girl in a nightclub, he was accosted by two men who insulted him, not just on account of his own goal, but also of ad campaigns he’d appeared in. As the argument continued, the men’s driver stepped in and shot Escobar. This was the Medellin of the 1990s, where homicide represented the primary cause of death. But a driver taking the rap is never wholly convincing.

Surprisingly, in a country constantly raking over past cartel crimes, no new light has been shed on Escobar’s murder. Perhaps there really was no order from the mafia hierarchy. Uncertain, people create their own versions of the truth: a novel released to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the killing featured a football commentator, who lost not just his savings but his voice at the moment the own goal went in. Shooting Escobar was the commentator’s way of regaining the power of speech.

Whatever happened, there is little doubt that Escobar’s life would not have been in danger had Colombia won in ‘94 – even an indignant mafioso boyfriend wouldn’t shoot a hero. Instead, like Salvador Cabanas, Escobar most probably found that – in a bar, with tempers fraying – a footballer’s aura does not offer much protection.

More from World Cup Wonderland: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

94: Aggro, anger & antics in America

FourFourTwo Team — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:55:00 GMT

Maybe it was the heat. But 1994 was a year for rag-losing, nut-doing and violent meltdowns…

Maradona’s potty celebrations –  and doping shame
The Argentine demigod really was a very naughty boy throughout his playing days, but his nadir surely came at USA 94. It looked like he’d recaptured some old magic when he scored against Greece in the opening game, only for the world to collectively ponder “What’s he on?!” after witnessing his celebratory boggle-eyed yelling into the camera.

We soon found out: he was on five different sorts of the stimulant ephedrine. Maradona was disqualified, later arguing that his failed doping test was the result of his trainer giving him the wrong sort of energy drink. Cheat or not, it was a sad end to a truly great World Cup career.

Leonardo gives Ramos the elbow
Brazilian left-back Leonardo didn’t take kindly to fleet-footed American winger Tab Ramos attempting to bamboozle him with a back-heel: he twisted and delivered a vicious elbow into the side of Ramos’ face, fracturing his cheekbone.

As his victim flopped on the floor like a fish out of water, the ref steamed in with a red card and everyone else enjoyed a mini-festival of referee-surrounding and Latin gesturing. Ramos spent three months in hospital; Leonardo was banned for four World Cup games and later apologised to Ramos, claiming it had been “an accident”.

Tassotti elbows Luis Enrique
Another shocker: Spanish forward Enrique lost more than a pint of blood after getting on the wrong end of Italian defender Mauro Tassotti’s elbow. The foul went unpunished during the game despite Enrique’s wild protestations.

The Italian eventually received a retrospective eight-game ban, but the Spaniard held a grudge for much longer than that: in 2008 he called for his nation to ‘take revenge’ for him on Italy. “I would love it,” he said, “and Spain has the advantage this time, because Tassotti is not playing!” Indeed.

Etcheverry off in four minutes
What do you expect from a man nicknamed ‘El Diablo’? Sickeningly violent mayhem, that’s what, and Marco Etcheverry delivered just that in the opening game of USA 94 at Soldier Field. Returning from injury, the man regarded as Bolivia’s best-ever player came on with 11 minutes left on the clock and his side trailing 1-0.

Immediately enraged by a shove from Lothar Matthaus, he kicked out at the German and was dismissed. “I’m sorry for Bolivia,” he said afterwards. “If I did kick him, it’s part of the game.” The side finished bottom of their group, and Etcheverry later gained a reputation for aggro at DC United, as he hacked and butted his way through the MLS.

Whack! Lothar gets the devil from behind

Effenberg gives fans the finger
It’s not just Barry Ferguson who gets himself into trouble with childish hand gestures. Stefan Effenberg was caught out ‘flicking the bird’ to German fans after being subbed in their game against South Korea.

His side had let a three-goal lead slip to 3-2, and manager Bertie Vogts replaced Effenberg with Thomas Helmer. Barracked by some supporters as he trudged along the sidelines, Effenberg lost the plot and replied with a middle-fingered salute. His reward was a ticket home, and Vogts responded by saying: “for as long as I’m coaching the team, he will not play for Germany again.”

'Psycho' Zola gets short shrift
Gianfranco Zola only ever played one World Cup game in his career: the second round of USA 94 against Nigeria, in which he was sent off after just a few minutes for, well, nothing much at all – the official completely misjudged an ordinary tackle.

“My thoughts were all directed to the referee, and they weren’t very nice thoughts, actually,” the unlikely hatchet-man told FourFourTwo about his reaction. Zola was banned for the next two games, dropped for the final and retired from international football just before the 1998 tournament. A shame.

Divine miss, Ross
Oprah Winfrey was the compere and US President Bill Clinton was in attendance (vice-president Al Gore was at the closing ceremony), but the opening ceremony at Chicago’s Soldier Field will forever be remembered for one guest: Diana Ross, who missed an open goal from two yards out.

At the end of her performance, the Motown legend, resplendent in what appeared to be a bright red shell suit, was supposed to slam home a penalty but hooked her shot wide. The goal was supposed to split in half as ball went in, and did so anyway, despite the spooned sitter. While an audience of billions laughed, an embarrassed Ross turned the colour of her scarlet two-piece.

Prepare to Di...

Coke scandal hits World Cup, offends millions
McDonald’s and Coca-Cola had a cunning plan: to print the flags of all the participating nations on their products. But it backfired when Saudi Arabia complained that printing their flag – which features the Islamic declaration of faith – on disposable bags and drinks cans was an insult to all Muslims. The offending products were quickly and quietly discontinued.

No pay, no play
Cameroon’s bid for World Cup glory was thrown into disarray when, two days before their group match against Brazil, the Indomitable Lions players refused to continue in the tournament unless they were paid what was promised by the Cameroonian FA. Despite receiving their match fees in a suitcase packed with $450,000, the players hardly appeared inspired – they went on to lose 3-0 to Brazil and 6-1 to Russia.

Much Aldo about one-nothing
With the Republic of Ireland a goal down to Mexico in their crucial group match, manager Jack Charlton was keen to introduce mustachioed frontman John Aldridge into the fray. He was foiled, however, by over-officious FIFA goon Mustafa Fahmy, who refused to allow the striker on leading to a red-faced shouty exchange with Charlton and Aldridge.

After a six-minute wrangle, Aldo finally trotted onto the pitch, barely breaking stride to flick a few victory signs in Fahmy’s direction, before scoring the goal that secured the Republic’s place in the second round.

More from World Cup Wonderland: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

78: Boney, baldy, bendy and bonkers

Rob Carey — Tue, 25 May 2010 08:09:00 GMT

Kicking off as Boney M’s Rivers of Babylon stood at No.1 in the charts, Argentina 78 was a mysterious wonderland of ticker tape, cigarette-smoking managers, exotic kits, unrecognisable names and great mops of curly hair. And that was without Kevin Keegan.

After getting over the realisation that England weren’t in the competition – again – Britain relied on Scotland to do us proud. The Scots were on the march with Ally’s army, confidence high, and were certain they were coming home with the cup (because Ally McLeod made a promise Rafa would be proud of). But someone forget to let Peru and Iran know the plan: they took four points off the Scots in the first two games.

However, Scotland managed to spare their blushes by nearly qualifying for the second stage, beating the mighty Holland 3-2 in their final game. The game caused hundreds of Subbuteo Scotland players to be brutally disfigured, receiving receding hairlines via penknife surgery after the follically-challenged Archie Gemmill scored one of the greatest ever World Cup goals, jinking past what seemed like the entire Holland side and coolly chipping the advancing keeper.

The new official Adidas Tango match ball hypnotised us youngsters, partly because of its wonderful pattern, but mainly because it was named after a fizzy drink. Nelinho, like most of his Brazilian team mates, could bend the ball like a banana and against Italy he belted in an unbelievable swerving goal with the outside of his right boot.

Children could be seen replicating the strike on the school playgrounds the next day with their own “Tango”, which wasn’t hard to do as those days the only available balls were made of plastic and flew through the air like a burst balloon.

While Scotland were failing to live up to their own hype, Britain’s other representative, Welsh ref Clive Thomas, was doing his usual job of attempting to wrest the limelight from the players – stunningly successfully.

In the final minute of Brazil’s game against Sweden, Zico nodded home the winner from a 90th-minute corner – but Thomas claimed he had blown his whistle after the ball had left the Brazilian’s head and before it had entered the Swedish net. It was no surprise that the Welshman wasn't appointed for the final – a rare moment of common sense from FIFA.

Common sense was certainly missing from Peruvian keeper Ramón “El Loco” Quiroga. In the final minutes of his side’s game with Poland, Quiroga made his way up the field in search of an equaliser but was caught out by a quick clearance. Still in his opponents' half he took actions into his own hands, rugby-tackling the Polish attacker and picking up, rem, a yellow card.

The Argentinian-born keeper was never too far away from the headlines. With hosts Argentina needing to beat Peru by four clear goals to progress to the final, he picked the ball out of his net six times, and the Argentines were on their way to their first World Cup victory.

As Olivia Newton John claimed No.1 spot in the charts with You’re The One That I Want, the hosts got their hands on their object of desire as Holland’s total football couldn’t contain the firepower of Luque and Kempes and the hosts won 3-1 in extra time.

More from World Cup Wonderland

Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

90: The lost brilliance of Yugoslavia

Jonathan Wilson — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:35:00 GMT

Ivica Osim seems like an old man now, weakened by the stroke that put an end to his reign as coach of Japan in 2007, and reflective on his life and what his legacy may be. “When I lie in bed not sleeping,” he says, “I think of two things. I turned down Real Madrid twice, and that might have meant more people knew me, and I wonder about 1990.”

He was the coach of a supremely gifted Yugoslavia team that, after being blown away by a magnificent West Germany in their opening game, came back to light up the tournament with their technical football. They beat Spain 2-1 in an epic in Verona, before unluckily going out on penalties to Argentina in the quarter-final – having played 90 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of Refik Sabanadzovic.

“The team was far, far better than the country,” said Osim. “I’m not sure it’s good to talk about it because football is football and life is life. Football is a pretty game, but it’s not larger than life. It would be an illusion to make a lamentation about that generation of players, and not to talk about what happened afterwards.

"Lots of people have been killed. The country was destroyed. It’s not fair for me to talk about the players and not to talk about what happened next. Sometimes there are things that are more important than football. One thing is sure: if the players were in charge instead of the politicians, nothing could ever be like this.”

The classic line-up

He ranks the game against Spain, when Dragan Stojkovic scored twice and played well enough to earn a move to Marseille, as the best in his time as national manager. “You see the result and you see a positive result, so automatically you think it’s the best game of the tournament,” he said.

“But also I think that game was special because Spain was always a football force. It was important in showing that we had the same number of good individuals as Spain. And it was the sort of game in which players could make sure they stood out from the crowd. Stojkovic did that, but even without that game he would have been a great player.”

That set up the quarter-final against Diego Maradona’s Argentina, and it was then that the political situation began to intrude. “That should have been the biggest game, but it was played at the wrong time, because we had a lot of other problems and the team could not concentrate.

"Srecko Katanec, who was a really, really important player for us, said 'Please, don’t pick me' a few hours before the game because he had received a threat in his city. He was afraid to walk around in Ljubljana because of threats. I can understand that’s not a nice position. How can he play? If he goes to play in Italy and his family stays in Ljubljana then they are under threat. I can’t persuade anybody not to think about that.”

And so Yugoslavia slipped out on penalties, and a squad that also included Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker, Darko Pancev, Dejan Savicevic and Alen Boksic would never come together on the big stage again. They were expelled from Euro 92 as the war began, and by 1994 the federation had ceased to exist. The young team of 1990 remains frozen forever in time, an unsullied force of amazing but unrealised potential.

OTHERS NOT SEEN AGAIN
West Germany: They won the last tournament before reunification, but the expected domination of the European game never materialised.

USSR: As Mihail Gorbachev’s reforms led to fragmentation, the USSR endured a limp final tournament, losing 2-0 to Romania and Argentina before beating Cameroon when they were already out.

Czechoslovakia: The goals of Tomas Skhuravy carried them to the quarter-final, since when the Czech Republic have carried their flame – until this summer, when Slovakia make their tournament bow.

More from World Cup Wonderland

Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

90: The age of the great goalkeeper

Nick Moore — Sun, 23 May 2010 09:00:00 GMT

The general consensus is that World Cup 1990 was a stinker. Beyond memorable moments from Milla, Gazza and Schillaci, the tournament was plagued by dishwater-dull, defensive games and a chronic lack of goals: Argentina made it to the final after scoring only five times, and five knockout matches – including both semis – were settled on penalties.

But if the strikers were thwarted and neutrals trudged home with numbed minds, one group of men could consider the Italian summer a triumph: goalkeepers. The globe’s custodians boarded their return planes with a record-breaking 31 clean sheets, and only nine games out of 52 saw a team concede three or more times. Strong defences must take huge credit – Italy’s ruthless backline boasted Maldini, Baresi, Ferri and Bergomi – but this was also a golden time for goalkeeping: across the competition, proud behemoths stood between the sticks.

Men like Spain’s Andoni Zubizarreta, who would play over 700 professional games, 126 for his country and four consecutive World Cups. Hans van Breukelen, who minded Holland’s nets for over a decade. Brazil’s Taffarel, who found himself eliminated from Italia 90 despite letting in just two goals. Packie Bonner, who patrolled the Irish goalmouth for 15 years. And USSR’s Rinat Dasayev, nicknamed ‘the Iron Curtain’ and rated by many as the best keeper of the 1980s.

Five other men, however, have got genuine claims as the summer’s premier glovesman. Germany won the tournament in no small part down to Bodo Ilgner, who was in exceptional form throughout. He marshalled his backline with authority and was near unbeatable one-on-one. His semi-final penalty save against Stuart Pearce saw Germany through, where Ilgner would become the first man to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final.

Illgner holds off England one-handed

The other finalists, Argentina, also owed much to their No.1, Sergio Goycochea. After keeping a clean sheet in the defeat of Brazil, he was the star of two crucial shoot-outs: against Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, and again in the semis against Italy, where he blocked efforts from Roberto Donadoni and Aldo Serena. El Goyco also got close to saving Brehme’s penalty in the final. He was selected for the All-Star Team by FIFA jointly as the best keeper of the tournament.

The man who shared this honour was Costa Rica’s Luis Gabelo Coneja. Although he played just three group games and let in two strikes, Conejo made a string of brilliant, athletic saves against Scotland, Sweden and Brazil. Unfortunately, he was injured for the second round game against Czechoslovakia, who scored four past his depleted side.

Peter Shilton surely also had a claim: the Englishman who clocked up 1005 career games and 125 international caps over a 33-year career was at his commanding best in 1990, where he managed three shutouts, helping set a still-unbeaten record of ten World Cup clean sheets.

Italy’s Walter Zenga, however, can probably consider himself the unluckiest stopper in the tournament – and perhaps the history of the World Cup. The Italian legend broke the record for the length of time between letting in World Cup goals, not conceding once in the group stages, second round, or quarters. Unfortunately, when he finally did, it was a clanger.

After 517 minutes of goallessness spanning two tournaments, Zenga failed to grab a high ball against Argentina, allowing Caniggia to nod home. Italy drew 1-1, lost the shootout and Zenga was crucified by the press for his mistake. Even during a record-breaking summer, the world’s No.1s were getting it in the neck, begging the age-old question: who’d be a goalkeeper?

More from World Cup Wonderland

Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

90: A big shock, a great grudgefest and a dodgy drink

Nick Moore — Sat, 22 May 2010 09:01:00 GMT

Right from the start, Italia 90 had its fair share of noteworthy games – from cup shocks to clashing giants and an intrigue-filled derby clash...

BIGGEST SHOCK
Cameroon 1-0 Argentina
As the teams gathered in the San Siro centre circle for the national anthems ahead of the opening game of Italia ’90, all eyes fell on Diego Maradona. The genius who had almost single-handedly won the previous World Cup looked supremely confident.

While the Cameroonians awaited kick-off nervously, the Argentine captain performed a series of extraordinary tricks, spinning the ball cleverly off his toe and juggling with shoulder-flicks and deft headers. He looked about as nervous as Mike Tyson entering the ring for a bout with Hannah Montana.

The Africans weren’t even considered good enough to rank as underdogs in the eyes of the world: they were simply here to make up the numbers, shooting practice for a Big Gun in the tournament’s curtain-raiser.

The world, it transpired, was an ass. With hindsight, this result perhaps shouldn’t have been considered that stunning. Argentina may have eventually ground their way to the final via a series of penalty shoot-outs, narrow victories and alleged cheating (see Dodgiest Game, below) but the reigning champions were a long way shy of their sparkling 1986 vintage.

Cameroon, meanwhile, possessed a powerful frontline and would eventually be unlucky not to reach the semi-finals themselves. For now, however, they had the element of surprise on their side: no African side had ever progressed beyond the group stages of the tournament, and they weren’t expected to start here. Cameroon also possessed some pretty cynical tactics: from the whistle, they steamed into Argentina.

Maradona, jeered throughout by the partisan Milanese crowd for his Napoli connections, later complained that the Indomitable Lions had not turned up to play, merely to kick Argentina into submission. He had reason to be bitter: the Argentine talisman was double- and treble-marked completely out of the game.

"Get him!!"

The South Americans had the best of the early exchanges, however, and came close to scoring after just four minutes – until Abel Balbo, presented with an open goal, tripped over the ball. Minutes later, Nestor Fabbri thundered clear of his marker and unleashed a brilliant right-foot effort which was blocked by keeper Thomas Nkono. As the game wore on, though, Cameroon’s defence tightened and the counter-attacks began.

Emmanuel Makanaky capitalised on some defensive confusion to punt a weak shot goalwards, which was only just shepherded out by defender Nestor Lorenzo. Suddenly the Africans looked like possible winners. Level at half-time, the pressure and slick Cameroon passing continued after the break. But on the hour mark, an appalling foul on Claudio Cannigia by Andrea Kana Biyik resulted in a red card.

The dismissal didn’t deter the Lions: they took the lead five minutes later when an unmarked Francois Oman Biyik headed a free-kick through the legs of goalkeeper Pumpido. Now pouring forward, Cameroon stretched the Argentine defence time and again. In the dying minutes, Benjamin Massing was also dismissed following an obvious foul on the unfortunate Cannigia. But his nine team-mates clung on for a famous victory.

At the time, it felt like a genuine mugging: the biggest upset since North Korea beat Italy in 1966. Everyone thought it was a fluke – The Sun’s headline the next day read: ‘LOONY ‘ROONS BARGY ARGIES’. But Cameroon went on to prove that it wasn’t by beating Romania to win their group, knocking out Colombia in the second round, and scaring the bejesus out of England in the quarter-finals.

African football had finally gained something it sorely deserved: respect. Plucky opening-day underdogs, meanwhile, would never be treated with casual disdain again.

BEST GAME
West Germany 2-1 Holland
It may be best remembered for a generous gobload of Dutch phlegm entering a dodgy German perm, and this Euro grudgefest was extremely nasty in parts, but it was also a humdinger of a game: two nations with bucketloads of previous going head-to-head at the San Siro.

The fans disrupted each other’s anthems before the match, and it didn’t take long for the nastiness to spread to the pitch. Within the first minute, Holland’s Adri van Tiggelen badly hurt Pierre Littbarski. End-to-end chances followed, but then tensions exploded between Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Voller, leading to the infamous spitting incident and both men getting dismissed. "I went berserk," admitted Rijkaard.

Flobber-job: Frank's phlegm riles Rudi

The bitter deadlock was finally broken by Jurgen Klinsmann, who tapped in a pinpoint cross on 51 minutes. Holland’s Gerald Vanenburg went close to equalising, Lothar Mattheus nearly doubled the lead and Henk Fraser hit the post. Andreas Brehme finally added a second on 85 minutes, and despite Ronald Koeman’s late penalty, the Dutch couldn’t recover in time.

DODGIEST GAME
Argentina 1-0 Brazil
The last World Cup meeting between the Latin arch-enemies was highly controversial: after the match, Brazilian defender Branco claimed he’d been drugged with tranquilisers by the Argentine bench, who’d handed him a bottle of Gatorade during a stoppage in play.

The incident became known as ‘The Holy Water Scandal,’ and the debate about what occurred still rages. The Argentine Football Federation has always denied the allegations, but Maradona has since claimed that the water was drugged – although he had nothing to do with it – and during a magazine interview in 2005, manager Carlos Bilardo said: "I'm not saying it didn't happen. I don’t know." Whatever the truth of the matter, it has added fuel to an already-fiery rivalry ever since.

More from World Cup Wonderland

Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

86: What Happened Next for the winners?

FourFourTwo Team — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:58:00 GMT

The 1986 champions are often derided as Diego Maradona plus 10 others, but proud Argentinian Martin Mazur brings you right up to date...

Goalkeeper: NERY PUMPIDO
A year after winning the World Cup, he almost lost a finger when his wedding ring got stuck in a goal-frame fixing during training. Successfuly repaired, he then broke a leg during Argentina’s second game in Italy 1990. As a manager, he won the Copa Libertadores with Paraguay’s Olimpia in 2002. Now sporting director of Union.

Sweeper: JOSE LUIS BROWN
Always defined as ‘on-pitch manager’ by Carlos Bilardo, who appointed him as his assistant at Boca Juniors in 1996. Currently manages the Argentina’s U17 team. After his side’s elimination in the 2009 World Cup, he said “I’d happily dig a pit and bury myself here.”

Defender: JOSE LUIS CUCIUFFO
After retiring in 1994, the utility player opened a bar and founded a football school that taught Japanese kids. A big hunting fan, he died in December 2004 at the age of 43, accidentally shot by one of the rifles he was carrying.

Defender: OSCAR RUGGERI
An Albiceleste icon, he amassed a record 97 caps, helping Argentina win two Copa Americas and playing at Italia 90 and USA 94. Also South America’s 1991 Football of the Year. Unemployed as a manager since 2006, he was wanted by Maradona as assistant coach, but FA president Julio Grondona declined.

Midfielder: RICARDO GIUSTI
The holding player turned inside out by John Barnes in the latter stages of the quarter-final was a key player at Italia 90. Now an agent, in December 2000, he crashed into a tractor. He survived, but his wife died.

Midfielder: SERGIO BATISTA
The bearded short-pass master who inspired the likes of Fernando Redondo developed a cocaine problem in the 1990s. Fully recovered, he is currently Argentina’s U20 manager, having guided the team to Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

Midfielder: HECTOR ENRIQUE
After a busy 1986 winning the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup (both with River Plate) to go with the World Cup, the right-winger moved to Lanus, then played in the J-League. Recently hired by Maradona as Argentina’s, er, goalkeeping coach?!

(Back, l-r) Batista, Cuciuffo, Garre, Pumpido, Brown, Ruggeri, Maradona
(Front, l-r) Burruchaga, Giusti, Enrique, Valdano

Midfielder: JULIO OLARTICOECHEA
Earnt a move to Nantes on the back of his World Cup performances, but returned to Argentina after just one season. Performed well at Italia 90. Currently works as assistant manager of the U17 team.

Midfielder: JORGE BURRUCHAGA 
The scorer of the winner in the final was involved in a match-fixing scandal at Valenciennes, in France, and was suspended for 18 months in 1994. Has shown a far more defensive approach as a coach than he did as a player and has had moderate success with small clubs.

Striker: JORGE VALDANO
Kept reading books, as he did during that World Cup in Mexico. After retiring from football he settled in Spain, where he became a successful manager, first at Tenerife, then at Real Madrid. Articulate and intelligent, he took over as Real Madrid sports director and shaped the Galactico era for Florentino Perez. Now both are back.

Striker: DIEGO MARADONA
Where have you all been hiding for the last 25 years? Guided Napoli to another league title, post World Cup, and Argentina to another World Cup final. Then came problems with drugs (recreational and performance-enhancing), controversy and an unlikely return to Argentina colours as manager. Whatever next?

Substitute: NESTOR CLAUSEN
The right-back had a successful career in Switzerland but failed to impress back in Argentina. A largely unsuccessful managerial career has thus far taken in Bolivia, Switzerland, Oman and Kuwait.

Substitute: PEDRO PASCULLI 
The only out-and-out striker in the squad, who scored a vital goal against Uruguay, settled in Italy, becoming a legend at Lecce. Coached the Ugandan national team and in Albania before being appointed as manager of the Italian beach soccer national team.

Manager: CARLOS BILARDO 
Still angry for conceding two goals from corners in the 1986 final, El Narigon (‘Big Nose’) failed at Sevilla, Boca Juniors and Estudiantes, but dismissed his critics by saying: “I only discuss with Beckenbauer.” Briefly coached Libya before trying to run for the Argentinian presidency. Now Argentina’s national team director.

More from World Cup Wonderland

Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

82: The original and harshest Group Of Death

Paul Simpson — Thu, 13 May 2010 07:00:00 GMT

The holders, the triple champions and the eventual winners: now that, says FFT.com's Professor Champions League, is a proper Group of Death...

“It smells of sh*t in here,” said some of the Italian players as they opened a window in their dressing room after defeating Brazil 3-2 in one of the greatest World Cup games ever. It was an unusual way to celebrate but then, for the Azurri, it had been an unusual World Cup.

The media coverage had been so unremittingly awful – one Italian paper even accused Paolo Rossi and Antonio Cabrini of “living like man and wife” – they banned the press. After they had drawn their second game with Peru 1-1, Antonio Matarrese, president of the Italian league, had declared: “This team is a disgrace. I wanted to go down to the dressing room and kick them in the backside.”

Seventeen days later, after Italy had stunned the tournament's glory-boys, Matarrese did go down to the dressing room – not to kick backsides, but in search of a photo opportunities. Midfielder Marco Tardelli recalled: “Several of the less urbane members of the squad opened a window, shouting ‘It really smells of sh*t in here’.”

Matarrese was lucky. As Bearzot told FFT: “One journalist came down to congratulate us and some of the players actually went for him, they were so furious.”

Group C in the second round of the 1982 World Cup was the definitive Group of Death. It contained just three teams: Argentina, the reigning world champions; Brazil, the country that had won the World Cup most often; and Italy, who would win their third World Cup that summer.

Unlike modern first-round groups, only one team would go through, and there were no easy opponents. At all. Compared to this fatal combination of teams, every other so-called Group of Death looks, at worst, like a Group of Mild Discomfort.

THE FLAIRY GODFATHERS

With Italy stumbling into Group C on goal difference after three draws, the two in-form teams from South America were expected to fight for the place in the semi-finals. Brazil were almost ludicrously gifted, especially in midfield where Cerezo, Elder, Falcao, Socrates and Zico were sublime.

Under coach Tele Santana, they had abandoned Claudio Coutinho’s disastrous attempt to combine Brazilian flair and European defensive rigour and reverted to jogo bonito (Portuguese for 'beautiful play'), scoring 10 goals in their opening group games.

Zico (No.10) bags the first of four against New Zealand

As for Argentina, they had won the tournament in 1978 and added the world’s best player, Diego Maradona, to their squad – so how could they fail? Yet Cesar Luis Menotti’s men had lost their opening match to Belgium.

The day after that 1-0 defeat, the Falklands War ended and Ossie Ardiles, whose cousin was killed during the conflict, believes the shock of realising the junta’s talk of glorious victory was all lies demoralised the squad. Jorge Valdano, one of the younger players, called the Falklands effect “b*ll*cks”. The real problem, he said, was that the squad never gelled, fracturing into two camps: the veterans of 1978 and the youngsters.

Worse still, neither Menotti or his players had any conception of how much ruthless effort opponents would dedicate to neutralising Maradona – or the vaguest idea about how to overcome this. When Argentina and Italy kicked off Group C on June 29 in the compact Siarra stadium in Barcelona, Claudio Gentile’s suffocation of Maradona probably decided the match.

GRINDING TO VICTORY

Bearzot’s Italy are often dismissed as a team that ground their way to victory in 1982. Sergio di Cesare, the head of the Italian FA’s international relations and a former Gazzetta Dello Sport chief, begs to differ. “Bearzot was impressed by the way Bobby Moore and Franz Beckenbauer interpreted the role of libero, quickly becoming midfielders when their teams had the ball. And he made Gaetano Scirea Italy’s Beckenbauer.”

In Bearzot’s 3-5-2, it was much easier for Scirea and left-back Antonio Cabrini to attack. The key, Di Cesare says, was “the energy Italy saved by making the ball do the running, moving it accurately and vertically.”

Solid in defence, especially with Dino Zoff in goal, Italy looked for creativity to the underrated trequartista Giancarlo Antognoni. “At the start of the 1981/82 season, he’d been in a coma for two days after a clash with a goalkeeper,” says Di Cesare, “and he didn’t train very well. But he was a pillar of the team, with his intelligence, long vertical passes and understanding of football geometry.”

Unfancied but determined: Italy's 1982 side

Upfront, Bearzot could only rely on Rossi, the Juventus striker rusty after a ban for involvement in a betting scandal. The coach picked Rossi with mixed feelings: “He had been very good alongside Roberto Bettega in 1978, but Bettega wasn’t there anymore. Rossi was the only one left.

"I can honestly say that if I’d had another alternative I wouldn’t have called him up. It was a huge risk gambling on him being able to get into the rhythm of such a demanding tournament and on his desire to make up for past mistakes. But I needed a goalscorer, someone to poach goals in the box in a way that suited the style of play I wanted. If I didn’t take him, I wouldn’t have anyone capable of causing trouble in the area.”

ARGENTINE SURRENDER

In the second of Italy's three first-round group games, a 1-1 draw against Peru, Rossi had been too sick to carry on: “In my legs, my eyes, there was no rhythm,” he admitted. Still smarting from Bearzot’s punishing pre-tournament training, he also looked sluggish against Argentina.

He should have scored Italy’s second. Clean through, he shot straight at keeper Ubaldo Fillol and was lucky that, after some ineffective defending, the rebound eventually became a chance for Cabrini, whose shot found the far corner.

Italy’s fluent first goal had shown how they made the ball do the running. Cabrini cleared to Rossi, just inside the Italian half near the centre-circle. He passed it quickly to Bruno Conti who hit a long diagonal pass which Tardelli left for Antognoni just in front of the penalty area. Looking casual but thinking quickly, Antognoni stroked the ball to his left for Tardelli to score.

With seven minutes left, Daniel Passarella beat Zoff from a free-kick while the Italians were still organising the wall, but it was too little, too late. The reigning world champions had to beat Brazil to survive.

A crude foul on Serginho gave Brazil the lead against Menotti’s team after 11 minutes when Eder smacked the ball against the bar from the free-kick and Zico thumped in the rebound. Gradually, the Brazilian midfield began to dominate and two superb Zico passes settled the match. On 66 minutes, he released Falcao on the right to cross for Serginho to head the second; nine minutes later, he looked as if he was about to be closed down by two Argentines but somehow threaded a precise, diagonal pass to Junior who made it 3-0.

"Oops, sorry old chap." "No, not at all."

Striker Ramon Diaz grabbed a late consolation but Argentina made their biggest impact with two nasty fouls: one by Passarella (which should have earned a red card) and one by Maradona (which did) on defender Batista. It is a mark of Argentina’s impotence that he later admitted he had kicked the wrong player.

THE 1970 REMATCH

With the holders out, the stage was set for a rematch of the 1970 final. The Brazilians were supremely confident, defender Oscar declaring: “We’ll win 1-0 and I’ll score.” But to win 1-0, Santana’s team would need to keep a clean sheet, something they had only managed against a New Zealand team more interested in swapping shirts than playing football.

Brazil didn’t need to win but didn’t have it in them to play for a draw. At times, they lined up as a 2-7-1. That mentality would help pave the way for a result that many Brazilians call the “disaster of Sarria” – and the rest of the world remembers as the greatest World Cup game ever.

The first hint that disaster and greatness might be on the cards came after five minutes. Conti was allowed to run 40 yards with the ball and release Cabrini who curled a reasonable cross into the area. Rossi didn’t have to do anything especially clever to lose his marker; he ran towards the ball and didn’t even have to jump to head his first goal of the finals.

The goal stung Zico and Socrates into life. A beautiful pass by Zico (marked, not all that effectively, by Gentile) took out three Italian defenders and Socrates finished superbly with a low shot from a tight angle. But just when Brazil seemed back in control, Cerezo knocked a square pass roughly in Junior’s direction. Rossi pounced and hit a screamer past keeper Valdir Peres. Junior looked across, noticed Cerezo was crying and told his bereft teammate: “If you don’t stop crying, I’m going to smack you in the face.”

Cerezo – along with, rumour has it, full-back Leandro – was distraught at half-time but he made up for his blunder in the 68th minute with a superb dummy run that created the space for Falcao to equalise with a shot that beat the superbly positioned Zoff through sheer power. Falcao celebrated like a man who thought he was already in the semi-final. But seven minutes later, a Tardelli shot from a corner found Rossi, unmarked again six yards from goal, and he completed his hat-trick. At that moment in Rio, a 20-year-old fan shot himself dead.

Boink: Rossi makes it 3-2

Rossi dominated the headlines – his comeback was so perfect, Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it better – but Antognoni rivalled Zico as the best player on the pitch, engineering many of Italy’s counterattacks, creating a chance for Cabrini to score and having a goal disallowed.

THE AFTERMATH

For Zico, defeat marked the beginning of an era of “playing for the win, whatever the cost”. Bearzot has a different take on this match: “The game with Argentina was tranquil. The one with Brazil was exalted. But even there was some mean-spirited talk. Our third goal was scored after a corner with all the Brazilians in the area. I repeat: all the Brazilians in the area. Yet we were still accused of playing counter-attacking football.”

In the Brazil dressing room, many were desolated, some players wept. Santana quietly told them: “We gave it our best shot.” Bearzot’s Azzurri went on to dispose of Poland and West Germany but, as he told FFT: “I already felt like we were champions of the world after the Brazil game.”

Q&A Socrates on '82: "In the World Cup, merit doesn't count"

Santana’s Brazil are routinely described as the greatest team never to win the World Cup. In truth, they were the greatest midfield never to win a World Cup. They had a butter-fingered keeper and a leaky defence that left Rossi free in space for two goals.

Then there was third-choice striker Serginho who, though not the donkey some have claimed, could be so clumsy that even Santana said once, after substituting him in one game: “Now the ball is round again.” The idea that Brazil should have won the World Cup because they had the likes of Zico, Falcao, Socrates, Eder in their side smacks of the galacticism that led Real Madrid so spectacularly astray.

People still come up to Rossi in the street. “Often they want to talk about their experiences, where they watched the game,” he told FFT. “It’s nice to feel you’re a small part of people’s history, a little reference point.”

He certainly became a reference point in Brazil, Santana, pelted with rotting fruit at Rio airport, showed true grace under fire by praising the striker’s genius. Later that summer, when a flu epidemic swept through Brazil it was quickly dubbed “Rossi flu”.

More from World Cup Wonderland:

FEATURE: The most amusingly disorganised World Cup ever
FEATURE: Ten of the best for Hungary as El Salvador suffer
VIDEO: The 10 best goals at Spain 82
FEATURE: The most memorable matches of the 1982 World Cup in Spain

Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

82: The most amusingly disorganised World Cup ever

FourFourTwo Team — Wed, 12 May 2010 13:57:00 GMT

The 12th edition of the global game's get-together had more than its share of oopsies…

THE DRAW SPECIALISTS
Somebody had clearly been at the Rioja in Madrid before the World Cup draw. In a farcical series of events, the balls representing Peru and Chile were left out the draw completely, Scotland were put into the pot meant for Argentina and the cage containing the balls jammed, with one even falling out and splitting in half. Chaos ensued. Four years later, three young Mexican boys did a far better job.

NEW BALLS PLEASE
Adidas introduced a new ball, the Tango Espana. Although undeniably a delight to look at, its reputed "technological advances" backfired somewhat. The new rubber inlaid seams tore easily, leading to what could only be described as exploding balls. Genuine leather orbs were never used in the World Cup again.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The second round ‘Group of Death’ – involving Italy, Brazil and Argentina – was played out at Espanyol’s 43,000-capacity Estadio Sarria with fans clamouring desperately for tickets. Meanwhile, the lesser lights of Poland, Belgium and the Soviet Union rattled round in a half-filled Nou Camp – capacity 121,749. The Belgium–USSR game only drew a pitiful 45,000.

SILENCE PLEASE
The media fell foul of the Italy team after a series of unfounded rumours spread in the gutter press. One slur suggested that star striker Paolo Rossi and left-back Antonio Cabrini were having an affair, another claimed that the players have been seen "shooting up drugs". The squad decided on a media blackout – silenzio stampa – and the resulting siege mentality didn’t do their football much harm.

STROPS: PRODUCTIVE
Nobody emerged well from the Kuwait vs France game, but ref Myroslav Stupar had a particular shocker. After the Ukrainian awarded a controversial goal to the French, Kuwaiti FA president Sheikh Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah stormed onto the pitch in protest. The pressure he exerted – along with the Kuwaiti team’s 15-minute refusal to continue playing – led to Stupar overruling the strike. He lost his international refereeing credentials as a result.

"Right, lads - one out, all out"

DID YOU KNOW?
* Scotland made their fifth World Cup appearance without advancing beyond the first round. It wouldn't be their last.

* Algeria became the first African side to defeat European opposition in World Cup history, after beating West Germany 2-1.

* This was the first (and only) World Cup where national anthems were played on record, rather than by a live band.

* A record 109 teams entered the initial qualifying phase of the tournament. This dropped to 105 after the withdrawal of Ghana, Iran, Libya and Uganda.

* Argentina and England entered the World Cup in a state of armed conflict over the Falkland Islands. The Argentine military junta was under immense pressure and had invaded the Malvinas in a bid to regain popularity. "Perhaps our trip to Spain should have been cancelled," pondered Mario Kempes after the tournament.

* Italian defender Claudio Gentile was nicknamed Gadaffi because he was born in Libya. "He was like a hunting dog," says Mario Kempes about the ferocious man-marker. "If you went to the toilet, he’d follow you there."

* Germany complained that their travel schedule gave them a disadvantage in the final. Hampered by an airport staff strike (imagine that) after their semi-final against France went to extra-time and penalties, they didn’t fly out of Seville until 4am. "We had one chance in the final after missing a night’s sleep," said Paul Breitner. "To score first and then defend."

More from World Cup Wonderland:

FEATURE: Ten of the best for Hungary as El Salvador suffer
VIDEO: The 10 best goals at Spain 82
FEATURE: The most memorable matches of the 1982 World Cup in Spain

Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum