by Nick Holt
Mexico City: Estádio Azteca
Now holding well over 100,000, the Azteca remained the centre-piece of the 1986 competition, hosting the final as well as witnessing the infamous ‘Hand of God’ intervention against England.
Mexico City: Estádio Olímpico Universitario
The Olympic Stadium, built for the 1968 games, wasn’t used for the 1970 World Cup (it still wasn’t suitable for football), but by 1986 it had entered the equation as a secondary venue in the capital, holding 72,000 spectators.
Guadalajara: Estádio Jalisco
The Jalisco was until recently very much the country’s best stadium outside the capital, and hosted the semi-final between West Germany and France.
Léon: Estádio Nou Camp
Leon was no longer such a prestigious venue as in 1970, but it hosted group games and a fabulous second-round match between the USSR and Belgium.
Puebla: Estádio Cuauhtémoc
The games here were overpriced yet again and even for Argentina versus Italy the stadium was only two-thirds full.
Toluca: Estádio Luis Dosal
By now renamed officially as the Estádio Nemesio Diaz, La Bombonera was reduced to an also-ran role for the 1986 finals; it didn’t even get a second-round game.
Monterrey and nearby San Nicolás de los Garza boasted two big stadia, the Estádio Tecnologico and the Universitario. England played their group games on the dreadful pitches in Monterrey. Other cities which hosted matches in 1986 were:
• Querétaro: Estádio La Corregidora.
• Nezahualcoyotl (a suburb of Mexico City): Estádio Neza 86.
• Irapuato: Estádio Sergio León Chávez.
• Zapopan (part of the Guadalajara municipality): Estádio Tres de Marzo.
At least the crowds could enjoy the cavorting of the World Cup mascot, a moustachioed jalapeño pepper called Pique. And the wave, of course. If they got bored they could always practise the latest craze to sweep sports stadia, which took its name from this tournament, the Mexican Wave. Is it just me who wants the ground to open up and swallow entire stands of people when the tiresome wave starts rippling around at a World Cup game or Test Match or break in play at Wimbledon?
Qualifying
England, under new manager Bobby Robson, who had turned Ipswich Town from also-rans into title contenders, much as Alf Ramsey had with the same club, qualified with some ease, despite a couple of drab draws with ordinary sides. Some better attacking players had come through since the last World Cup, but the defence was short on quality apart from the commanding Terry Butcher.
The second team through from England’s group would be either Romania or Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland started badly by losing to Helsinki in Finland, but solid home form meant they were still in contention with two matches to go. Both were away, to the best two sides, Romania and England. Romania were a few years away from developing their excellent team of the 1990s, but had the twenty-year-old genius Gheorghe Hagi for inspiration. Hagi was team captain by the time of the tie in Bucharest but Romania couldn’t break down a typically stubborn Northern Ireland defence and a first-half goal by Blackburn’s Jimmy Quinn, a journeyman striker who never made the top division, gave the Irish hope they could qualify. They got the point they needed at Wembley, but they needed all Pat Jennings’ skill and some ordinary finishing to get it. England were all over Northern Ireland but didn’t do enough up front – a couple of misses by Kerry Dixon had even the Chelsea fans in the crowd hanging their heads in dismay. Romania cried foul but England had nearly twenty shots at goal – hardly the performance of a team settling for a draw.
Scotland were in an intriguing group with Spain and Wales and Iceland; the first three were very evenly matched. Wales had a horrible start, losing in Iceland and getting hammered by Spain in Seville; disappointing results for a team that could call on top-class players such as Neville Southall, Kevin Ratcliffe, Ian Rush and Mark Hughes. The group went with form until the following March when Wales turned up at Hampden Park needing a result and got it. Mark Hughes, still an international novice, cleverly chested the ball into Rush’s path and the Liverpool striker thrashed it home.
The return game in September found Wales needing another win to progress, and they were optimistic when Mark Hughes gave them the lead after thirteen minutes. A superb block tackle and cross by Peter Nicholas (no great footballer but, boy, could he tackle) as Scotland tried to clear the ball found Hughes in a couple of feet of space; he finished as hard and fiercely as Rush had six months before. The Scots equaliser was another handball decision which rankled with the Welsh, eight years after the infamous Joe Jordan incident. The ball struck David Phillips’ hand but the intent to handle was debated; in today’s game the fact that Phillips’ arm was raised above his head would have meant a certain penalty, but back in the ’80s plenty of those weren’t awarded. Davie Cooper’s penalty was hard and accurate and went in the corner, despite a valiant fingertip from the great Neville Southall.
Scotland’s relief at the result was palpable but their celebrations were short-lived. As the crowd dissipated after the match, news came through that Scotland manager Jock Stein, the legendary gaffer who had brought Celtic Britain’s first European Cup, had suffered a heart attack at the end of the game and died in the Hampden medical room. It was the harshest of reminders of the stressful nature of the manager’s job. His assistant took over the reins on a temporary basis after being given permission by Aberdeen where he had a day-job as manager. His name? Alex something-or-other. Oh yes, that’s it – Ferguson. Alex Ferguson. Stein’s death hung over the Scottish campaign, though, the sombre mood a far cry from the hoots, mon, where’s yer troosers comedy turn of Ally McLeod eight years before.
There was still a game to go in this exciting group and Welsh hearts lifted when Iceland took a shock lead against Spain in Seville. Spain now needed two goals to win and top the group otherwise Scotland were off to Mexico and Wales were in the play-offs; the goals came, either side of half-time, and Welsh hopes were crushed.
Scotland faced a play-off against Australia, and took a 2–0 lead to Melbourne after second half goals at Hampden from Cooper and Frank McAvennie. The Aussies didn’t lie down and launched a furious assault on the Scots goal, but a fine performance from Ferguson’s club goalkeeper Jim Leighton kept them at bay and Scotland had made it by the skin of their teeth.
There were minor surprises elsewhere in Europe. Hungary banished Holland to the play-offs when most people thought the Hungarians’ best days were over. (They were right – Holland just weren’t that great, either.) A great win in Rotterdam for Hungary, after going a goal down, was the key result; the only reason Holland reached the play-offs was they won the return in Budapest after Hungary had already qualified. It availed the Dutch little. In the play-off they met Belgium yet again in a World Cup qualifier; they looked on their way to Mexico until a goal from Georges Grün five minutes from the end of the second leg meant the Belgians sneaked it on goal difference.
Denmark qualified for the Finals for the first time, heading a group that included the strong Soviet side – the Soviets poor away form cast a doubt over their likely form in Mexico. The attacking combination of the subtle Michael Laudrup with the quick and rangy Preben Elkjaer looked potent for Denmark – Elkjaer got eight goals in a group that didn’t have a really lousy team in it. Finishing second led the Soviets to replace former World Cup star Eduard Malofeyev with the Kyiv coach, Lobanovski. Lobanovski had just led his team to victory over Atletico Madrid in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in a display reminiscent – no exaggeration – of Ajax at their scintillating best. Where Malofeyev was regarded as the exponent of pure, attacking football, Lobanovski was a football scientist, a believer in method and system above individual talent. But the talent was unavoidable, the Soviets had some brilliant players, especially in Ukraine, and their ability and fitness allied to Lobanovski’s aggressive pressing game made them a formidable outfit.
Portugal qualifi
ed for the first time in twenty years, finishing second behind West Germany, eliminating Sweden and Czechoslovakia in the process. West Germany won through easily, but suffered a hiccough at the end, losing at home to Portugal – their first-ever defeat in a World Cup qualifying match. They nearly lost their next one, against Czechoslovakia as well, a late Rummenigge equaliser sparing their blushes. France and Bulgaria qualified ahead of East Germany and Yugoslavia from a group where home form dominated. France won all four home games without conceding a goal; Bulgaria nearly matched them, conceding only one.
It was “as you were” in South America with the three traditionally powerful sides, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, heading the three groups. None of them looked invincible in doing so. Paraguay won a play-off section, beating Colombia and then Chile over two legs – it was their first successful qualifying campaign since 1958. Their star was Julio César Romero, an attacking midfield player with Brazilian side Fluminense; unusually Romero made his name in the NASL with New York Cosmos, normally the last port of call in a career rather than a launchpad.
The North African sides dominated the CAF section again, with all five of the countries with a Mediterranean coastline making the last eight – their game was still better developed than the West African and southern teams. Algeria and Morocco progressed, beating Tunisia and Libya respectively in the final stage. Algeria had most of their stars from 1982 still available; Morocco were more of an unknown quantity
Canada sprung a surprise in the CONCACAF region, winning a deciding group against Costa Rica and Honduras to join Mexico as the North American representatives. They were a boring team but didn’t let in many goals. Iraq and South Korea made up the numbers, winning the Middle East and South East Asia zones; it was to be a disappointing tournament for the emerging nations.
Finals
The tournament lacked an obvious favourite, although the media built up an ageing Brazil side. France, winners of the 1984 European Championship, were the classiest European side, but no European team had ever won in the Americas, and France still lacked a centre-forward of genuine international class – a fate that seems to haunt them each time they assemble a back-up cast of stellar quality. France’s best two strikers of the latter part of the twentieth century, Jean-Pierre Papin and Eric Cantona, were destined to play in poor (and poorly managed) sides that couldn’t even qualify for major tournaments.
Argentina were widely regarded as a one-man team (although the one man was a singular talent), while West Germany were as prosaic as four years previously, which probably meant they would reach the final. Holders Italy were in no sort of form – it was a good job they didn’t have to qualify, their campaign in qualifying for the 1984 European Championships was abysmal. The dark horse appeared to be a resurgent Uruguay, with new hero Enzo Francescoli. One or two pundits even whispered the suggestion that England might be a threat. Are you mad, sirs?!
The format changed again. FIFA finally cottoned on that second phase group matches were a dreadful idea and reintroduced a straight knockout; with six groups of four, it meant the four third-placed teams with the best record made the knockout stage – a strange reward for inadequacy – but it was still better than the second group idea. FIFA also decided, and it was another decision where common sense for once prevailed, that the last round of group matches in each group must be played simultaneously. After the suspicion aroused by the Argentina v Peru game in 1978 and, especially, the stalemate played out by Austria and West Germany in 1982, it offered a fairer deal to all.
GROUP A
Argentina and Italy had a deal of luck with the draw, pulling out two sides who had yet to win a World Cup Finals match. Italy had a workaday squad, with the usual sound defence, pretty much the same bunch as in 1982, with Vierchowod for Collovati. They were careless in the opener, allowing Bulgaria to steal a late equaliser. Bulgaria barely ventured out of their own half – hardly the ambition of a team desperate to win at the thirteenth attempt. Italy looked heavily dependent on Altobelli, who had gone from gallant sub in 1982 to leader of the line four years later.
Argentina brushed aside South Korea, who avoided defeat for the first time in a Finals match against Bulgaria three days later – fourteen and counting for the East Europeans, who scored early but were too cautious again. On the same day in Puebla, Argentina and Italy cancelled each other out, Maradona equalising after Altobelli scored from the spot. It may surprise you to learn that the game had a lot of fouls.
Italy avoided any indignity against the hardworking and physical South Koreans. They scored first when a cross found Altobelli at the far post – he took the ball on his chest, feinted to blast it with his left but instead floated it over the goalkeeper who was deceived into a premature dive. Cheeky boy. Altobelli restored Italy’s lead in the second half, was on hand when Cho Kwang-rae poked a De Napoli cross into his own goal and then missed a penalty. Korea’s second goal was mere consolation but their first was a cracker, Choi Soon-ho stepping inside a tackle and rifling a terrific shot just under the bar from twenty yards. South Korea were out but gave notice of their potential nuisance value – they have qualified for every Finals tournament since this one.
Bulgaria were, if anything, even more defensive, and lost 2–0 to Argentina with one early and one late goal. Under the odd rules they still made the second stage – they didn’t deserve to. Argentina looked okay, but were heavily reliant on Maradona to make things happen in the opposition half. It remained to be seen whether they would miss the veteran Passarella; the former captain had been ill and later complained about a conspiracy to keep him out of the team after he recovered. Passarella was the only left-over from Argentina’s 1978 success.
GROUP B
Three evenly matched teams and one poor one. Iraq were very physical and negative, but they were never overwhelmed – teams handing out thrashings to the minnows were becoming a rarity. Mexico looked much better than when they hosted in 1986. Their coach was Bora Milutinovic, a former Yugoslavia international; his name will appear again. And again. And again. Their “Superstar” was Hugo Sánchez, the tricksy Real Madrid attacker. A purveyor of party tricks and somersaults, Sánchez was less competent at delivering good performances for his country, although he scored here, with a far-post header from all of two yards. Paraguay’s own star, Romero, scored the goals that gained them a win over Iraq and a late point against Mexico. The best game was the last one, a 2–2 draw between Belgium and Paraguay that saw both progress alongside Mexico. There were two amusing moments. Firstly Enzo Scifo, Belgium’s Italian-born playmaker, scored a beauty from a free-kick, turned to acknowledge the acclaim, and then discovered the free-kick was indirect. Pay attention, boy! The second came when the Bulgarian referee showed the Paraguay coach Cayetano Ré a yellow card for excessive protestation from the touchline. Ré looked stunned – he later claimed he didn’t even know coaches could be booked!
GROUP C
Canada had no football pedigree and no players of any note. Many of the side were amateurs, some not officially registered with a club, including captain Bruce Wilson. Their coach was Tony Waiters, a former Blackpool goalkeeper capped by England in the 1960s. Waiters worked in Canada with Vancouver Whitecaps at the height of the NASL, famously winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl for the Canadian side (which included Alan Ball) after beating favourites New York Cosmos in the penultimate round. He did well to get the national side this far but all they could offer was toil and a blanket defence.
A 1–0 defeat to France was a minor triumph, owed in no small part to profligate finishing by the French attackers, and Jean-Pierre Papin in particular. Papin had just signed for Olympique Marseilles, where his career would blossom, but he still looked a bit green in this tournament. Canada’s second game followed a similar pattern; no disgrace in a 2–0 defeat to Hungary, but no real sense they could pull off a shock. The last game was lost by the same score, but only because the USSR put out their reserves.
Hungary were always struggling to quali
fy after their first game, which ended with a 6–0 hammering by the USSR. After qualifying reasonably comfortably, the USSR had suffered four straight defeats coming into the tournament. Once they reached Mexico, the new coach Lobanovski fell back on what he knew and filled the team with his old Dynamo Kyiv players – eight of them started against Hungary. Six of these players had only twenty-one caps between them – only the defenders Bessonov and Demyanenko, the captain, were experienced internationals – but their familiarity at club level delivered an instant rapport. It worked, six goals and six different scorers (one of them the Hungarian substitute Dajka) and an emphatic start to their campaign.
They were two-up inside four minutes. Yakovenko shot home after the ball fell kindly when a free-kick was blocked, and then Aleinikov (of Dynamo Minsk, not Kyiv) powered in an absolute rocket when Belanov teed him up with a deft touch. Belanov converted a penalty he won after chasing a long ball through the middle – none of this placement nonsense, he just wellied the penalty down the middle just under the bar; unstoppable. The fourth goal came from Yaremchuk after a fabulous run from Yakovenko, supposedly the defensive midfield player, and Dajka put the ball in his own net trying to prevent Yaremchuk breaking through again. Yevtushenko missed a penalty that probably shouldn’t have been given, and Rodionov, a substitute, completed the rout when he followed up after Disztl in the Hungarian goal thwarted Aleinikov. Impressive.