Copa Mundial Trophy 1986 Copa Mundial Trophy 1986 Clip Art

Mexico replaces Colombia as host in 1986, Diego Maradona puts on a 1-human show, England cries foul over "The Mitt of God," Canada competes at its first Globe Loving cup, and Argentina beats West Frg in the final.

THE MAIN STORY

This was the World Cup of Diego Maradona. The mercurial Argentine genius, who on his own turned Napoli into a powerhouse in Italy's Serie A, was at the height of his form and unquestionably the greatest player in the game.

Maradona had a betoken to prove afterward a terrible operation iv years before in Spain. He would make amends in Mexico, leading Argentina to its second World Cup. No other player, not even Pele in 1958 nor Paolo Rossi in 1982, had dominated a single contest the style Maradona did in Mexico. That he did it in such stylish fashion when the game of soccer was hijacked by ultra-defensive tactics made his achievement even more than impressive.

Argentine republic was crowned earth champion for the second fourth dimension and Maradona, the undisputed male monarch of the tournament, basked in the hot Mexican sun every bit he lifted the Earth Cup bays.

The FIFA World Loving cup in Russian federation runs from June 14 to July xv, and Sportsnet.ca will have in-depth daily coverage.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

Another yr, another format. The field was yet made up of 24 teams, again divided into six groups of four. This time, all the same, the top two teams in each group, along with the four best third-place finishers, qualified for the round of 16, which was at present a straight knockout.

THE Final

In the final at Azteca Stadium, the Germans assigned Lothar Matthaus the Herculean job of marking Maradona. While Matthaus duly kept the Argentine maestro in check, more or less, his defensive duties robbed West Deutschland of his creativity in midfield. The cerebral Matthaus found the going rough at beginning. Argentina duly punished Matthaus for a rash challenge when Jorge Burruchaga delivered a high ball into the penalty area from the ensuing costless kick. Jose Luis Brown ghosted towards the far mail and nodded the ball into the internet in the 22nd minute.

Eventually, Matthaus got a handle on controlling Maradona, forcing Argentina to explore other options. Down a goal, the Germans committed more than players forrard in attack at the start of the 2d half just were cruelly hoisted by their own petard. With Germany defenseless up-field, Argentina quickly launched a counterattack. Hector Enrique fed a pass to Jorge Valdano on the left and he swept the ball past an onrushing Harald Schumacher before depositing the brawl into the net.

Due west Germany looked expressionless and buried, merely manager Franz Beckenbauer substituted the alpine centre-frontwards Dieter Hoeness into the game and his team suddenly found life in the 74th minute. Rudi Voller, another second-one-half substitute, headed a corner kicking into the path of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge who scored. Matthaus quickly deserted his task of keeping tabs and Maradona and began working his playmaking magic in the heart of midfield. Slowly the screw turned confronting Argentina and with nine minutes left in regulation the Germans levelled the score. Some other corner kick was flicked into the middle by Thomas Berthold's header and Voller nodded information technology domicile.

Later being just a rider for most of the game, Maradona stepped up in Argentina's time of need. The Napoli star proved to be the architect of Argentine republic'south winning goal, weaving his manner deep into the German one-half before sending Burruchaga on a clear intermission with an exquisite, defence splitting pass that the forward thrashed by Schumacher with 6 minutes left in regulation.

QUICK FACTS

Number of participating teams: 24
Top scorer: England'south Gary Lineker (6 goals)
Number of games: 52
Full goals scored: 132
Average goals per game: ii.54
Highest scoring game: Kingdom of denmark'southward half dozen-1 win over Uruguay on June 8
Total attendance: two,407,431
Average attendance: 46,297

MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT

Maradona. Who else? The bright Argentine artist unmarried-handedly delivered his country its 2nd World Loving cup, scoring five goals, setting up several others and dominating games with his wizardry, skill and vision. Gary Lineker finished every bit the top scorer, just Maradona was the hero and he won the Gold Boot award as the tournament MVP.

Friction match OF THE TOURNAMENT

France's two-1 victory over Brazil in the quarterfinals. Four years after a bitter loss to West Germany on penalties, Les Bleus won an epic thriller against Brazil in a shootout. The action was non-stop for two hours with Michel Platini and Zico leading the way and French goalkeeper Joel Bats emerging as the hero. A true classic. The Argentina-England quarterfinal ranks a close second.

THE HAND OF GOD

The quarterfinal between Argentina and England was played nether a cloud of socio-political tension, the Argentine press egging on the national team to exact revenge on the English language and repossess award after losing the 1982 Falklands State of war.

With the game tied 0-0 early in the 2nd half, Maradona outburst through the brittle English language defence with a quick plow of step before losing the ball. England midfielder Steve Hodge couldn't clear it and hooked the ball over his head towards his own goal after taking a feeble swipe. As the ball hung majestically in the air, England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and Maradona raced for information technology, merely the Argentine trickster slyly punched the ball as both players went up for it, expertly camouflaging his offence and duping the linesman and referee past nodding his head as if he made contact with information technology.

The brawl rolled across the goal-line as Maradona historic while England protested to no avail. Maradona would add a second goal minutes later, and Argentina went on to win two-ane. At the post-match printing conference, a brazen Maradona claimed the goal was scored "a petty bit by the Hand of God, another bit past the caput of Maradona." Tv networks effectually the globe showed the incident time and time again that evening, as Maradona'southward "Hand of God" goal became enshrined in the sporting dictionary.

MARADONA COMES Clean

Although he was coy about it in the post-match printing conference, Maradona came clean well-nigh the "Hand of God" goal in his 2002 autobiography when he wrote: "Now I feel I am able to say what I couldn't and then. At the time I chosen it 'the paw of God'. Bollocks! It wasn't the paw of God, it was the hand of Diego! And it felt a little bit like pick-pocketing the English."

THE GOAL OF THE CENTURY

Yep, it was Maradona's paw, and not God's, that was responsible for the first goal against England. But while the "Mitt of God" goal remains ane of the almost contentious moments in Globe Loving cup history, there can be no disputing that his second goal against England ranks as the greatest ever scored in the tournament. Information technology transcended mere sports—his goal was pure art.

Starting in his half, Maradona embarked on a 60-k run, dribbling by no less than five English language players with the ball glued to his human foot, bursting into the penalty area with a quick turn of stride and sublimely slipping the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The goal was voted the greatest ever at the World Cup in an online poll conducted by FIFA in 2002 and a statue of Maradona immortalizing the moment was erected outside the Azteca stadium.

In a span of four minutes the earth had seen the worst and all-time of the Argentina'south sporting god. While the "Mitt of God" goal was the very definition of deceitful, Maradona's second goal, later dubbed "The Goal of the Millennium," was pure poetry, affirmation of his genius and standing as the greatest player in the world.

O CANADA!

This was the World Cup that featured Canada'south first and only advent on the big stage. With Mexico not required to qualify every bit hosts, the CONCACAF qualifiers swung wide open and Canada took advantage by defeating Honduras in St. John'due south in September 1985 to book its ticket.

Canada took its World Loving cup bow on June 1 in Leon in spectacular style. In the searing mid-afternoon heat, the Canadians came out attacking confronting the heavily favoured France, and more than once pinned Les Bleus back deep in their ain end. Canada came inside a pilus of scoring on several occasions before France took control of the game and eventually scored in the 78th minute. It was a dauntless effort by the Canadians as the French escaped with a narrow victory.

Unfortunately, Canada couldn't build on that momentum, losing its side by side two games to Hungary and the Soviet Union, and information technology crashed out of the tournament without scoring a single goal. The Soviets, who crushed Republic of hungary 6-0 in its opening friction match, and France finished i-two in Group C and moved on.

United mexican states REPLACES COLOMBIA Every bit HOST

Colombia was originally selected every bit the host nation, but Colombian officials decided they did not take the financial wherewithal to pull it off and withdrew in 1983. Mexico was apace installed by FIFA as Colombia's replacement, becoming the first country to host two Globe Cups.

MEXICO REBUILDS Afterward THE Earthquake

Things took a plow for the worse when a massive convulsion struck Mexico Urban center on Sept. nineteen, 1985. Over 25,000 died, some other 150,000 were left homeless and upwards to $four billion US in damage was caused in less than three minutes. Merely eight months earlier the opening kickoff, the tournament was in jeopardy every bit United mexican states's ability to recover and properly organize the event was in doubt. Luckily, the stadiums suffered no impairment and the state quickly picked up the pieces and overcame many obstacles to phase the World Cup.

POOR TIMING

FIFA did non acquire from the mistakes information technology made 16 years earlier when Mexico previously hosted the World Cup. In 1986, matches were, again, contested at loftier altitudes and games kicked off at noon and 4 p.g. in the broiling midday sun in club to optimize the earth-broad TV audience.

RECORD CROWDS

A new attendance mark was set up in Mexico as 2,407,431 spectators attended the 52 games. The Argentina-West Germany final was the all-time-attended game with 114,660 fans. At the other end of the spectrum, just 13,800 fans saw the Canada-Hungary competition in the first circular.

NO More than Casuistry

In the aftermath of the Austria-Due west Deutschland debacle from 1982, FIFA wised upwardly and mandated the final two games in each group of the opening circular be played simultaneously, thus eliminating whatever chance of chicanery.

BATISTA'South QUICK Go out

Jose Batista was given a red card a mere 56 seconds after the opening first in Uruguay'southward start-round game against Scotland, the quickest expulsion ever at the World Cup.

MILUTINOVIC GETS AROUND

Yugoslavia's Bora Milutinovic is ane of only two men (Brazil's Carlos Alberto Parreira is the other) to omnibus five different countries at the World Cup: (Mexico in 1986, Costa Rica in 1990, the United states of america in 1994, Nigeria in 1998 and Mainland china in 2002). All the teams, with the exception of Communist china, avant-garde beyond the first round.

SANCHEZ'S DAY Task

Hugo Sanchez, Mexico's goal-scoring hero in 1986, was also a qualified dentist.

QUIRKY FACTS

• Canada was coached past Tony Waiters, a former goalkeeper for Blackpool (1959-66) and Burnley (1970-71) in England. He also played five times for England's national team.

• Morocco was the beginning African nation to qualify for the second round at the Globe Loving cup.

• United mexican states has played in 15 World Cups, but has just progressed equally far as the quarterfinals, both times (1970 and 1986) on dwelling soil.

• Portugal was back at the Earth Cup for the starting time fourth dimension since 1966. Information technology would have to wait nearly every bit long (some other 16 years) before making its third trip to the World Cup in 2002.

• Gary Lineker is the only English player to finish top scorer in a Earth Cup.

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Source: https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/1986-world-cup-maradona-puts-on-one-man-show/