World Cup 1982 - Day Ten

DAY TEN

 

Tuesday 22^nd June 1982

GROUP ONE, Estadio Riazor, La Coruna. (17:15)

POLAND   (0)   5   (Smolarek 55, Lato 58, Boniek 61, Buncol 68, Ciolek 76)

PERU   (0)   1   (La Rosa 83)

Poland: Mlynarczyk; Kupcewicz, Janas, Majewski, Zmuda; Jalocha (Dziuba), Matysik, Buncol, Boniek; Lato, Smolarek (Ciolek)

Peru: Quiroga; Duarte, Diaz, Olaechea, Salguero; Leguia, Velasquez, Cueto, Cubillas (Uribe); La Rosa, Oblitas (Barbadillo)

With just one goal between these two teams from four matches, didn’t bode well and after a goalless first half it looked as if things would remain the same.  But in the second half, suddenly it all came alive.  Smolarek, who’d had a goal ruled out in the first half, tucked the ball past Qurioga in the 55^th minute to get Poland’s first goal of this World Cup.  Three minutes later, Lato broke clear of the defence and as the keeper came out, he calmly slid it under him for a 2-0 lead.  They added another, just three minutes after that as a free-kick found Buncol unmarked on the right of the area and his ball across the area found Boniek who put it away.  Three goals in six minutes killed off Peru, yet Poland weren’t finished, as in the 68^th minute, Boniek’s back-heel allowed Buncol to burst into the area and fire into the roof of the net for the 4^th goal.  When Ciolek scored Poland’s 5^th in the 76^th minute, they’d scored 5 goals in a 21 minute period.  To their credit, Peru didn’t give up and they were rewarded with a goal from La Rosa in the 83^rd minute after some intricate footwork on the edge of the area.  This win, so out of character with everything else in Group One, put Poland through.

GROUP THREE, Estadio Nuevo, Elche. (21:00)

BELGIUM   (0)   1   (Czerniatynski 76)

HUNGARY   (1)   1   (Varga 28)

Belgium: Pfaff; Gerets (Plessers), Meeuws, Baecke, Millecamps; Vercauteren, Coeck, Vandersmissen (van Moer), Cuelemans; Vandenbergh, Czerniatynski

Hungary: Meszaros; Martos, Kerekes, Varga, Garaba; Muller (Sallai), Nyilasi; Fazekas, Torocsik, Kiss (Csongradi), Poloskei

In Group Three, Hungary knew if they could beat Belgium, their superior goal difference would see them go through.  Belgium knew a draw would be enough for them.  Kiss should’ve done better with his header when unmarked in the area, but eventually Hungary took the lead.  Torocsik played the ball back from the edge of the area and Varga burst through from the back and fired the ball past Pfaff for a 1-0 lead.  With 15 minutes to go, Hungary were still in front and still going through and with Argentina not playing until tomorrow, Belgium weren’t certain whether they would still be in or not.  But then a fantastic run down the right from Cuelemans and he squared to Czerniatynski who hooked the ball in past Meszaros and Belgium were back in charge.  It ended 1-1 and Belgium had qualified.  Hungary had the despair of realising that a 10-1 win in their first game may not enough to see them get through.  They had to hope for El Salvador to get an unlikely draw against Argentina tomorrow.

GROUP SIX, Estadio La Rosaleda, Malaga. (21:00)

USSR   (0)   2   (Chivadze 59, Shengelia 84)

SCOTLAND   (1)   2   (Jordan 15, Souness 87)

USSR: Dasaev; Sulakvelidze, Baltacha, Demianenko, Borovsky, Chivadze; Bessonov, Gavrilov, Bal; Shengelia (Andreyev), Blokhin

Scotland: Rough; Narey, Hansen, Miller, Gray; Strachan (McGrain), Wark, Souness; Archibald, Jordan (Brazil), Robertson

Scotland had gone out at the group stage in the two previous World Cups and were keen to avoid the same ignominy, but knew USSR would be tough opponents.  Probably unlucky to lose to Brazil, the Soviets had a better goal difference so a draw would suit them. 

Scotland started brightly and Joe Jordan thought he’d scored until Dasaev threw himself to just tip his header round the post.  At the other end, Alan Rough was called upon to thwart Blokhin.  But then in the 15^th minute a long ball from the back by Narey found Sulakvelidze hesitant at the back and Jordan pounced to slide the ball past Dasaev and Scotland were 1-0 up.  Both teams had chances to add to the goal tally, yet found both keepers in good form.  Then on the hour, Gavrilov made a burst forward and exchanged passes to get into the penalty area.  His shot hit Narey, with Rough committed and the rebound fell to Chivadze who lifted it into the empty net.  It looked a fairly soft goal and slightly unfair to the Scots, but they now knew they were fighting for their continuation in this tournament.

It got worse, though.  Demianenko went close with a shot from about 25 yard, and then the same man fired a free-kick from just outside the left-hand edge of the area which Rough almost let through his hands.  Then with six minutes remaining, USSR had a throw-in down near their left corner flag.  Chivadze lofted the ball forward down the wing where Alan Hansen misjudged his header on the halfway line, nodding the ball behind him.  He turned, to try and retrieve the situation as Willie Miller came across to also deal with it.  Inexplicably, the two simply combined to get in each other’s way and the ball fell kindly for Shengelia who went on and rounded Rough to slot the ball home.  It was a poor goal to concede and looked a horrible way to go out.  Captain Graeme Souness then took it upon himself to get them back into with a fine dribble and finish, but the damage was done, the game drawn and Scotland were on their way home.

World Cup 1982 - Day Six

DAY SIX

Friday 18^th June 1982

GROUP ONE, Estadio Balaidos, Vigo. (17:15)

ITALY   (1)   1   (Conti 19)

PERU   (0)   1   (Diaz 84)

Italy: Zoff; Gentile, Scirea, Collovati, Cabrini; Conti, Tardelli, Marini, Antognoni; Rossi (Causio), Graziani

Peru: Quiroga; Duarte, Olaechea, Diaz, Salguero; Velasquez, Cueto, Uribe (Leguia), Cubillas; Barbadillo (La Rosa), Oblitas

Both games in this group ended goalless so everyone was thankful when Bruno Conti finally broke the deadlock on 19 minutes.  Mind you, it was a goal worth waiting for.  Conti began the move in the centre circle, spreading the ball out wide to Cabrini on the left.  His ball inside the Antognoni allowed Conti to join up with the attack and after side-stepping a challenge he fired a right-foot shot from about 20 yards into the top corner.  Conti had been the one bright spark in a hugely disappointing Italian team and his goal was richly deserved.  There was an unfortunate moment during the first half when the ball was laid off to Velasquez in the centre circle who turned and completely took the referee out.  Walter Eschweiler of West Germany lost everything, his cards, his whistle and he didn’t even have his dignity to hold onto.

Italy had chances to increase their lead but as the game wore on so they were less concerned with adding to their lead, than preserving it.  Peru even had a perfectly good shout for a penalty turned down when Oblitas was tripped by Scirea in the box but the referee, presumably still smarting from his embarrassment earlier, just waved play on.  As the game was reaching a conclusion, La Rosa somehow missed two golden chances but then with 6 minutes to go Peru had a free-kick on the right just outside the area.  It was played square for Duarte to fire a shot from “the D” and it took a wicked deflection off Scirea and wrong-footed Zoff for the equaliser.  The crowd by now seemed to be on the Peruvians side and they were delighted with the draw.

GROUP THREE, Estadio Jose Rico Perez, Alicante. (21:00)

ARGENTINA   (2)   4   (Bertoni 26, Maradona 28, 57, Ardiles 60)

HUNGARY   (0)   1   (Poloskei 76)

Argentina: Fillol; Olguin, Passarella, Tarantini (Barbas), Galvan; Bertoni, Gallego, Ardiles, Maradona; Valdano (Calderon), Kempes

Hungary: Meszaros; Martos (Fazekas), Toth, Garaba, Balint; Sallai, Rab, Nyilasi, Varga; Kiss (Szentes), Poloskei

The difference in fortunes for these two teams in their first matches couldn’t have been starker.  Defending champions, Argentina, were shocked by Belgium and Hungary set a new World Cup scoring record against El Salvador.  Maradona was in fine form and went close on a number of occasions before Bertoni finally got Argentina’s World Cup underway.  A free-kick on the left was floated into the box and Passarella’s header back across goal was turned in at the far post by Bertoni.  Two minutes later he was involved again when his shot was only half-saved by Meszaros and Maradona bundled it over the line.  A double strike which cemented Argentina’s dominance.  It was all Argentina and early in the second half Maradona missed a relatively easy chance and then Bertoni had a goal ruled out for offside.  But it wasn’t long before the holders increased their lead as Kempes put Maradona in and his fierce low shot went under Meszaros for a 3-goal lead.  Three minutes Olguin, the right-back, joined in things with a rasping shot from the right-hand edge of the area which Meszaros could only parry and Ardiles was there to turn in the rebound.  Poloskei got a goal back, but it was little more than a consolation.  Argentina won comfortably and Hungary were proving the side to watch as 16 goals had been scored in the two games they’d played in.  The group was now wide open.

GROUP SIX, Estadio Benito Villamarin, Seville. (21:00)

BRAZIL   (1)   4   (Zico 33, Oscar 48, Eder 64, Falcao 86)

SCOTLAND   (1)   1   (Narey 18)

Brazil:  Waldir; Leandro, Luizinho, Oscar, Junior;  Socrates, Cerezo, Zico, Falcao, Eder; Serginho (Paulo Isidoro)

Scotland: Rough; Narey, Hansen, Miller, Gray; Strachan (Dalglish), Wark, Souness, Hartford (McLeish); Archibald, Robertson

A famous game in Scottish World Cup folklore.  One of the finest teams in international football, Brazil up against a talented an experienced and confident Scottish side.  The early exchanges were were evenly matched, although Brazil looked more menancing.  But in the 18^th minute, Scotland took the lead.  Souness, involved in so many of the moves, played a ball forward to Wark on the right-hand edge of the area and he nodded it down for David Narey, who’d burst forward from right-back.  Narey took the ball down with his left and then fired a right-footed shot into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.  It was a goal which wouldn’t have looked out of place from a Brazilian.  Scottish fans were later angered by Jimmy Hill, in the BBC studio, suggesting Narey had ‘toe-poked it in’.  it was a great start for the Scots, although there was a concern they had just pulled the tail of a tiger and were now about to face the consequences.

Scotland were in front for just 15 minutes.  Brazil had a free-kick in a fairly central position, about 30 yards out.  Zico took two steps and then curled the ball round the wall into the top corner with Rough rooted to the spot.  Brazil were definitely into their stride but couldn’t add to their tally until early in the second half.  Junior swung in a right-footed corner on the left and Oscar rose highest to head Brazil into the lead, 2-1.  It was one-way traffic yet the 3^rd goal was beautiful.  Socrates played it on to Serginho who found Eder free on the left of the area.  With Rough narrowing the angle, Eder noticed him on the 6-yard line so he deftly and audaciously chipped Rough for goal number 3.

There was still time for a 4^th and some good work on the edge of the box between Socrates and Cerezo allowed Falcao to fire a shot into the corner of the net with Rough again stranded.  4-1.  It was a great performance from Brazil who were almost through, but the Scots now knew they may have to beat USSR to go through.

World Cup 1982 - Day Three

DAY THREE

Tuesday 15^th June 1982

GROUP ONE, Estadio Riazor, La Coruna. (17:15)

CAMEROON   (0)   0

PERU   (0)   0

Cameroon: N’Kono; Kaham, Onana, M, Bom, Aoudou, N’Djeya; Kunde, M’Bida, Abega; Milla (Tokoto), N’Guea (Bahoken)

Peru: Quiroga; Duarte, Diaz, Olaechea, Salguero; Leguia (Barbadillo), Velasquez, Cueto, Uribe, Cubillas (La Rosa); Oblitas

After the draw between Italy and Poland, yesterday, these two teams were hopeful of gaining an advantage.  Peru, who’d impressed four years earlier, still included Scotland’s nemesis, Teofilo Cubillas and Cesar Cueto and were managed by a Brazilian, the wonderfully named Tim.  Cameroon were making their first appearance at a World Cup finals.  The stars in each team were Cubillas and Roger Milla, as both had chances to open the scoring, yet either found the respective keepers in goof form, or the woodwork got in the way.  Towards the end of the first half, Milla had the ball in the net after a good one-two with M’Bida on the edge of the area, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Both teams created chances, but lacked real conviction to make it count.  Cameroon equipped themselves very well, but as the game was nearing an end the crowd, in pre-Mexican wave days, sent on a dog to try and liven things up.  The game ended level and we were still yet to see a goal in Group One.

GROUP THREE, Estadio Nuevo, Elche. (21:00)

HUNGARY   (3)   10   (Nyilasi 3, 83, Poloskei 10, Fazekas 23, 54, Toth 50, Kiss 69, 72, 76, Szentes 71)

EL SALVADOR   (0)   1   (Ramirez 64)

Hungary: Meszaros; Martos, Toth, Garaba, Balint; Sallai, Muller (Szentes), Nyilasi; Fazekas, Torocsik (Kiss), Poloskei

El Salvador: Mora; Castillo, Recinos, Rodriguez, Jovel; Ventura (Fagoaga), Rugamas (Ramirez), Huezo; Hernandez, Gonzalez, Rivas

Hungary had competed in the 1978 tournament without winning a game, whereas El Salvador hadn’t been in the finals since 1970.  Hungary had qualified in England’s group and their playmaker was Tibor Nyilasi, with an exciting striker in Andras Torocsik.  3 minutes into the game, Hungary had a corner which Fazekas took and Nyilasi headed in, unmarked.  1-0  In the 10^th minute, Fazekas was again involved as he played Poloskei in and as he got clear of the defence the keeper covered his near post, allowing the Hungarian to fire a shot into the far corner for the 2^nd goal.  2-0.

After 23 minutes, Fazekas picked up the ball in midfield and with no challenge forthcoming, he surged towards the Salvador goal and then fired a shot into the top corner, from about 25 yards.  3-0.  That’s how things stood to half-time, with no warning of what was to come.  It took just 5 minutes after the break for Hungary to score again.  Joszef Toth ran down the left and as he cut into the area his low cross was blocked, but the ball came back to him and with the keeper committed to the cross, Toth had the simple task of rolling the ball into the empty net.  4-0.  4 minutes later, Fazekas took a corner on the left which El Salvador defended, but Nyilasi picked up the clearance and played Fazekas back in, and he fired in his 2^nd goal of the game.  5-0.

The two players who’d impressed most for the Central Americans were the captain, Huezo and Gonzalez.  These two combined to give Luis Ramirez Zapata the opportunity to get a goal back, and they were all very pleased with that.  5-1.  Just after Hungary’s 5^th goal, Laszlo Kiss came on for Torocsik, and then with 20 minutes to go he scored from another Fazekas corner.  6-1.  Three minutes later, Martos cross from the right looked to be going out on the left wing, but Poloskei kept it in and as he got to the byeline, his ball across the goal found Szentes, another substitute, completely free and he tapped it in.  7-1.  A minute later the Hungarians came forward again and Poloskei layed the ball off to Kiss on the left-hand edge of the area, and he audaciously chipped the keeper for his 2^nd goal of the game.  8-1.  4 minutes after that, Toth attacked down the left and his cross was palmed out by the keeper, but it fell to Kiss who fired past two defenders for his hat-trick.  Kiss had only been on the pitch 20 minutes, and his hat-trick had taken just 7 minutes.  9-1. 

Then into the final 10 minutes and Toth’s cross from the left was headed in by Nyilasi, to complete a kind of synergy between his first goal and the last.  10-1.  Hungary had broken the record for most goals in a World Cup finals match.  It was a stunning start for them, and with Argentina losing to Belgium, gave real them hope of getting through the first group stage.

GROUP SIX, Estadio La Rosaleda. (21:00)

SCOTLAND   (3)   5   (Dalglish 18, Wark 29, 32, Robertson 73, Archibald 80)

NEW ZEALAND   (0)   2   (Sumner 54, Wooddin 64)

Scotland: Rough; McGrain, Hansen, Evans, Gray; Strachan (Narey), Wark, Souness; Brazil (Archibald), Dalglish, Robertson

New Zealand: van Hattum; Almond (Herbert), Hill, Sumner, Elrick; Malcolmson (Cole), MacKay, Cresswell, Boath; Rufer, Wooddin

Scotland opened their account in their third successive finals appearance, and were up against New Zealand, who were making their debut.  A potential banana-skin reminiscent of Peru, four years earlier, the Scots were in determined mood.  A great run from Gordon Strachan saw him find Kenny Dalglish in the area and the Liverpool striker opened the scoring.  Strachan was again involved when Scotland doubled their lead, as his ball into the area found Brazil whose shot was parried by the keeper and Wark was on hand to turn the ball in.  3 minutes later Strachan crossed from the right and found the head of John Wark and Scotland were 3-0 up.

In the second half, New Zealand seemed to grow in confidence and Wynton Rufer produced a good run down the right and his ball into the area looked to be easily cut-out by Danny McGrain, but his weak touch allowed Steve Sumner the opportunity to bundle the ball past Alan Rough.  It was New Zealand’s first ever goal in a World Cup finals and then 10 minutes later they had their 2^nd.  A long ball from the back put Wooddin away and he finished well to reduce the deficit to just 1 goal.  Scotland appeared increasingly nervous as they were desperate to avoid a humiliation.  The had a free-kick in a central position just outside the area.  They looked like they’d messed things up, then John Robertson floated the ball over the wall to give Scotland a 4-2 lead.  Gordon Strachan then took a corner on the right and Steve Archibald back-headed it in and the Scots could now relax, as they were off and running. 

After the goalless draw in the first match, the evening’s entertainment had seen 18 goals.