Hosts: Spain
Winners: West Germany
Competing teams: 24
Where were England? Finally back in the finals, but going home after the second group stage
The brilliance of Brazil and France dominated much of Espana ’82, the first to include 24 teams, but ultimately the title went to the team with the best striker – and that was Italy and Paolo Rossi.
That said the Azzurri hardly looked like future winners in the first group stage when three draws just about got them through.
The French were another side who took their time to warm up as they suffered an opening defeat to England, Bryan Robson scoring what was then the quickest goal in World Cup history, and then only drawing with Czechoslovakia.
There was more World Cup scandal in Group B when Austria and West Germany played out one of the most disgraceful games in finals history. The match was the last to be played in the group and the sides knew a 1-0 win for the Germans would send each team through.
Germany duly scored early on and the game fizzled out into nothing more than a training match with both teams spending long periods playing the ball across their back four. The sham moved FIFA to decree that in future all final group matches would be played at the same time.
Hosts Spain were another side who struggled to perform, perhaps cracking under the weight of expectation, and they suffered a humiliating defeat to Northern Ireland in their final group game.
Brazil, by contrast, won all three of their group matches scoring 10 goals, as the team of Socrates, Zico and Falcao began to live up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites.
However, the South Americans were soon on their way home as Italy and Rossi slipped into gear.
After both sides had beaten Argentina, they met in Barcelona to decide who would make the semi-final and in one of the tournament’s greatest games, a hat-trick from Rossi put Italy through.
Poland also made the last four after edging out Belgium and the Soviet Union, while in Group 2 England’s campaign came to an end after goalless draws with Spain and West Germany were not enough for Ron Greenwood’s side to progress.
The West Germans beat Spain 2-1 to seal their passage and they were joined in the last four by France who ended Northern Ireland’s hopes.
Italy booked their place in the final with a regulation 2-0 win over Poland, which included another two goals for Rossi, but all the drama came in Seville as France and West Germany squared up.
With the game level at 1-1, Michel Platini set Patrick Battiston clear of the German defence. But with the forward bearing down on goal, German keeper Harald Schumacher rushed out of the area and blatantly clattered into Battiston. Unbelievably, he did not receive any kind of sanction and France did not even receive a free-kick.
The game then went into extra time and, despite France taking a 3-1 lead, West Germany hauled their way back into the game. They scored two goals to take the game to penalties where, perhaps inevitably, Schumacher proved the hero.
The final in Madrid was goalless at half-time before Rossi yet again found the net to put Italy ahead. Goals from Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli put Italy into an unassailable lead, before Paul Breitner scored a consolation goal for the Germans.
Did you know? Hungary’s 10-1 group stage win over El Salvador, included the quickest World Cup hat-trick ever with Laslzo Kiss grabbing his three goals in just seven minutes.
