The Argentina 2–1 England quarter-final match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup was a football match played on 22 June 1986 between Argentina and England at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The match was held four years after the end of the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, and was a key part of the already intense Argentina–England football rivalry. It was also a match which included two of the most well-known goals in football history, both scored by Argentina captain Diego Maradona."Maradona lights up the world – with a helping hand". FIFA.com. Retrieved 29 November 2020

The first goal, referred to as the "Hand of God" goal, was illegally scored by Maradona using his hand in the 51st minute. Four minutes later, Maradona dribbled past five England players to score what became known as the "Goal of the Century". Argentina won the match 2–1, and went on to win the tournament after defeating West Germany in the final. Maradona won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. Gary Lineker, who scored England's goal against Argentina, won the Golden Boot for being the tournament's top scorer with six goals.

Background

Argentina–England football rivalry

The rivalry between the national football teams of Argentinas and England is generally traced back to the 1966 FIFA World Cup, which was held in England. The quarter-final match at Wembley Stadium contained extensive foul play, and Argentina captain Antonio Rattín was sent off before Argentina lost the match 1–0.Hurst the hero for England in the home of football FIFA. Retrieved 26 January 2009

Rattín was angered at his ejection, feeling that the German referee Rudolf Kreitlein, who did not speak Spanish, was biased towards England. Rattín proceeded to stomp on the royal carpet in the stadium, which led England manager Alf Ramsey to describe the Argentina players as "animals",New chapter in an historic rivalry CNN; 12 May 2002; Retrieved 26 January 2009 a comment that caused outrage in Argentina.

The Falklands War Outside football, the Falklands War of 1982 led to a rapid deterioration in Anglo-Argentine relations. Britain administers the Falkland Islands, a small archipelago in the South Atlantic, as a British overseas territory, however, Argentina also claims the islands. On 2 April 1982, the Argentine military launched an invasion of the islands, but Britain responded by sending a naval task force which recaptured the Falklands in two months. Though the two nations were never officially at war, the conflict resulted in 285 British and 659 Argentine casualties. As a result, the match taking place four years after the war was emotionally charged. Following the game, Maradona stated: "Although we had said before the game that football had nothing to do with the Malvinas war, we knew they had killed a lot of Argentine boys there, killed them like little birds. And this was revenge."

1986 FIFA World Cup

The 1986 FIFA World Cup was held in Mexico after the original hosts, Colombia, were unable to host the tournament. England qualified for the finals undefeated, topping Group 3 in the UEFA zone; Argentina also topped their qualifying group in CONMEBOL. In the early stages of the tournament, Argentina had been comfortable, winning two and drawing one in the group stage. England had qualified more narrowly, with a 3–0 win over Poland in the final match putting them into the round of 16. Both teams won comfortably against South American opposition in that round, Argentina against Uruguay and England against Paraguay. Although neither team began the tournaments as favourites,1986 England:Argentina Englandcaps.co.uk; Retrieved 27 January 2009 England's form had been improving throughout the World Cup and Argentina were buoyed by the skill of Maradona.

Argentina kit change

Argentina beat Uruguay 1–0 in the round of 16 wearing blue cotton shirts that coach Carlos Bilardo believed would prove too uncomfortable in the searing Mexico City heat. Bilardo asked Argentina's kit manufacturer –Le Coq Sportif– to come up with lighter blue shirts for the quarter-final, an impossible request given the short deadline. With three days to go before the match, he sent out Ruben Moschella, a member of his coaching staff, to scour the shops of the Mexican capital for a suitable kit. He returned with two different blue shirts, which they subsequently weighed but were unable to choose between.

It was then that Diego Maradona appeared and said: "That’s a nice jersey. We'll beat England in that". Moschella returned to the shop and bought 38 of the shirts for the side to wear against England. A designer fashioned some makeshift Argentine Football Association (AFA) badges, which were then sewn on to each jersey opposite the logo of Le Coq Sportif, which provided the kits for Argentina at the time, with silver American football–style numbers hurriedly ironed on to the backs.

Previous incidents Before the match, fans from both countries brawled in the Mexico City streets and into the stadium too. As a result, several English fans were hospitalised while some of their flags were stolen by Argentine barra bravas. Those flags would be then exhibited by Boca Juniors's supporters during some Argentine league matches."Pánico en St. Etienne: Hooligans go home" , 23 June 1998

Match

First half The game started with both teams exchanging chances. Argentina began to dominate, with England's goalkeeper Peter Shilton saving several good chances, many created by Maradona. Peter Beardsley had England's best chance after 13 minutes, following a slip from Nery Pumpido in Argentina's goal, but failed to take it. At half time, the score was 00, Argentina having had much more of the possession and territory – and done a great deal more of the running – but having failed to get through England's defence.

Second half The "Hand of God"

Six minutes into the second half, Maradona cut inside from the left and played a diagonal low pass to the edge of the area to teammate Jorge Valdano and continued his run in the hope of a one-two movement. Maradona's pass was played slightly behind Valdano and reached England's Steve Hodge, the left midfielder who had dropped back to defend.

Hodge tried to hook the ball clear but miscued it. The ball looped off his foot and into the penalty area, toward Maradona, who had continued his run. England goalkeeper Peter Shilton came out of his goal to punch the ball clear. Maradona, despite being 8 inches (20 cm) shorter than the 6-foot-1 (1.85 m) Shilton, reached it first with his outside left hand. The ball bounced into the goal. Referee Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia said he did not see the infringement and allowed the goal.

Maradona later said, "I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came... I told them, 'Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it.'"Bechtel, Mark. "The Right Way to Cheat: Pulling a Fast One Is Sometimes Part of the Game". CNNSI. 24 August 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2006.

At the post-game press conference, Maradona facetiously commented that the goal was scored "un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios" ("a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God"), after which it became known as the "Hand of God" goal. The goal helped intensify the footballing rivalry between the two nations. Cesar Luis Menotti, the former head coach of Argentina, said, "People said, 'Great! Better, much better, that the goal was so unjust, so cruel, because it hurt the English more.'" In the 2019 documentary film directed by Asif Kapadia, Maradona linked the event to the Falklands War: "I knew it was my hand. It wasn't my plan but the action happened so fast that the linesman didn't see me putting my hand in. The referee looked at me and he said: 'Goal'. It was a nice feeling like some sort of symbolic revenge against the English."

The Goal of the Century

Four minutes after his Hand of God goal, the ball was passed to Maradona inside his own half. Maradona then began his 60-yard, 10-second dash towards the English goal, passing four English outfield players: Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher (twice) and Terry Fenwick. Maradona finished the move with a feint that left goalkeeper Peter Shilton on his bottom, before slotting the ball into the empty net to make the score 2–0 to Argentina."Top 10 World Cup goals". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 August 2014

About the goal, Maradona said to reporters, "I made the play to give it to Valdano, but when I got to the area they surrounded me and I had no space. Therefore, I had to continue the play and finish it myself."Maradona, D. Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Star, p.129. Skyhorse Publishing, 2007. . He later complimented the fair play of the English team, saying, "I don't think I could have done it against any other team because they all used to knock you down; they are probably the noblest in the world."

In 2002, the goal was voted 'Goal of the Century' as part of the buildup to the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament on the FIFA website. It beat a goal scored by England's Michael Owen against Argentina in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which came second, whilst another 1986 FIFA World Cup goal by Maradona, from the semi-final match against Belgium, came fourth. In Spanish-speaking countries, this goal is often associated with the passionate live commentary by Uruguayan journalist Víctor Hugo Morales.

Lineker's goal and Argentine victory Argentina's 2–0 lead forced England into a double-attacking substitution, bringing on Barnes and Waddle, and it nearly paid off: as the Argentine team began to tire after their earlier efforts, England began to push further up the pitch, looking to get back into the game. Driven by Glenn Hoddle and John Barnes, they created chances, and Gary Lineker scored his sixth goal of the tournament in the 81st minute from a Barnes cross. Argentina had further chances as well, with Carlos Tapia hitting the inside of the post immediately after England's goal. England were unable to score an equaliser and Argentina won the match 2–1.

Details

GK 18Nery PumpidoSW 5 José Luis BrownCB 9 José Luis CuciuffoCB 19Oscar RuggeriRWB14Ricardo GiustiLWB 16Julio OlarticoecheaDM 2 Sergio Batista CM 12Héctor EnriqueCM 7 Jorge Burruchaga SS 10Diego Maradona (c)CF 11Jorge ValdanoSubstitutes:GK 15Luis IslasDF 8 Néstor ClausenFW 17Pedro PasculliMF 20Carlos Daniel Tapia MF 21Marcelo TrobbianiManager: Carlos Bilardo GK 1 Peter Shilton (c)RB 2 Gary M. StevensCB 14Terry Fenwick CB 6 Terry ButcherLB 3 Kenny SansomRM 17Trevor Steven CM 4 Glenn HoddleCM 16Peter Reid LM 18Steve HodgeSS 20Peter BeardsleyCF 10Gary LinekerSubstitutes:GK 13Chris WoodsMF 8 Ray WilkinsFW 11Chris Waddle DF 15Gary A. StevensFW 19John Barnes Manager: Bobby Robson

Match officials Assistant referees: Berny Ulloa Morera (Costa Rica) Bogdan Dotchev (Bulgaria)

Aftermath and legacy

Hodge swapped shirts with Maradona after the game; Hodge lent out the Argentine's jersey to the National Football Museum in the 2000s. The game added hugely to the rivalry between the two teams. In Argentina, the game was seen as revenge for the Falklands War and for what they still see as the unfair game in the 1966 World Cup. The former Argentine international Roberto Perfumo stated that "In 1986, winning that game against England was enough. Winning the World Cup was secondary for us. Beating England was our real aim."