Semifinals
25.06.86 (12.00) Guadalajara, Estadio Jalisco
GER - FRA 2:0 (1:0)
(~47500) Agnolin ITA, Nemeth HUN, Petrović JUG
GER: Schumacher - Brehme, K.H.Förster, Jakobs, Briegel - Eder, Matthäus - Magath, Rolff, K.Allofs, Rummenigge (c - 58 Völler)
FRA: Bats - Ayache, Battiston, Bossis, Amoros - Tigana, Giresse (72Vercruysse), Platini (c), Fernandez - Stopyra, Bellone (66 Xuereb)
1:0 Brehme 9, 2:0 Völler 90
booked: Magath / Fernandez
The massacre started the moment the referee opened the game – the ball was not even moved away from the center when Stopyra was hacked by Brehme and needed medical help. And to the end of the game it was mostly that, Agnolin stopping the game twice in a minute. It was thoroughly European brutality – cold, cynical, casual – in which both teams were equal. Platini committed two vicious fouls before the 5th minute started. The murder never stopped, the fans were displeased and almost from the middle of the first half to the end they booued both teams and the referee. The referee for letting all that unpunished – it may have been an order from FIFA to go easy on the cards, but so much was unpunished and so frequently fouls were comitted that Agnolin eventually chose not even to stop the game if the offended team still possessed the ball. Practically in the lats minute Fernandez was booked, but for what offense? Most likely for swearing at Agnolin.
Bats made terrible mistake in the 9th minute and Brehme scored after a free kick – it was strong kick, the wall strangely did not move at all, but it was a ball going straight in the hands of Bands. And from his hands... into the net. Little change after that – it was obvious that West Germany will soldier one more match and France will get the initiative, which they did. But it was somewhat wrong tactics...
As the match progressed, the French approach became clear and with that – the wrongness of it. France , possessing the ball more often, did not control the tempo – for some reason they chose to play fast, a wrong approach to playing against tireless runners. In the same time the French strikers did not press the Germans when they got the ball in their own half, but moved far back near the central line. Thus, the Germans had the luxury to build speed without harassment – Briegel in particular became the most dangerous German because of that, ruling the whole left side of the field. The French midfield also went back when Germans started building their pathetic attacks in their own half – behind the central line, but leaving a gap between themselves and the defence. All that was very convenient for the German team, as clumsy as it was. This gaps and the need to stop German attacks confused the French attacking efforts as well – they were somewhat chaotic, further complicated by the eternal problems of their strikers – Stopyra and Bellone were the same as every combination before them: always making a fatal extra step which killed the scoring opportunity. The long crosses from the wings had no adressee, for France had no center forward. The whole idea to use Platini as a striker was wrong – he was not the typical center forward to wait in the penalty area for high balls and fight for it in the air. So, he was late, he was not even there, the crosses was meaningless. And France lost its dominance in midfield also... it would have been much better if Platini played the playmaker, control and change the tempo, organize attacks.
Yes, France was the better team, but they missed everything to be missed and more. Schumacher was also at top form and prevented a lot, but it was false dominance and even false bad luck – France practically lost the game early, when they did not slow the tempo – playing at German speed, they practically let the Germans dictate the match even when the French had more possession and looked like the much better team. Nerves served them badly as the end was getting near and the result was still 0-1: they went entirely into frantic attacks, the whole team, and made mistake after mistake at finishing. Thus in the last minute the Germans scored the second goal... after a simple counterattack,which left two Germans against single defender and Bats far ahead from his net. Foller got the ball, went by Bats and scored at leisure in the empty net. And Agnolin ended the match. And for some reason the French swarmed him to argue and protest who knows what... they lost the game by their own doings. Of course, it was no fun to see the ugly and clueless Germans win, but the French allowed them. Too bad for football, but wrong tactics resulted in German victory. For a second consecutive World Cup West Germany eliminated France at the semifinals. Both times playing bland football, only running and kicking. Unlucky French, twice unlucky, many said and say to this very day – but watch this game again! There was no way to beat the Germans playing the way they want it, that was the simple truth.
25.06.86 (16.00) Mexico City, Estadio Azteca
(+110000) Márquez MEX, Valente POR, Méndez GUA
ARG: Pumpido - Cuciuffo, Ruggeri, Brown, Olarticoechea - Giusti, Enrique, Batista, Burruchaga (86 Bochini) - Maradona (c), Valdano
BEL: Pfaff - Gerets, Grun, Demol, Renquin (54 Desmet) - Vervoort, Scifo,Vercauteren, Ceulemans (c) - Claesen, Veyt
1:0 Maradona 52, 2:0 Maradona 63
booked: Valdano / Veyt
Later – and cemented as fact eventually – it was said that this match was one-man show, that Maradona destroyed Belgium. It was not precisely that – he was great, but if we go for this simplistic opinion, an interesting tactical battle would be entirely omitted. Argentina – Belgium was a meeting of teams with similar approach: defensive minded teams, looking for counter-attacks. So... what they could do? One option was both teams to stay passively in their own halves, waiting the others to dare move ahead. Such move never comes, 120 minutes of boredom and the lottery of penalty shoot-out. The other option was rather unexpected: Belgium predictably moved back, leaving the initiative to the Argentines. They did not mind – they played slowly, possessed the ball, and attacked without forgetting their defense. They simply moved the proper defensive line to the central line, saturated the Belgian half with players and started their defensive efforts right there, near the Belgian penalty area. Which killed possibilities for speedy counterattacks in empty space. In the same time the Argentines used their vast technical superiority to the best, making clever passes in vulnerable areas and suddenly accelerating the speed. Alternating the speed was the key for success, Argentina dominated for good 20 minutes before Belgium found some way to go ahead – which was exactly that: changing into fully attacking approach to which Argentina had quick answer: they simply moved back in pack. But they already managed to remove the edge from the Belgians – brutality started right with the beginning of the game and the Argentines hunted down Ceulemans. It looked like the big striker got scared, for he started to shoot at every moment the ball reached his legs – shooting not that match to score, but just to get rid of the ball before Argentine defenders came near and kicked him to death. No use of such shots, nothing dangerous for Pumpido. And when the Argentines were murdering Belgians, they were more Belgian than them – masters of the offside trap, the very Belgian invention. There was a moment when 3 Belgians were left in offside! Three players knowing how to play against offside traps best...
Meantime Argentina looked very comfortable – now there were opportunities for counterattacks, in which Maradona excelled and the only dangerous moments were still in front of Pfaff. The goal was getting near... Belgium was distracted and may be even confused by the problems they were facing: staying in defense – very dangerous; going into attack – very dangerous. Belgium was not comfortable switching from one approach to another and back, but the Argentines had no problem with that at all. It was even like they were not changing anything – only moving their defensive wall from one place to another. At about the 40th minute it was all clear – Argentina took full control, dominated and only miracle could upset their victory.T
The second half was entirely Argentinian and Maradona scored 2 goals.
Later the match was described as Maradona show, but he was not alone. True, when Belgium was tamed, Maradona was brilliant, but that was in the second half and also obscures the intelligence the team employed. Belgium had a chance here and there, but Pumpido was inspired and saved everything. Once Argentina ensured victory, the team somewhat slowed down, saving energy – the job was already done, but even when relaxing the Argentines did not drop their guard, becoming careless.
