The Best World Cup teams of all time - Argentina 1986
We continue our look at the best football teams of all-Time – Argentina 1986
Drew Farner returns with another piece in his series about the greatest football teams to have played the game. This week, the Argentina team that won the World Cup in Mexico in 1986.
Mention World Cup 1986 and several images are quickly brought to mind. One is the iconic image of Diego Maradona rising into the air to punch the ball into the back of the England goal. The other image is of the Argentine captain completing a mazy dribble through the England team before slotting a goal into the back of Peter Shilton’s net.
Yet, Argentina’s most memorable moments that year against the English only came in the quarterfinals and it is easy to forget that coach Carlos Bilardo’s team still had to defeat Belgium and West Germany – in a close encounter – to lift their second Jules Rimet Trophy.
Bad memories from 1982
The journey to the 1986 World Cup wasn’t a smooth one for Argentina. There were issues with the team and pundits back in Argentina didn’t believe the Maradona-led side could capture the trophy in Mexico.
Bilardo had been named manager of the national team near the end of 1982. Four years on from winning the World Cup on home soil, Argentina failed to make it out of the second group stage in Spain. They finished last in their group with Italy and Brazil ending in first and second place, respectively.
It had been a group of death with Argentina experiencing a massacre. They lost both second-stage group matches compiling zero points from six possible. Maradona’s 85th-minute red card against Brazil in the second group match sealed any hope of a comeback and had the Argentines on a plane back to South America.
Unwanted Argentina
Bilardo’s appointment was a 180-degree change from his predecessor Cesar Menotti. Menotti had overseen a spineless Argentina that put emphasis on flair players at the 1982 edition of the tournament. Bilardo wanted a rough-and-tumble team. A side that could mix it up with strong European sides. His tactics were not popular and fans bemoaned the team’s defensive style of play. It all led to a very negative opinion from the population on Argentina’s chances in Mexico.
Carlos Billardo
The manager instilled a European style of play using a 3-5-2 formation with a sweeper capable of bringing the ball out of defence and starting the attack. The team’s five-man midfield would slow down opposition attacks and allow Maradona the freedom needed to create and score goals.
Bilardo put emphasis on keeping opposing teams from scoring seeing a game end at nil-nil as an excellent alternative to losing with flair. If Argentina were able to keep the other side from scoring, Maradona could work his magic at the opposite end of the pitch.
Before Bilardo could give Maradona the keys to the attack, however, the Napoli forward had to be brought back into the side. Left out of the national team in 1978, Maradona’s red card versus Brazil at Spain ‘82 had seen him exiled from the squad.
Maradona may be a hero in Argentina today, but in 1985, he was viewed as a failure. Argentine football fans had seen his big move to Barcelona in 1982 as his decline. Now at Napoli, Bilardo knew he could build around the star.
Argentia - World Cup contenders, but not favourites
When Argentina began their World Cup qualifying campaign in May 1985, Maradona was finally called back into the team for the first time since his red card in Barcelona versus the Brazilians. Maradona’s attitude had shifted from three years earlier. He was in great shape, arrived for training before his teammates, and took the lead in practice sessions. His work ethic led Bilardo to give Maradona the armband and the opportunity to etch his name in history.
The 1986 tournament still had 24 teams competing for the trophy but unlike in 1982, there was just one group stage before the competition moved to a single-elimination format.
When Argentina kicked off the World Cup in Mexico City on June 2, they were not considered as favourites to win the tournament. Although contenders, it was expected that Argentina would falter along the way as had happened four years prior. South Korea were Argentina’s opponents on matchday 1 and the first to go down. Jorge Valdano’s brace and Oscar Ruggeri’s goal put Argentina into the driver’s seat after 46 minutes. Park Chang-Sun pulled a goal back for South Korea late on but the damage had been done for a 3-1 Argentina win.
Three days later in Puebla, it was Italy’s turn to play Argentina. Facing a much stronger foe and the 1982 World Cup winners, Argentina needed a 34th-minute Maradona goal to claim a come from behind 1-1 draw. Needing a win against Bulgaria to secure the top spot in Group A, Argentina got it thanks to Valdano’s second of the tournament and Jorge Burruchaga to win 2-0 allowing the team to top their group.
The Hand of God
The Knockout Stages
Argentina were into the last 16 where South American rival Uruguay were waiting. Another strong defensive performance ended in a 1-0 win leaving them to play England in the most famous World Cup quarterfinal in history. Maradona’s memorable goals, which truly overshadowed the tournament in the decades following it, saw Argentina clinch a spot in the semifinals.
Yet, the game was closer than is remembered. Gary Lineker’s 81st-minute goal made the scoreline 2-1 in a fiery fixture with political overtones. As Argentina tired in the hot Mexico sun, Chris Waddle and John Barnes nearly turned the tide of the game having come on as subs. It was Barnes’ cross that Lineker scored from, yet Argentian prevailed.
The win against England gave Argentina more confidence and an air of invincibility. Belgium were no match for Maradona, who scored twice in the second half to see off the Europeans. Now, it was down to one game and West Germany stood in the way of Argentina and a second trophy.
Argentina Vs West Germany - The 1986 World Cup Final
While Maradona had led Argentina through the quarterfinal and semifinal, it was now up to the rest of the squad to see the team over the line. West Germany’s Lothar Matthäus man-marked Maradona throughout the game keeping him from being a major influence. However, having one player consistently mark Maradona left holes across the pitch. Jose Luis Brown opened the scoring in the 23rd minute and just after the halftime restart, Valdano doubled the score.
Argentina began to tire late in the game just as had happened in the quarterfinal against England. Within the span of six minutes, West Germany were on level terms thanks to goals from Karl-Heinze Rummenigge and Rudi Voller. Both goals came from corners exploiting the size and lack of physicality from set-pieces Argentina possessed.
But just as West Germany were back in the game, Argentina scored the winner. Maradona, finally able to get some freedom from Matthäus, played an exquisite pass to Burruchaga who slotted the ball past the on-rushing Harald Schumacher. Argentina were World Cup champions for a second time and Bilardo, who had been hated by fans back home prior to the tournament’s kick off, was now a national treasure.
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