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The best team might not have won the 1982 World Cup, but the best celebration definitely did.

For sheer artistry and jaw-dropping skill there have been few squads in history to match the one that Brazil coach Tele Santana took to Spain, not even in his own country’s glittering past. Their names still trip off the tongue; the likes of Junior, Socrates, Falcao and Zico, while the flamboyant, attacking football they played under Santana deservedly lives long in the memory.

But, as with Hungary in 1954 and the Netherlands in 1974, Brazil’s brilliant performances won the purists’ plaudits and most fans’ hearts but did not secure them any prizes.

Instead, the trophy went to an Italy side that lacked any comparable verve but who, through the raw emotion of Marco Tardelli’s reaction to his goal in the final, still provided the iconic moment of a tournament that contained as much controversy as it did drama.

An Italian triumph had seemed an unlikely outcome during the first round, as Enzo Bearzot’s side scraped through with three draws against Poland, Peru and Cameroon. England, in their first finals for 12 years, made the fastest start, with Bryan Robson scoring after only 27 seconds in their first game against France, while upsets came from Algeria, who beat West Germany, and Northern Ireland – who famously shocked the hosts through Gerry Armstrong’s strike.

Years later, I went to university with Armstrong’s son, Brendan, who was always modest about his father’s achievements but acknowledged how that goal on a humid evening in Valencia changed his life. It brought Gerry, then playing for Watford, international fame and led to the family CommentsSign in or register to comment.

Previous Next 1. At 10:02pm on 20 May 2010, HiddenFortress wrote:
Oh those Brazilians! A sheer joy to watch, pure magic. It was like watching a game that had not been invented yet. Cris Freddi in his WC book described it as ,’a style of play that had supposedly vanished forever. The ball control, movement and angles of passing, all done without apparent effort, were the stuff of mythical beaches, with apparently no need for defence.’ They just needed a decent centre forward, Serginho was terrible, and some defenders. Sadly that proved to be their downfall.
Aside from that other memories include Robson’s early goal versus France, the bizarre French goal (disallowed) against Kuwait and Northern Ireland beating Spain.
Interesting to note that Italy and West Germany started so slowly but ended up in the final.

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