FIFA World Cup Second Phase
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid (ESP), 29.06.1982
0-0 (0-0)
– / –
Germany: Schumacher – Kaltz, Stielike, Kh. Förster, Briegel – Dremmler, B. Förster, Breitner – Ha. Müller (74. K. Fischer) – Reinders (63. Littbarski), Kh. Rummenigge (c)
England: Shilton – Butcher, Mills (c), Thompson, Sansom – Coppell, Wilkins, Rix – Francis (77. Woodcock), Robson, Mariner
Colours: Germany – white shirts, black shorts, black socks; England – red shirts, white shorts, red socks
Referee: Arnaldo Cézar Coelho (Brazil)
Assistants: Héctor Ortiz (Paraguay), Rómulo Méndez Molina (Guatemala)
Yellow Cards: Stielike / –
Red Cards: – / –
Attendance: 75,000
Match Programme Details
No individual match programmes were printed during the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but an official tournament programme was published in a number of languages. In my collection I have the UK and Eire edition, an 84-page A4-sized brochure priced at £2.50 that places emphasis on the three home qualifiers England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
After the welcome messages from Spanish King Juan Carlos I, FIFA President Dr. João Havelange and Spanish Football Federation President Pablo Porta Bussoms there are overviews of all of the twenty-four participating nations as well as details of the fourteen host cities and stadia.
Aspect: Portrait
Dimensions: 297 x 210 mm (Standard A4)
Numbered Pages: 84
Language(s): English
Match Report
The 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain was the first edition of the tournament to feature twenty-four teams, and brought with it the challenge of somehow applying the correct mathematics to produce four semi-finalists from the twelve teams that would qualify from the six first phase groups. The solution came in the way of the curious second phase mini-group method, which saw the twelve teams divided into four groups of three. As winners of their respective first phase groups Germany and England were thrown together with hosts Spain, who found themselves in this mini group of death as a result of their shock defeat at the hands of Northern Ireland.
Germany had come into the tournament as one of the favourites; coming into their second phase match in Madrid against England Jupp Derwall’s side had not been beaten by European opposition since their infamous 3-2 defeat in Argentina four years earlier at the hands of neighbours Austria. However their opening game in Spain had produced one of the shocks of the tournament – a 2-1 defeat at the hands of North African tournament debutants Algeria – and their final group game against Austria had produced one of the scandals of the tournament with a 1-0 win ensuring the progress of both sides.
England meanwhile had been on a good run of their own, and had safely qualified for the second phase with three wins out of three, including an impressive 3-1 victory over France. The two previous World Cup finals encounters between the two sides in 1966 and 1970 had both ended in draws after ninety minutes – with both sides taking turns to win in extra-time – but on this occasion there would be no additional half hour to break any stalemate. The scene was set for a cagey encounter, and this is exactly how things panned out over the course of ninety tedious minutes in Madrid.
Jupp Derwall’s squad came into the game with a number of injury problems: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge once more had entered a tournament not fully fit, while the dynamic midfield playmaker Hansi Müller had never really been a mainstay of the side on account of his persistent fitness problems. With a half-fit Müller and no Bernd Schuster, the midfield – the dynamic engine room of past German sides – was decidedly average. The selection was highly defensive: Müller aside, there was little pace in the midfield – the emphasis appeared to be on solidity and dependability. Rummenigge was left on his own up front, with support coming in the form of Uwe Reinders – a solid and dependable journeyman – rather than the impish Pierre Littbarski who had been left on the bench.
England had also been experiencing problems with injuries: much like Rummenigge for Germany, the ageing talisman Kevin Keegan had come into the tournament not fully fit, while skipper Bryan Robson was once more finding himself on the physio’s bench. Manager Ron Greenwood opted to leave Keegan on the bench while gambling on Robson, the man who had inherited the number seven shirt from the little man with the big hair.
It was England that started off in the more positive vein. Toni Schumacher was almost immediately being tested by a Steve Coppell cross-cum-shot that was tipped over the bar, before Ray Wilkins launched a long-ranged effort which was easily collected by the German ‘keeper. While England were content to launch long-range efforts, little effort was being made to pressure the Germans when they were on the ball. It took until the twelfth minute for the Mannschaft to launch their first attack on the England goal, with Hansi Müller blasting his own long-range effort well over the bar.
With just under twenty minutes gone the Three Lions engineered what was probably the best chance of the game. Fullback Kenny Sansom launched a hopeful long ball from the left, and more by luck than good judgement Ipswich striker Paul Mariner leaped high enough to help it into the box, finding Bryan Robson in space. The England skipper’s header was on target, but was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Schumacher. Things slowly appeared to be warming up, as within minutes Paul Breitner was charging down the right flank to deliver a neat cross into the England box. Kalle Rummenigge slid in with Peter Shilton rooted to the spot, but found himself a yard short of the ball as it skidded across the face of England goal.
This short spell constituted what were probably the most exciting moments of the half, which quickly turned into an exercise in sharp and aggressive tackling. First Terry Butcher was unlucky to escape a booking after upending Reinders – who for his part performed a spectacular and unnecessary multiple roll on the ground – and Hans-Peter Briegel’s lumbering run into the opposition half was unceremoniously brought to an end by Robson.
Germany’s best man on the pitch was the bearded veteran Breitner, who after his earlier run down the right now popped up on the left before charging through two defenders and launching a shot on goal. Shilton was equal to the task however, as he turned the ball around the post for a corner – which came to nothing. With both sides not prepared to risk anything, the first half petered to a close.
If the first half had been short on excitement, the second forty-five minutes were not much better. The first fifteen minutes saw both sides cancelling each other in midfield, and whether out of frustration or perhaps even boredom Jupp Derwall decided on replacing the pedestrian Reinders with Pierre Littbarski. It didn’t appear to make much of a difference however, as the game just appeared to tick along to its inevitable goalless end. While the German team were prepared to occasionally offer a sharp surge into the opposition half, England seemed to be only prepared to play the long-ball game. On seventy minutes the referee finally reached for his pocket after Robson was sent sprawling by Uli Stielike – perhaps the official was getting a little restless too.
With just over fifteen minutes to go Derwall appeared to up the ante by throwing on Klaus Fischer for the disappointing Hansi Müller. With two out and out forwards on the field in the form of Rummenigge and Fischer, it looked as though the Nationaltrainer was trying to make a last-ditch attempt to win the game.
Five minutes from time some great work in midfield provided Rummenigge with the space and time to line up a ferocious right-footed shot. The shot was clean and true, and with Shilton beaten all ends up the ball clattered hard against the bar and out. It would be the closest either side came to breaking deadlock, but had the ball found the back of the net it would have been harsh on an England side that had not been dominated sufficiently to merit a defeat.
With the crowd growing increasingly restless in the wait for the final whistle, the Brazilian referee duly obliged by playing not even half a minute of injury time. It was the third draw between the two sides in three World Cup finals meetings, but on this occasion there would be no extra time to settle the result. Both teams headed away from the Bernabéu with a share of the points, with games against hosts Spain to come.
Jupp Derwall would present a more attacking line-up for the game against the Spaniards, which saw his side secure a solid if unspectacular 2-1 win; this left England having to beat the hosts by two clear goals to sneak past the Germans and progress into the semi-finals. This proved to be beyond them, as they played out another goalless draw to leave the tournament undefeated but disappointed. Germany meanwhile – who had lost their opening fixture against lowly Algeria – were through the to semi-final, where they would make their way past France to yet another World Cup final.
Cumulative Record
Home: played 10, won 2, drawn 3, lost 5. Goals for 13, goals against 24.
Away: played 7, won 1, drawn 0, lost 6. Goals for 6, goals against 23.
Neutral: played 2, won 1, drawn 1, lost 0. Goals for 3, goals against 2.
Overall: played 19, won 4, drawn 4, lost 11. Goals for 22, goals against 49.
Competitive: played 5, won 2, drawn 2, lost 1. Goals for 8, goals against 7.