Football’s Greatest Goals No.20
As an Englishman, Diego Maradona’s first goal in the 1986 Quarter Final for Argentina against England is the defining moment of the game.
I was only a month old when Maradona punched the ball into the back of the net in that match and I have grown up reading about the injustice of that goal. The way the English press seem to write about the ‘Hand of God’ goal seems to imply that the England team would have won the match if it wasn’t for the handball.
It’s all hypothetical, just as German football fans still bemoan England’s third goal in the 1966 World Cup Final. Photographs and video footage of Geoff Hurst’s effort do not conclusively show where the ball bounced after it crashed off the underside of the crossbar.
Franz Beckenbauer even goes one step further, claiming that the game should have ended 2-2. He argues that the ball never crossed the line for Hurst’s second goal and also that when Hurst completed his hat-trick in the last seconds, there were a few fans on the pitch. He feels that the referee should have blown the whistle to stop play so the pitch could be cleared of the fans who had invaded the pitch. Both are valid points but the result stood and England became World Champions in their own backyard.
Going back to the Argentina vs England match in 1986, whether Maradona’s goal should have been allowed or not, the diminutive Argentine scored a world-class goal just four minutes later.
The 55th minute strike was later referred to as the ‘Goal of the Century’, as he took the ball from ten yards inside his own half, running past five England players before rounding goalkeeper Peter Shilton to score.
Maradona received a short pass from Hector Enrique about ten yards inside his own half and facing his own goal.
As soon as Maradona got a touch on the ball, England’s Peter Beardsley jumped in with an outstreched leg to try and dispossess him. He jumped over Beardsley’s leg and immediately faced Peter Reid.
Reid didn’t make an attempt to get to the ball and even if he did, he never would have got there. Maradona rested his right foot on the ball and stepped over the ball with his left, pirouetting round to now face the England goal. This would be the starting point of the Argentine’s 60 yard dash to goal, something he completed in a break-neck speed in 10 seconds!
Because of Maradona’s small figure (he is only 5 foot 5 inches), he had a low centre of gravity and could run extremely quickly. This helped him to make a swift getaway from Reid and Beardsley. Despite Peter Reid trying to catch him, he was not in the same league as Maradona in terms of pace. Watching the goal again, Reid looks slow and almost lazy in his running. In truth, the Everton man was just unable to get anywhere near his opponent!
England’s tough, no-nonsense defender Terry Butcher came careering in to dispossess Maradona, but Maradona simply cut inside him and carried on towards the goal.
Reid, who had tried to keep up with Maradona, had slowed up as England defender Terry Fenwick was the next defender to try and get the ball.
Maradona skipped past him with ease and with Butcher now tracking back to his right and about to tackle him, Peter Shilton came rushing out of his goal to narrow the angle.
As Shilton dived to the floor in front of Maradona, the Argentine dragged the ball with his left foot to take the ball around the right of Shilton. Butcher made one last-ditch sliding tackle to get to the ball, but was too late and Maradona slid the ball home. He was then knocked to the floor by Butcher’s tackle and rolled over a few times due to the momentum that he had built up in his run. There was no need to try and claim a penalty and so he jumped up and ran off in celebration, leaving the footballing world watching in in shock and amazement.
As an Englishman, it is hard to watch the first goal. Watching the second as a football fan, it is a goal of great skill, determination and confidence.
I still think that Dennis Bergkamp’s first goal for Arsenal in 1995 deserves the title of ‘Goal of the Century’ though!
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