Throwback Thursday: When Argentina icon Maradona ran rings around England

It’s 37 years to the day since Argentina beat England 2-1 in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals. Carlos Bilardo’s Argentina side went on to win the World Cup that year for the second time in their history.  

For Throwback Thursday this week we decided to look back on that iconic game, specifically highlighting the memorable performance from the legendary Diego Maradona.  

For Maradona and Argentina, they narrowly beat fellow South American powerhouse Uruguay in the last-16, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from forward Pedro Pasculli, while England, two days later beat Paraguay 3-0, with Gary Lineker bagging a brace and Peter Beardsley scoring one. 

In Maradona’s first World Cup representing his national side in 1982, the format was slightly different, which inclided two group phases, with the four winners of the second group stage facing off in the semi-finals. Argentina finished runners-up in the first stage, losing only to group winners Belgium, before losing both games in the second group stage to Brazil and eventual winners Italy. The hunger to go further with a squad of quality of players and to reclaim the World Cup title Argentina was certainly there. 

For England, they failed to qualify for the Euro 1984, and like Argentina, fell short in the second group stage of the 1982 World Cup, finishing a point below West Germany, after they had finished top of their group in the first phase ahead of France. They too had a point to prove. 

When it came to the game itself, the first shot came from England on seven minutes from Terry Fenwick, and from there it was complete domination from Argentina. The first half somehow ended without any goals with Argentina dominating possession 56.9% to 43.1%, having managed 10 shots to England’s three and registering seven key passes to England’s none.

Maradona was already showcasing his talent in those opening 45 minutes and it was only a matter of time before his impact would see Argentina ahead. Prior to the break, he registered the most shots (4), key passes (5), touches (49) and dribbles (5) of any player on the pitch. The first half was controlled not by Argentina, but by Maradona, and this trend continued. 

Only a few minutes into the second half and Argentina finally found the net and it was of course Maradona who opening the scoring, with one of the most infamous goals in football history. Maradona picked the ball up in midfield and made a run towards the area, finding teammate Jorge Valdano who was unable to control his pass. England’s Steve Hodge kicked the ball backwards towards his own goal and when Peter Shilton tried to punch away, Maradona struck the ball with his hand towards the England goal. The hand ball wasn’t spotted by the officials, so the goal stood and Argentina took the lead, famously known as ‘the hand of God’.  

Less than five minutes later, Maradona added his and Argentina's second, bagging yet another historic goal, but this time for its sheer quality. Maradona received the ball from Hector Enrique and spun through two England players, before gliding his way through tackle after tackle, and eventually rounding Shilton and finishing into an empty net. The sheer brilliance and ease with which Maradona made the entire goal from first receiving the ball to scoring was a testament to one of the greatest footballers of all time, with what many consider as one of the greatest goals of all time. 

The final 10 minutes presented a dramatic ending to an already extraordinary game, with Lineker scoring to make it 2-1 after some clever work from John Barnes. With the game coming to a close, Lineker was denied a second chance late on and shortly after; the final whistle blew and Argentina were through to the semi-finals. 

This was the only quarter-final in the 1986 tournament which did not go to a penalty shootout, with France, West Germany and Belgium relying on spot kicks. 

Based on WhoScored ratings, Maradona received a perfect 10 and it’s easy to see why. He of course scored a brace, which came from seven efforts on goal, at least four more than any other player could manage, while he also registered five key passes, more than any other player. In total there were 23 dribbles completed in the match across both teams; Maradona completed 12 of those, at least 10 more than any other player. His overall involvement was clear for all to see, registering the most touches (78) in the game, while Maradona also won two aerial duels, made two tackles and won possession in the midfield third twice. The icon was also the most fouled player on the pitch (7), emphasising how hard it was for England to contain his class. If watching the game wasn’t enough to showcase the perfect WhoScored rating, the stats themselves speak volumes of just how good he was in this quarter-final showdown 

Argentina went onto win the World Cup for a second time, beating Belgium 2-0 in the semi-finals, before a dramatic 3-2 win over 1982 runners-up West Germany. 

Maradona didn’t score in the final, which meant he finished on five goals, one short of Lineker (6), who walked away with the Golden Boot. But after a standout tournament, it was Maradona who was named player of the tournament. 

While some have pointed to his performance in the semi-final win over Belgium as Maradona’s best at the tournament, there is no denying the one against England is the best remembered for a variety of reasons, one being the sheer brilliance of the showing to send Argentina on their way to a second World Cup triumph.