The drama and triumph of England’s last World Cup qualifier in Hungary
Things were not going well for the England manager, Ron Greenwood, when his team travelled to Budapest to play Hungary in a World Cup qualifier in the summer of 1981. Hopes had been so high just a year before, as England prepared for Euro 1980, but disaster had struck on and off the pitch.
England were knocked out of Euro 1980 in the group stage, finishing third behind Belgium and hosts Italy. Sadly, the main mark they left on the tournament were images of police unleashing tear gas into the crowd to contain rioting fans during their 1-1 draw against Belgium. At least Greenwood had managed to take England to the finals of a major tournament, a crumb of comfort after the setbacks of the 1970s.
With an expanded 24-team tournament planned for the 1982 World Cup, the press predicted an easy trot for England when the qualifying draw was made in October 1979. “For England the road to the World Cup finals can rarely have been so broad and straight as that laid down for them in Zurich yesterday by the draw for the next qualifying competition,” David Lacey noted in the Guardian.
Lacey was not alone in assuming England would stroll through the group. With two sides qualifying out of a five-team group that also contained Hungary, Romania, Switzerland and Norway, the confidence was understandable. But you can never take anything for granted with England.
They began with home wins over Norway and Switzerland, but a defeat in Romania suggested the lofty expectations were off the mark. Worse was to come. England began 1981 with a run of six games without a win – a series of results that led to Greenwood offering his resignation.
England kicked off the year with a 2-1 defeat to Spain in a friendly, before a damaging goalless draw at Wembley against Romania in their World Cup qualifying group. Things deteriorated further in May, with England losing 1-0 to Brazil, 1-0 to Scotland and drawing 0-0 against Wales in front of only 34,280 spectators at Wembley.
It got worse. Having started well in their World Cup group, a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland left England in danger of missing out on a third straight World Cup. With five of their eight qualifiers played, England were no longer in the top two spots in the group. Not only was the team soundly beaten in Basel, but there was more trouble on the terraces. The calls for Greenwood to step down and England fans to be banned from travelling abroad intensified.
Greenwood took the decision out of the FA’s hands, informing them after the Switzerland defeat that he was going to retire. Despite protests from his employers, Greenwood insisted he would make an announcement once England had played their qualifier in Budapest a week later and travelled home.
With three games to go in qualifying, England were in trouble. Romania were top of the group, a point above England in the age of two points for a win, and Hungary were level with Greenwood’s team having played two fewer matches. A defeat at the Nepstadion was simply out of the question for England. But the odds were not in their favour. Hungary were unbeaten in the group; they had qualified for the 1978 World Cup; and, even though they were not as intimidating as their vintage team of the 1950s, their manager, Kalman Meszoly, was confident, saying he had his “ideal team” available for the game.
Meanwhile, Greenwood was trying to find his best XI. Kenny Sansom, Russell Osman, Ray Wilkins and Trevor Francis were dropped after the Switzerland defeat, with Phil Neal, Phil Thompson, Terry McDermott and Trevor Brooking returning to the side. “We have gone for character, attitude and experience, all the things we are going to need a lot of,” said Greenwood.
The manager’s faith in experience would be justified. Far from shrinking, England took control of the match, with Bryan Robson dominating the midfield and keeping the lively Tibor Nyilasi quiet. After 19 minutes, England scored the goal they deserved. Neal, Steve Coppell and McDermott combined down the right to provide Brooking with a chance that he struck home, albeit with a mishit shot. Both Brian Moore and his co-commentator John Bond sounded a little surprised as the ball hit the back of the net, which was matched by the silence in the stadium, bar the England contingent celebrating the opener.
Robson continued to impress but, for all his good work, the teams went in level at the break, Imre Garaba scoring after a terrible mistake from goalkeeper Ray Clemence. The deflation felt at conceding a goal with the last kick of the half could have been overwhelming but England continued to press forward as the second half developed. McDermott and Brooking went close, before the latter scored a memorable goal on a night of rare English joy.
Kevin Keegan’s lay-off to Brooking was a thing of beauty, but the rasping left-footed finish is always remembered for the fact that the ball wedged into the stanchion of the Hungary goal. “If ever one moment provided Greenwood with the perfect retort to his critics, this was it,” wrote Lacey in his match report.
With half an hour remaining, England continued to swarm forward, Paul Mariner missing a golden opportunity to extend their lead. Despite England’s dominance, Laszlo Kiss should have equalised but he sliced his effort into the side netting; it would prove a vital miss. Keegan put the game to bed with a penalty. The decision looked harsh but the 3-1 victory was fully justified given the balance of play. England were a team transformed.
The win had seemingly saved Greenwood, but he still intended to go through with his retirement plan. When he announced the news to his stunned players on the plane home, there was initially silence, then protestations. The euphoria of the victory and the persuasion of his players convinced Greenwood to stay on.
England had turned a corner but they had not made it to the World Cup just yet. In fact Greenwood may have been regretting his U-turn come September, when a disastrous “helluva beating” in Norway left England on the brink of failure once more. The defeat to Norway in their penultimate qualifier again raised questions about England and Greenwood, putting their fate in the hands of other teams in the group.
England needed a favour or two from Switzerland, who duly obliged. The Swiss surprised everyone when they won in Romania and then held the Romanians to a goalless draw in Bern. Having looked out of it, somehow England went into their last game in the group – against Hungary at Wembley on 18 November 1981 – needing only a draw to qualify for their first World Cup finals since 1970.
This time they got it right. It wasn’t a vintage performance, but a goal in the 16th minute from Mariner gave England their passports to Spain 82. It had been 20 years since England had last qualified for the World Cup – they qualified automatically as hosts in 1966 and holders in 1970 – and the crowd of 92,000 celebrated as the final whistle blew.
They had limped over the line in a group that many had dismissed as a stroll in the park, but the fans did not seem to mind. “We will now play in Spain, I promise that,” Greenwood had declared bullishly after the triumphant 3-1 win in Budapest in June. In the end, he was true to his word.
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