THE ROAD TO RUSSIA: 1982
Spain staged the 12th edition of the World Cup from June 13 to July 11. The tournament was won by Italy, who defeated West Germany 3-1 in the Madrid final.
It was Italy’s third World Cup win and the first since 1938. Holders Argentina were eliminated in the second group round. Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kuwait and New Zealand made their first appearances in the finals. The tournament featured the first ever penalty shoot-out in World Cup competition.
In the first round of Group 3, Hungary defeated El Salvador 10-1, equalling the largest margin of victory ever recorded in the finals (Hungary over South Korea 9-0 in 1954, and Yugoslavia over Zaire 9-0 in 1974).
This World Cup saw the number of entrants increase to 24 and two round robin stages were used to determine the semi-finalists.
Brazil, with the likes of Zico, Eder and Socrates in full flow, caught the eye in the early stages, while Italy limped into the second round on the back of three highly uninspiring draws.
However, Italy- and recalled striker Paolo Rossi - sparked to life, beating Brazil 3-2 to reach the semi-finals and then defeating Poland 2-0 to reach the final.
West Germany, solid but unspectacular, edged past the hosts Spain and England into the semi-finals, where they faced France in a contest that left a bitter taste. The match, which finished 33 after extra-time, was marred by a diabolical challenge from West Germany keeper Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston. Incredibly Schumacher stayed on the pitch, and proceeded to make the saves that earned his side a 5-4 win in the penalty shootout.
Rossi's predatory skills were too much for West Germany in the final, however. He opened the scoring in the second half, and the Italians romped to a 3-1 victory, matching Brazil's achievement of winning three World Cups. Poland finished third by beating France 3-2 in 24 teams competition.
As many as 146 goals were scored by 100 different players in 52 matches at an average of 2.81 goals per match. Italy's Paolo Rossi received the Golden Boot for scoring six goals, the highest in the tournament. Czechoslovakia's Jozef Barmos netted the only self goal, against England.