On This Day at the World Cup – June 22: Maradona Hands Defeat to England

June 22 will always go down in World Cup folklore as perhaps the greatest, or infamous depending on which side of the fence you’re sitting on, day in the history of the tournament.

Exactly 40 years ago in the sizzling heat of Mexico City, Argentina and England squared off in a politically-charged affair at the Estadio Azteca that showcased the genius, and the devilish side, of Diego Maradona. The two countries had went to war only four years earlier over the Falkland Islands, and going into the game talk of the battle had overshadowed both teams, including Maradona.

Yet by the end of it Argentina’s No10 had cemented his immortality by scoring two goals, one of them legitimate, the other less so.

In the 51st minute the Napoli star rose above England stopper Peter Shilton to punch home the opener. It’s arguably the most controversial goal in the history of the sport, and one Maradona later coined the ‘Hand of God’, much to the chagrin of English fans ever since.

Four minutes later Maradona picked the ball up near the centre circle, pirouetted and took off. What happened next was something straight out of a comic book. 

Maradona glided past player after player, the ball seemingly clued to his foot. He entered the penalty area before rounding the hapless Shilton and placing the ball into the empty net. “You have to say that’s magnificent,” said legendary BBC commentator Barry Davies through gritted teeth live on air.

It was dubbed ‘Goal of the Century’ and is routinely cited as the greatest in the history of the World Cup. Gary Lineker scored for England to give some hope, but Argentina won to advance and set up a semi-final clash with Belgium.

Whichever stage he was on, Maradona was always box office. It’s one of the many reasons why Napoli’s home now bears his name, and the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is a must for any football fan looking to tick off the globe’s top venues.

Also on this day in 2006, Italy secured top spot in Group E with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic. Goals from Marco Materazzi and Pippo Inzaghi made sure Marcello Lippi’s men topped the group ahead of the impressive Ghana, and thus avoided playing the much-fancied Brazil in the round of 16.

Italy would go on to play Australia in the next round.