Following on from England’s calamitous attempts at qualifying for Euro 2008, my mind has been cast back to the summer of 1982. The World Cup in Spain has and always will have a special place in my heart. It was a pulsating competition which, in the eyes of some, is second only to Mexico in 1970.

African teams made a big impact in the opening groups. Cameroon, appearing in their first World Cup, drew all three of their matches in Group One. Indeed they were eliminated by the eventual winners Italy only by virtue of having scored one less goal. Algeria created a stir too after beating a West German side (who went on to make the final) in a 2-1 win that stunned the soccer world. They were only eliminated when Austria contrived to let their German neighbours beat them 1-0 in the last group match, a notorious encounter in Gijón.

Another upset took place in Group 5. Northern Ireland included a seventeen year old Manchester United star Norman Whiteside in their squad and he became the youngest ever player to take part in a finals match, although you would never guess it to look at him. In Pat Jennings they could also boast one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Gerry Armstrong was their hero though as they progressed to the latter stages after magnificently beating the hosts Spain. This was despite having to play a third of the match with only ten men after the harsh dismissal of Mal Donaghy.

There was also Hungary’s record-breaking victory over El Salvador. Despite winning 10-1 though, the Magyars did not progress beyond the first round. In another memorable match Bryan Robson scored the fastest ever World Cup goal as England were 3-1 winners against a French side who would go on to be one of the teams of the tournament.

In the second group stage the elegant Pole Boniek was catapulted from the status of national hero to international star as his stunning hat-trick against Belgium made sure his side would be one of the semi-finalists. It was this display more than any other that earned him a move to the Serie A side AS Roma. He would eventually join up with the brilliant Frenchman Platini and win the European Cup with Juventus, albeit under tragic circumstances, at the Heysel Stadium. Northern Ireland were not finished yet either. Billy Hamilton, who had set-up his team-mate’s winner against Spain, scored both the opener and the equaliser as the Ulstermen drew 2-2 with Austria. Despite losing their final match 4-1 to a rampant French team they emerged from the tournament with enormous credit.

In the first semi-final Italy despatched Poland with a Paulo Rossi double ensuring a comfortable 2-0 win. The other match though, between France and West Germany, was nothing like as straightforward. The ensuing epic quite rightly went down as one of the greatest matches ever. Littbarski opened the scoring for the Germans with a strike of real quality but this was cancelled out less than ten minutes later when Platini scored with a spot-kick. The game remained all-square and, midway through the second half, one of the most infamous moments in World Cup history occurred. The French defender Battiston was clean through on goal when he was taken out by an outrageous assault from the opposition goalkeeper Schumacher. Play was stopped for several minutes before Battiston was eventually stretchered off, still unconscious. In an unbelievable act of cowardice the Dutch referee took no action against the German and awarded a goal kick instead. To their enormous credit, France sought no retribution and almost clinched victory right at the end of normal time, but Amoros’s shot hit the bar and stayed out. If anything, extra-time was even more exciting and within ten minutes, through Trésor then Giresse, France had gone 3-1 up and looked to have won. West Germany showed their typical resilience though and got back on level terms through the ace marksman Rummenigge and a Fischer bicycle kick. The match went to penalties and, almost inevitably, West Germany won as villain of the piece Schumacher saved Bossis’s kick. The cliché no one deserved to lose was never more apt.

By contrast the final was something of a disappointment with Italy, despite missing a first half penalty, being comfortable 3-1 winners in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. The goals for the Azzurri, all of which came in the second half, were scored by Rossi, Tardelli and Altobelli respectively before Breitner bagged a late German consolation.

All of which ignores the exploits of the most entertaining team in the competition. That Brazilian side were captivating not only in their sheer brilliance but in their determination to play the game in an attacking manner that mirrored the great sides of ‘58 and ‘70. There were many superb players in their squad but two stood out from the rest. In midfield the cigarette-smoking doctor, Sócrates, was the man all of Brazil’s good moves seemed to pass through. Graceful on the ball and rarely wasteful in possession, he glided about the pitch with that knack all great players have for being in the right place at the right time. In Zico Brazil finally had a playmaker in the forward line who was a worthy successor to Pelé and, like his skipper Sócrates, he was at the peak of his powers in 1982. He possessed brilliant close control and dribbling skills and was the epitome of the passing and movement which made his team such a joy to watch. He also had an eye for making and scoring goals and was an expert taker of free-kicks.

Brazil started their campaign against the Soviet Union and fell behind to a first half Bal goal. As the match progressed wave after wave of Brazilian attack led to an inevitable goal from Sócrates before a brilliant Éder strike clinched a last-gasp win. The Scots were up next and they even took the lead with a superb Narey shot from the edge of the box. This only seemed to make Brazil raise their game though as the Caledonians were torn apart with Zico, Falcão, Oscar and Éder all getting on the score sheet. Similarly harsh treatment was meted out to New Zealand in their closing first round match. In the second group stage Brazil brushed aside their great rivals and the reigning World Champions Argentina, who included the emerging genius of Maradona. The brilliant Argentine was so overshadowed that he was sent off in the closing minutes after kicking out in frustration at an opponent. This set up a decider for Brazil against their 1970 final opponents Italy. The match was to go down as one of the greatest of all-time and was a classic encounter, pitting Italian catenacchio against Brazilian flair. The latter needed only a draw whilst the Italians knew that a win was required if they were to progress to the last four. Rossi capitalised on a lax Brazilian defence to open the scoring after only five minutes but Italy were pegged back less than ten minutes later after a great finish from Sócrates. Rossi then restored the lead to take Italy into the break 2-1 up. Chance after chance came at both ends, particularly for Brazil, before a long range strike from Falcão looked to have put the Seleção through. Sitting back and soaking up pressure was not in that team’s nature though and they continued to press forward searching for a winner. However, it was Paulo Rossi who would score his third eight minutes from time to put Zico et al out.

It is a little embarrassing perhaps but, as a seven year old, I wept after that defeat to Italy saw Brazil’s exit. England went out later the same day, in a disappointing draw with Spain in Madrid, but it just didn’t bother me to the same extent. It is often said that, despite the two World Cup triumphs since, Brazilians are still in love with the side of ‘82 and, more than twenty-five years on, I am too.