Saturday, April 16, 2022
The Maybe Men, Part 4
Which was the greatest World Cup match of all? Plenty of votes would go to the Italy-Brazil match of 1982, in which the eventual champions beat the book and Paolo Rossi scored his redemptive hat-trick. The Italy-West Germany semi-final of 1970 is another perennial favourite, the Jahrhundertspiel which featured a flurry of goals in extra time. Then there was the Holland-Argentina epic of 1998, with its unforgettable deciding goal. A good candidate from the most recent tournament in 2018 was the wonderfully exciting Belgium-Japan game from the second round.
But it's still hard to go past the enthralling game between Belgium and Valery Lobanovskyi's Soviet Union team from the second round of the 1986 tournament. It had everything: drama, controversy, a frantic finish, an infinity of talking points, and, of course, seven goals.
Belgium had given little indication so far in the tournament that they would have much of an impact on it. Although placed in one of the supposedly weaker groups, they had struggled in the first round, losing to the hosts, and finished third in the section, only just scraping into the next round thanks to the new knockout format of the 24-team competition. The Soviets, on the other hand, had impressed all with their teamwork and energy. The Belgians had "a mountain to climb," according to the Sunday Telegraph. "Belgium has its hands full here," suggested the Boston Globe, suggesting in passing that the Soviets "could win it all".
Lobanovskyi's men had history on their side as well: the Soviets had twice beaten Belgium at the World Cup, handsomely in 1970 and somewhat tediously in 1982, when the Belgians had been badly affected by injuries.
That the Belgians confounded the predictions had a lot to do with their own unexpected improvement, a little to do with an almost inexplicable decision by Lobanovskyi at a crucial point in the match, and a bit to do with the hand of fate - avos' at work again - which dealt the Soviets a cruel blow.
Andrey Bal, another Kyiv player brought in to replace Nikolay Larionov after the first two games, has been partly blamed for the defeat by some critics. But the truth is that the entire Soviet defence had its deficiencies exposed in the course of the game.
Lobanovskyi's men certainly looked like the favourites early on, and Igor Belanov scored a glorious individual goal on 28 minutes. Receiving from, inevitably, Alexander Zavarov, he took a touch to evade the attention of young Stéphane De Mol and sent an unstoppable right-footed thunderbolt past Jean-Marie Pfaff in the Belgian goal.
Although the Belgians showed some signs of life after the goal, the Soviets still looked likely to run out comfortable winners early in the second half. Following an excellent team move, Belanov headed against the post, with Pavel Yakovenko having his subsequent shot cleared off the line.
On 56 minutes, however, the Belgians equalised, and the manner in which the goal was given away was undoubtedly sloppy. Frank Vercauteren sent a deep, benign-looking cross over from the left. Anatoly Demianenko leapt to head it clear but missed completely, and Enzo Scifo had time to take a touch at the far post and score, with Ivan Yaremchuk, his marker, turned to stone.
Rocked by this unexpected setback, the Soviets went into their shell somewhat. The two men who kept the flame of invention burning for the side were Belanov, still toiling incessantly up front, and Zavarov, still finding ideas just behind him. After nearly playing Belanov through just after the hour, Zavarov hit paydirt with an absolute signature move: surging through the centre and drawing three Belgian defenders to him, he released the ball perfectly for Belanov, who sent a cross-shot expertly past Pfaff. "That deadly duo click again," enthused an American commentator.
But that was the last time they were to click at the 1986 World Cup, for a strange reason. Three minutes after the goal, Lobanovskyi did something which rarely attracts a mention in accounts of the game, but it was surely crucial.
He took Zavarov off.
The one player who had been a torment to the Belgians in the second half with his vision, his enterprise and his close control (he had drawn a foul which merited a yellow card just prior to the goal), and who provided the springboard for Belanov's brilliance in the box, was withdrawn.
The reasons subsequently given make little sense. Was "Loba" resting him for the quarter-final? Never mind the fact that a one-goal advantage hardly justifies such a luxury, Zavarov could hardly have been exhausted; he had only played half an hour of the previous game. Did the coach want to stiffen the defence? Unlikely, because he brought on another striker in Sergey Rodionov.
In any event, after Vasily Rats missed a good chance to seal matters when the ball broke to him on the left, came the controversial second equaliser.
A long ball forward by De Mol reached the veteran Jan Ceulemans, having an excellent game, completely unmarked in the Soviet box. He pivoted to score, but...wasn't he offside? Although it is impossible to tell from contemporary replays, it seems very likely. And most importantly of all, the linesman, Arminio Sanchez of Spain, actually raised his flag...only to lower it again.
It was a dreadful blow, but the Soviets initially fought on. Yaremchuk hit the bar after good work from Rodionov on the right, and when Scifo tried a repeat performance at the far post, Dasaev made a brilliant point-blank save, earning sporting applause from the young Belgian midfielder.
In extra time, the Soviets' defensive lapses became more serious. Shortly before the end of the first additional period, a corner was played short to the Belgian right-back Eric Gerets; his cross found De Mol at the far post, with the Soviet defenders standing around like cattle. The young Anderlecht defender powered his header home.
Seven minutes later, the Soviet defence went to sleep again, and Belgium went further ahead. Following another right-wing corner from Vercauteren, the ball was played into the centre and headed tantalisingly upwards by the Belgian substitute Leo Clijsters: Bal, in a daze, lost track of Nico Claesen, who volleyed past Dasaev. 4-2.
The USSR were given a lifeline when Belanov won a fairly soft penalty straight afterwards, banging it home to complete his hat-trick. But in the breathless final minutes it was the Belgians who came close to adding to the scoreline: another Belgian substitute, Leo van der Elst, shot just wide of Dasaev's far post, and the keeper had to make a smart save from Vercauteren soon afterwards. In the last minute, Yevtushenko's desperate attempt to lob an out-of-position Pfaff had the Belgian keeper momentarily in a panic, but he got back in time to tip the ball over.
It was a heartbreaking way for Lobanovskyi's young side to exit the event, but they had won many friends in Mexico. And two years later, in West Germany, they were ready for another shot at an international title - and they almost got there. To be continued.
