With his beloved shirt, but with long sleeves, and his characteristic number 10 on the back – snatched by force of merit from Mario Alberto Kempes-, Maradona had made his debut in the World Cup played in Spain four days earlier in the failed start against Belgiumwhich was a 1-0 loss.
But on June 18, 1982, a key moment arrived in the aspirations of an Argentina that had just been world champion in 1978 and to which a defeat against Hungary would leave it without the chance of continuing in the most important competition in the world, since in his debut the “magyar” team thrashed El Salvador by 10 to 1.
“Before the game the eleven of us got together and we decided to leave everything behind. As soon as we entered the field, while the anthems were playing, I already noticed that we couldn’t stay still,” explained “Fluff” once the victory was complete.
Argentina was leading 1-0 when Maradona’s first World Cup cry came 28 minutes into the first half: Daniel Bertoni, scorer of the first goal, appeared from the left, finished off and goalkeeper Ferenc Mészáros was unable to contain the ball. Quick reaction “el Diego”, pursued by Sándor Sallai, managed to push the ball and went out to celebrate the second goal of Argentina and the first in his personal account with open arms and a smile for history.
Already in the complement and before the quarter of an hour, at 12 minutes to be exact, the Ten teamed up with Mario Kempes and, after a double wall, he took a left-footed shot to the first post of the goalkeeper, who could not do anything to avoid a new fall and thus Argentina decreed the 3-0 and the second personal goal that they celebrated on their knees on the grass.
Subsequently, Osvaldo Ardiles stretched the score in favor of the team led by César Luis Menotti at the time, while Gabor Poloskei decreed the discount for the Hungarians in the 4-1 win.
Then, during the 1982 World Cup, Maradona did not score any more and Argentina was eliminated from the contest in the second round against Italy and Brazil, a game that “Fluff” ended up expelled for rough play, for a terrible ironing of Batista.
Four years later, in Mexico, he amazed the whole world with his performances. Five goals in seven games showed the great level that he was going through at that time and that he would become the figure of that World Champion Argentine team.
In total he added 34 cries with the Argentine National Team throughout his career, eight in World Cups (two to Hungary, one to Italy, two to England, two to Belgium and one to Greece).
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
