MARADONA: From the Hand of God to the Goal of the Century, 40 Years On | OneFootball

Forty years on from 22 June 1986 at the Azteca, Argentina’s World Cup quarter-final with England delivered the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.

According to Superdeporte, the Falklands conflict framed the build-up but ebbed away at kick-off.

Played at midday, both moments arrived after half-time. Argentina had acclimatised for over a month at 2,200 metres in Mexico City, England came from Monterrey at 500, and Maradona felt the visitors suffered more.

On 51 minutes, after a broken exchange with Jorge Valdano, Steve Hodge lifted the ball towards Peter Shilton. Maradona stole in and used his hand to score. Referee Bennaceur looked to assistant Dotchev, who did not flag, the goal stood, Sergio Batista reached him first and Terry Fenwick seemed to realise.

Maradona initially spoke of a header, then cast it as his head and the hand of God, thinking of the Malvinas dead. He said he had no regrets, calling it legitimate because it was validated, later winning a case against an English paper that branded him repentant.

His second strike is often cited as the World Cup’s greatest, a legend burnished by Víctor Hugo Morales’s call. Years earlier, on 13 May 1980 at Wembley, a 19-year-old Maradona dribbled through against England but shot narrowly wide past Ray Clemence to an ovation. His brother Hugo later joked he should have feinted.

Source: Superdeporte