1982 Brazil by Stuart Horsfield

Author:Stuart Horsfield
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2020-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

8

Scotland

‘We were overwhelmed by their quality and once they were in the mood, it was very difficult to stop them.’ – Willie Miller

FOLLOWING BRAZIL’S late yet sublime victory over the Soviet Union, the press certainly seemed to capture the central narrative of the game. Patrick Barclay of The Guardian had been assigned Scotland’s group. He said, ‘I wasn’t the chief football writer at the time, that was the role of the wonderful David Lacey. I was given Scotland’s group instead of England’s, which with all due respect as a Scotsman, was exactly where I wanted to be and knowing that I would be reporting on the Brazilians just made the assignment perfect for me.’

Barclay’s article had carried the headline ‘Brilliant Brazil blessed by luck’. Barclay was clear in his opinion of the part that the Spanish referee Augusto Castillo had played in Brazil’s victory, ‘That they survived and went on to victory, was due partly to Sócrates… partly to Éder… but sad to say not least in the Spanish referee Señor Augusto Castillo, whose abysmal performance included denying the Soviet Union apparently two undeniable penalties.’

Norman Fox, writing for The Times, was a little more poetic within his opening salvo on the Brazilians at the tournament, ‘Brazil, the World Cup favourites, needed 88 minutes to confirm their position with a first victory last night. Then Éder found the soul of Brazilian football with a stunning shot to leave the Soviet Union distressed by the outcome of a splendid game they should have drawn.’

While the world was waking up to the match reports from the previous evening’s action, Scotland were getting ready to open their campaign against the minnows of the group, New Zealand. The fixture and the group had a certain 1974 World Cup similarity to it as Scotland were facing Brazil, an eastern European side who would be their realistic challengers for the second qualification place, and a team making their debut in the competition, who they would play first. Goal difference would most likely be crucial. Scotland opened their account with a competent 5-2 victory against New Zealand, the final scoreline hiding the panic they had felt at seeing their half-time 3-0 lead reduced to 3-2 within 20 minutes of the restart. Fitness and quality eventually told as late efforts from John Robertson and Steve Archibald provided the goals which could have been potentially crucial.

A repeat of the 0-0 draw in the meeting in Frankfurt eight years previously would have been a welcome result, but as Norman Fox pointed out in his match preview, the 1982 Brazil was a very different proposition from the 1974 vintage. The football correspondent in Seville warned against Scotland exerting too much energy against the Brazilians and as a consequence leaving themselves physically drained for what was always going to be the deciding fixture against the Soviet Union. Fox’s final comment was intended more as a morale boost going in to the game, ‘In five meetings Scotland have never conceded more than two goals against Brazil.

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