The 10 Football Matches That Changed the World: And The One That Didn't by Jim Murphy

Author:Jim Murphy [Murphy, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781849547666
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 2014-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

But any attempt to cocoon themselves from their wounded nation’s ambitions would be tough for most people, in any profession, on both sides of the dispute. Mariona also revealed that it was to become impossible for the Salvadorian players because ‘General Hernandez, the President, invited us into his house. He told us we had to win, we had to beat the Hondurans and that our victory would be for all the Salvadorians who had suffered in Honduras.’

One of the finest stadia in the world was chosen as the neutral venue for a game that increasingly felt like the sporting curtain-raiser on a military conflict. Mexico’s Azteca stadium, with its capacity of over 100,000, is the perfect setting for a World Cup final; perhaps that’s why it’s the only ground to have ever hosted the final twice. But it was an eccentric setting for the last of these three Central American get-togethers. Just 15,000 fans made the journey to watch a game played in torrential rain. Tight security prevented any repeat of the previous off-field playoff violence. But the thousands of Mexican police ringing the stadium couldn’t silence sections of the El Salvadorian support. They screamed, ‘Asesinos! Asesinos!’ – meaning ‘Murderers! Murderers!’ – at the opposing players and fans.

El Salvador lived up to their billing as favourites as they went into a two-goal lead. But Honduras pulled back level forcing the extra game into yet more extra time. El Salvador re-took the lead late on to seal the 3-2 victory. Understandably, it was a strike that delighted Salvadorians in the tiny crowd and cavernous commentary box. I’ve listened to the live Salvadorian radio of the moment the goal went in. It is a far from neutral, joyful expression of celebration: ‘Goooaaallll El Salvadorrrrrr!’ The winning captain reminisces, ‘I remember it so well. One of our midfielders passed the ball to our centre-forward, Pipo Rodríguez who slid in across the wet turf and beat the goalie to the ball and slid it home.’

Mariona wasn’t sure whether Pipo had actually scored. I find that surprising that he couldn’t hear the radio commentator’s wild celebrations or see the half-dozen or so photographers rushing onto the field to join in the jubilation, while taking close-up pictures of the match winner.

I was in the centre of the pitch and couldn’t actually see if it was going in or not, it went in so slowly. If the surface had been any wetter it might not have gone in at all. But it did and that’s when all of us at the back rushed forward and piled on top of each other, hugging and celebrating, because we knew then we had won the game.

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