FIFA World Cup History: A semi-final to remember
No one really ever remembers the losing semi-finalist of any competition, this is a very well documented sports cliché and like most clichés it is true as well.
Semi-final loses are the hardest to take according to some sportsmen because if one loses a final, at least they have the compensation of playing the final itself, whereas Semi-final losers always are seen as not good enough to play in the final match.
Let’s take a look at some of the semi-final matches that brought tears to the eyes of football enthusiasts all over the world, and gave people drama that has seldom been seen on a football field. These matches are in no particular order.
The first semi-final on the list is the 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-final match between West Germany and France. Both of the teams were considered equals up till then but West Germany were slight favorites because of their previous world cup history.
The French were led by their attacking midfielder Michel Platini . They were the underdogs and were looking to progress to their first ever FIFA World Cup final appearance in their footballing history. The match is remembered firstly for the most atrocious tackle in the history of international football, the tackle which almost killed Patrick Battiston.
West Germany were the first team to take the lead in the match when they scored with Pierre Littbarski in the 17th minute of the match. The French quickly equalized when they were awarded a penalty for a foul inside the West German penalty area in the 26th minute. Michel Platini, the French captain, took the responsibility and converted the penalty into a goal for the French.
Then in the second half French defender Patrick Battiston was chasing a long through ball which was played from the French defense, as Battiston tried to reach the ball before the German goalkeeper Schumacher who was trying his best as well to reach the ball, Battiston flicked the ball over Schumacher but it didn’t end up in the goal, the ball went out of play instead. Schumacher collided with Battiston, which caused Battiston’s jaw to break and two of his teeth to get knocked out.
The referee thought that nothing dangerous happened and as a result let the play continue, he stopped it after sometime as Battiston lay unconscious on the field of play. He was then given medical treatment and carried in an ambulance to the nearest hospital as the match continued.
Marius Trésor scored France’s second goal of the match in extra time and the French lead was extended by another goal which was scored by Alain Giresse but their lead was quickly cancelled out by West Germany as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Klaus Fischer scored for the Germans in the second period of extra time.
Fischer’s goal is widely regarded as one of the most crucial and impressive goals in the FIFA World Cup history. The match went onto penalties which took place for the very first time in the FIFA World Cup history as the extra time period ended with the scores level.
The shoot-out that followed was an exciting one but French players were unable to hold their nerve. Breitner and Kaltz scored for the Germans from their first two penalties, while Giresse, Amoros and Rocheteau converted the penalties for the French. When Stielike’s penalty was saved by the French goalkeeper Ettori to give French the advantage in the shootout, the next German penalty was converted by Littbarski whereas the next French penalty which was taken by Didier Six was saved by Schumacher.
Germany converted the rest of their penalties, while from the French side only Platini scored, while Bossis’s penalty kick was saved by Schumacher.
The match ended in a defeat for the French who had to wait another 16 years to make it to the World Cup final when in 1998 the FIFA World Cup was held in France. But the 1982 semi-final still remains one of the most interesting semi-finals of all time, Michel Platini who is now the President of Union of European Football Associations still remembers the 1982 World Cup semi-final as the most memorable moment from his football career.
If it can be memorable for Michel Platini then why can’t it be memorable to millions of football fans around the World? Why can’t we remember the losing semi-finalists?
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