The most memorable quarter-final match of one of my favourite World Cups saw the clash of the two great teams of the tournament. Thankfully, the FIFA idiots had started considering European viewers by this point of the tournament and had stopped scheduling middle of the night fixtures, hence the 13-year-old me actually getting to watch this one on the telly.
France were the reigning European champions, had only been knocked out of the ’82 tournament by the dreadful cheating of the Germans, and had an absolutely magnificent team. Man for man, they were immeasurably better than the ’98 team that would of course win the trophy that year. They would face the three-time world champions, Brazil in Guadalajara. Not as heralded as the 1982 vintage, this Brazilian team was nonetheless expected to make up for missing out four years earlier and were much better than the Argentinian ‘team’ who were little more than a gang of street thugs whose sole aim was to kick the crap out of anyone trying to nobble genius cheat Maradona. On paper, this would have made for a perfect final. What happened on the pitch would have elevated it to one of the great finals of all time.
Brazil were well on top in the early stages, and the majestic Careca put them one up after 18 minutes. But then, five minutes before the half-time break, the French drew level when the legendary Michel Platini scored his 41st international goal – on his 31st birthday – after bumbling in a cross from Dominique Rocheteau.
Brazil had a great chance to regain the lead in the second half when Branco was fouled by the French goalie Joël Bats in the penalty area. Zico took the kick, but Bats made up for his foul by saving Zico’s uncharacteristically poor penalty.
The enthralling match inevitably went into extra time, with France having the better of the extra half-hour. No more goals were scored, and so it was time for an epic penalty shoot-out. One great team would survive, one would fall. Sócrates (who in 2004, more than a decade after retiring, agreed to a one month player-coaching deal with Garforth Town of the Northern Counties East Football League in England), who had earlier missed an open goal and headed an easy chance straight into the French keeper’s arms, failed with the first kick for Brazil. The next six penalties were all converted, and then Platini of all people launched his effort over the bar. Brazil were back on level terms – but not for long. Julio Cesar struck the post with his penalty, and Luis Fernández then scored, the ball bouncing of a post and hitting the Brazilian goalie on the head before going in, to put France through 4–3 on penalties.
