FIFA World Cup: As England return to the Azteca, Diego Maradona’s shadow still looms large | Football News
In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca represent two conflicting but complementary halves of a whole — like yin and yang. Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, is the god of light and order and his brother Tezcatlipoca, the smoking mirror, symbolizes night and chaos.Forty years ago at the gigantic Estadio Azteca, named in tribute to Mexico’s ancestral heritage, this mighty mythical and transformative cosmic duality found its divine expression. An equally mythical player came to explode with so much power and insanity that its seismic waves are still being felt in the world of football.As England return to the Azteca’s grand stage — sitting at an elevation of more than two kilometres above sea level — to face co-hosts Mexico in the round-of-16 clash of this World Cup, Harry Kane and Co. will be burdened as much by challenging conditions as the ghost of Diego Maradona.At Mexico ’86, after struggling in the group stage, England seemed to have settled into their rhythm by blowing away Paraguay 3-0 at the Azteca, with Gary Lineker scoring a brace and setting up a high-voltage clash against Argentina. However, little did Bobby Robson’s team realize that the paradox of Maradona’s art would come to consume them so brutally yet so beautifully.If his first goal from the ‘Hand of God’ was probably a result of a Tezcatlipoca-born force, his second — now revered as ‘the goal of the century’ — came out of nowhere with all its enigma and entertainment, with all its light and order, his mazing run past six England players injecting an unpredictable genius’ pleasing sensibility and ebullient imagery into the game’s dreamscape pageantry.The build-up to Argentina’s clash with England was heavily based around the Falklands War, a 10-week conflict between the two nations in 1982 over a territory in the South Atlantic about 300 miles from the Argentine coast.As if thrust into a personal war, Maradona took up arms — his left hand and his left foot to be precise — interweaving mayhem with magic and singlehandedly went on to annihilate England 2-1 and lead Argentina to their second World Cup title in 1986.His first goal came in the 51st minute. As he tried to play a one-two with Jorge Valdano on the edge of the box, the Argentine forward couldn’t control it properly facing a challenge from England midfielder Steve Hodge and the ball was looped in the air. Goalkeeper Peter Shilton attempted to punch the danger away but a five-feet-five-inches Maradona promptly became alive to the opportunity, his diminutive body was initially shaped as if to head the ball but instead came out a fist and a punch, the ball bouncing into an empty net.Neither Tunisian referee Ali bin Nasser nor Bulgarian linesman Bogdan Dochev suspected anything and Maradona ran across to celebrate in front of his father in the stands.“Un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios (‘A little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God),” Maradona later said about the goal.But when he came calling again four minutes later, a mesmerising 10 seconds of brilliance played out on the sacred grass of Azteca in what Valdano later described as “Diego’s personal journey”.First a double dragback to evade Peter Beardsley and then Reid. It was followed by his typical change of pace, before going past Terry Butcher and Fenwick without hassle, and finally rounding Shilton to complete the move.Thus was born the legend of Maradona — in its most indomitable and intoxicating way.England’s current manager Thomas Tuchel was 12-years-old at the time, watching the match from home in Germany. “The one dribbling and the one … yeah, which would never stand these days,” he would now point out.Can a German be a ghostbuster for England? Tuchel believes that fate would be on England’s side four decades later. “We will get it back. It’s karma. Karma will come back for us,” he said ahead of the clash against Mexico.With such height of expectations comes another challenge: the altitude factor. Many believed that Bob Beamon’s legendary long jump world record of 8.90 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City was significantly aided by the city’s high elevation. Maradona will not be there but the past and present weigh heavily on Tuchel’s team as they seek to scale a dizzying height.
