World Cup:
1986
The tournament opened in
Mexico City on 31 May 1986 after serious problems in
the run up. The opening game was a 1-1 draw between
Bulgaria and Italy.
The
biggest early surprise was the terrible start England made
to the competition. They lost to Portugal in their first
group game. Then they struggled in heat of the Monterrey
afternoon to break down a determined Morocco defence.
Their problems increased when just before half time
midfielder Ray Wilkins was sent off ‘for throwing the ball
at the referee’.
England
Survive
England looked close to going out of the tournament but
held on for 0-0 draw. A Gary Lineker hat-trick in the last
group game against Poland secured qualification for the
Second Round.
Surprisingly they were joined by Morocco rather than
Portugal. The Portuguese campaign was not helped when their
players went on strike - refusing to train between their
first and the second games.
One new record was set in the Group E game between Uruguay
and Scotland. José Batista of Uruguay was sent off after
less than a minute - the fastest red card in the history of
the World Cup.