World Cup Rewind: 1986 Third Place Match-France vs. Belgium

The 13th FIFA World Cup tournament was held in Mexico in 1986. 24 national teams competed from 5 confederations. It lasted from May 31 to June 29. The infamous Maradona “hand of god” occurred during this World Cup, and it was also Belgium’s best outing. The Rode Duivels finished fourth place after losing a tough match against France. A whopping six goals were scored in the match. Let’s take a look at the encounter:

FIFA World Cup 1986: Third Place Match
France - Belgium
June 28, 1986
Match time: 12:00 H
Venue and stadium: PUEBLA / Cuauhtemoc
Attendance: 21,000

Line-ups
France
[22] Albert RUST (GK)
[2] Manuel AMOROS
[4] Patrick BATTISTON
[5] Michel BIBARD
[7] Yvon LE ROUX (-55′)
[11] Jean-Marc FERRERI
[13] Bernard GENGHINI
[14] Jean TIGANA (-83′)
[15] Philippe VERCRUYSSE
[16] Bruno BELLONE
[17] Jean-Pierre PAPIN
Substitute(s)
[1] Joel BATS (GK)
[21] Philippe BERGEROO (GK)
[3] William AYACHE
[6] Maxime BOSSIS (+55′)
[8] Thierry TUSSEAU (+83′)
[9] Luis FERNANDEZ
[10] Michel PLATINI
[12] Alain GIRESSE
[18] Dominique ROCHETEAU
[19] Yannick STOPYRA
[20] Daniel XUEREB

Belgium
[1] Jean-Marie PFAFF (GK)
[2] Eric GERETS
[5] Michel RENQUIN (-45′)
[8] Enzo SCIFO (-63′)
[11] Jan CEULEMANS
[13] Georges GRUN
[16] Nico CLAESEN
[17] Raymond MOMMENS
[18] Daniel VEYT
[21] Stephane DEMOL
[22] Patrick VERVOORT
Substitute(s)
[12] Jacques MUNARON (GK)
[20] Gilbert BODART (GK)
[3] Franky VAN DER ELST
[4] Michel DE WOLF
[6] Frank VERCAUTEREN
[7] Rene VANDEREYCKEN
[9] Erwin VANDENBERGH
[10] Philippe DESMET
[14] Leo CLIJSTERS
[15] Leo VAN DER ELST (+45′)(+63′)
[19] Hugo BROOS

Coaches: MICHEL Henri (FRANCE), THYS Guy (BELGIUM).
Cards: Jean-Marie PFAFF (BEL) 63′
Goals: Jan CEULEMANS (BEL) 11′, Jean-Marc FERRERI (FRA) 27′, Jean-Pierre PAPIN (FRA) 43′, Bernard GENGHINI (FRA) 104+’, Nico CLAESEN (BEL) 73′, Manuel AMOROS (FRA) 111′ PEN

Belgium was among among the four third place qualifiers for the Round of 16. They almost didn’t advance from the group stages. They finished third in a tough group with the host nation, Paraguay, and Iraq. They had a great run in the knockout stage beating USSR 4-3 and obtaining a close win against Spain. The Rode Duivels quarterfinal match against Spain ended 1-1 (5:4 in penalties) in their favor. It was a decent upset for the Spaniards. Belgium’s road to the finals ended in the semis against the eventual champions Argentina.