June 25 – Two Great Goals and a Pub Full of Drunken Irishmen

TWO of the best goals we’ve ever seen here at OTFD Towers were scored today, so rather than pitting a pair of the game’s legends in an Apprentice-style board room showdown we’ve found room for them both. And a bunch of mental Irishmen.

First stop is 1986. Three days earlier Diego Maradona had scored two polarising, but equally breathtaking goals to knock Bobby Robson’s England out of the World Cup. Next up for the Argentineans were Belgium for a place in the final, and he only bloomin’ did it again.

Picking the ball up 40 yards away from goal Maradona ghosted past four members of the Flemish defence, who were doing an even better statue impression than messrs Fenwick, Butcher et al had done earlier that week.

All that was left for El Diego was a dink over the ‘keeper and Argentina were all set for the World Cup final, albeit as one of the most obvious one-man teams of all-time.

Fast forward two years and it’s the Euro ’88 final today in Munich. The Netherlands were searching for their first ever tournament win, playing the Soviet Union in the final.

The Dutch led 1-0 thanks to a Ruud Gullit opener when Arnold Muhren lofted in a hopeful deep high cross to Marco Van Basten, who lurked past the far post, at surely an impossible angle to shoot.

It was possible. And don’t call him Shirley. Van Basten hit one of the sweetest volleys there’s ever been, striking the ball with flawless technique and scoring possibly the best ever goal to grace a tournament final and secure his nation’s first ever trophy.

We’re not sure how mental they were going in the pubs and bars across the Netherlands, but it can’t have been anymore manic than the scenes in Ireland today in 1990, when David O’Leary blasted home the decisive penalty to down Romania in the second round World Cup shoot-out. However, we’re pretty sure the makers of The Van, based on Roddy Doyle’s 1991 novel nailed it in the scene below. Enjoy that, read all about the most controversial World Cup final ever that was taking place today here and come on over tomorrow for yet more footy history.