World Cup Moments: When Harald Schumacher Met Patrick Battiston. In Mid-Air.

February 2nd, 2010 | by: Daryl |

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The 1982 World Cup semifinal in Seville between France and West Germany was a stunning game of football. It finished 3-3 after extra time, and then West Germany won (as usual) on penalties. Despite those six goals, the semifinal is mostly remembered for just one thing. Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher’s horror foul on French defender Patrick Battiston. I say horror foul.. the ref actually gave a goal kick to West Germany. Which you’ll probably find hard to believe after watching video of the Schumacher crushing his victim below:

Michel Platini sent a beauty of a through ball through the German defence, which set up a race between Battiston and Schumacher. Battiston got there first and knocked the ball just wide, but Schumacher continued his charge forward and flattened the French defender. I’m thinking penalty and red card. The ref thought goal kick. Sean Connery (is that him narrating the vid? I think it is) was not impressed.

Here it is again from an understanably outraged French perspective:

Battiston was knocked unconscious, lost two teeth and suffered damage to his vertebrae. Schumacher hasn’t said a great deal about the incident, but has maintained he was going for the ball. I wish it was easy to believe him, but the lateness and the way he moves his body towards Battiston in mid-air makes it difficult.

The good news is that Battiston recovered and continued to play professional for another nine years. West Germany went on to lose to Italy in the final of the 1982 World Cup, but that game (and specifically Marco Tardelli’s celebration) is the subject of a whole ‘nother post.

- More World Cup Moments can be found here.

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http://japan.worldcupblog.org/ Aidan

Schumacher…what a complete ****! And as for the referee…

I saw a documentary of the 1982 World Cup a while back, and the French players were saying how they were wanting to humiliate the Germans when leading 3-1 in extra-time. They wanted to toy with them and keep attacking for more goals…that didn’t quite go to plan!

The shoot-out featured a real rarity…a German player missing his penalty – Uli Stielike doing what no other German has ever done in the World Cup Finals by missing in a shoot-out.

Oh, and yes, that was Sean Connery…legend!
DVP

It was the 80’s a red card would be out of the question, a yellow would have been just fair. What about showing some of the goals instead of perpetuating the cynicism? This game should have been the game of the century!
Anders

Ole’ Harald would probably have _loved_ to have been born about 30 years earlier, he’d have been one hell of a nazi. Scum.
old apple

A little extreme dont you think? Poor tackeling does not a nazi make, no matter how malicious. Scholes would have bunked with himmler if that was the case.
Arminius

Anders:

Schumacher was not popular in Germany after that – rightly so.

As “scum” one could just as well refer to people calling anyone they – however rightly – condemn a nazi.
http://www.worldcupblog.org Daryl

I think we’ve just proven Godwin’s Law in record time.
http://japan.worldcupblog.org/ Aidan

That’s quite funny Daryl, as a I almost mentioned Uli Stielike’s similarity (in terms of looks) to Hitler in my earlier reply!!