What was the Disgrace of Gijon?

This is a very unenthusiastic game between Austria and Germany. This was a game that people thought was going to be exciting. After 10 minutes of playing, Germany had a goal. The next minutes were spent just trying to pass the ball to each other. The players were not serious about trying to reach accurate goals.

It was not surprising that no other goals were made. The results of the game booted Algeria from the game when Algeria was expected to be good in it. They actually had better stats than Germany in the semis. A lot of people still think that this is one of the worst games they have watched.

The match between West Germany and Austria during the 1982FIFA World Cup on June 25th, 1982.

Before I go ahead I would like to give you a perspective as to why this happened. During the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Group 2 consisted of Austria, West Germany, Algeria, and Chile. Algeria was playing their first ever World Cup and West Germanywas their first opponent.

The German team mocked Algeria' football team. One player went on to remark that they could defeat Algeria while smoking pipes on the field.

On matchday, however, Algeria prevailed 2-1 in what was called the ‘one of the greatest upsets of world cup history.'

A week later, the Group 2 table stood as follows:

1. Austria (Matches: 2; Points: 4; GD: +2)
2. Algeria (Matches: 3; Points: 4; GD: 0)
3. West Germany (Matches: 2; Points: 2; GD: +2)
4. Chile (Matches:3; Points: 0)

The final match between Austria and Germany was held at Gijon, in Spain. West Germany scored the first goal at 10 minutes.For the next 80 minutes, the ball was passed between players in their own halves, to their own teammates.

Long passes were unenthusiastic and players kept hitting shots with no apparent accuracy or will. The game ended in a 1-0 win for West Germany.

The match wasn’t well-received by anyone. Even the Austrians and German fans hate this match.

Attendees shouted chants of 'Fuera' (Out), 'Argelia'(Algeria) and Que se Besen(Let them Kiss). Fans waved money at the players. German commentators refused to comment on the game and Austrian commentators requested people watching to switch off their television sets.

The local newspaper of Gijon posted the game’s review in their crime section.

Various complaints were lodged but FIFA could not prove them as no rules had been broken. Both Germany and Austria qualified at the expense of Algeria.

The final table stood as follows:

1. West Germany (Matches: 3; Points: 4; GD: +3)
2. Austria (Matches: 3; Points: 4; GD: +2)
3. Algeria (Matches: 3; Points: 4; GD: 0)
4. Chile (Matches: 3; Points: 0)

This match is the reason that final group games are held on the same day.