38 years since England – France match in San Mamés
38 years since England – France match in San Mamés
The English national team played the first of their three matches of the 1982 World Cup at The Cathedral against ‘les bleus’.
Today, in 1982, San Mamés hosted the first match of the 1982 World Cup that corresponded to Group D, in which the English national team faced France. In that first match, The Cathedral was full and the English team beat the French team by 3 goals to 1. In addition, the 35,000 supporters who attended were able to enjoy what became the third fastest goal in the history of the World Cup, scored by Bryan Robson, 27 seconds after the start of the match.
San Mamés was the stadium where England played its three first-round matches. In addition to the match between England and France on June 16, Bilbao hosted England – Czechoslovakia (2-0) four days later and England – Kuwait (1-0) on June 25, resulting in a great run of victories for the English team, in that first phase held at The Cathedral.
Photo: Athletic Club Museoa