Good Bad Sport #118: 1982 World Cup pt4 2nd Group Stage

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All right, welcome back, fellow Good Sports. This is episode 119 of Good, Bad, Sport. This is the fourth part of the 1982 World Cup series, and this is unusually the second group stage is something we don't have anymore. So let's start off that after the qualifying from the initial rounds. Rather than going into the straight knockout formula, as we're used to nowadays, it actually went into a second group stage of three teams, where each team plays each other, and the top team makes it through to the next round. So let's start off then with group A, which is Belgium, Poland, and the Soviet Union. So on the 28th of June, Poland would thrash Belgium 3-0 with a hat-trick by Zbigniew Boniak in the fourth, 26th, and 53rd minute. On the 1st of July, Belgium would lose to the Soviet Union with a goal in the 48th minute from Ogonesian, which would set up the final game between Russia and Poland, which would finish in a 0-0 draw. And because of goal difference, that would send Poland through. So Poland played to three points plus three goal difference. Soviet Union second three points, but just a plus one goal difference because they didn't score as many against Belgium and Belgium rounding out the group on zero points. And with that hat-trick hero, let's have a look at Boniak. Definitely a player's name I recognized. And although he initially only appeared as a substitute in Poland's two opening games at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, he drew attention to himself when he scored two goals in a 3-1 victory over Mexico in Poland's final match of the group stage, helping his nation top the group. In the second round, however, Poland finished third in their group and were eliminated from the tournament.

Boniak transferred to Juventus in 1982 and with Juventus, he won the Coppa Italia in his first season, also managing the second place of finishing the league and reaching the 1983 European Cup final in the same season.

Following season, his performances proved decisive as Juventus won both the Serie A title and the Cup Winners Cup in 1984, with Boniak scoring the match-winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Porto in the final of the latter tournament in Basel.

He followed up these victories by claiming the European Super Cup later that year, scoring twice in a 2-0 win against Liverpool.

He also won the European Cup in 1985 against Liverpool once again, winning the penalty that Michel Platini subsequently converted to win the title for Juventus, although the team's victory was overshadowed by the Heysel disaster. Following season, Boniak joined Roma, where he won a second Coppa Italia in 1986 and eventually ended his professional career in 1988 Boniak represented the Poland national team in 80 international matches between 1976 and 1988 and scored 24 goals. He took part in three World Cups, 1978, 1982 and 1986

Boniak scored a hat-trick in his nation's 3-0 second-round victory over Belgium in Barcelona but was forced to miss the semifinal due to a suspension after being booked in the 88th minute of a 0-0 draw against the Soviet Union. Oh boy, what a foolish decision to make. This is where you rest your players. You know you're going through. And also Boniak's a forward as well. He's not likely to. At this point, the draw is good enough for that team. Wow, what a horrible decision. As I'm looking through this, I've completely forgotten that side of the story. He was named into the player of the tournament and the 1986 World Cup was less successful for him though, as Poland only qualified for the second round as the second best third place team and was subsequently eliminated by a 4-0 loss to Brazil. All right, let's have a look at group B then. This would be England, Spain and West Germany. That's a little hot. And the England captain became Mick Mills after Kevin Keegan was out injured. So let's have a look at Mick Mills. Mills joined Portsmouth as a schoolboy, but the club abandoned its youth system, forcing him to look for a new club to begin his career. Ipswich Town took him on and made his debut for the first team in 1966, aged just 17, in a 5-2 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bobby Robson appointed Mills as team captain in 1971

In 1973, Ipswich finished fourth in the first division, won the Texaco Cup and qualified for the UEFA Cup. They achieved third place in the first division in 1977

The following year, they reached the FA Cup final where they beat their favorite Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley.