Sevilla ’82 remains relevant at Rio

WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINAL:

It was one of the most dramatic, and iconic, games in World Cup history and while only four players in the current squads were born then – Mikael Landreau and Patrice Evra for France, and Roman Weidenfeller and Miroslav Klose for Germany – the memory has dominated the build-up to this afternoon’s quarter-final between the sides at the Maracana. At least, it has in France, who were beaten in Sevilla, but went on to triumph at the 1984 European Championship.

“These players were not even born then, so why does it matter?” asked France coach Didier Deschamps at his press conference, but it does matter. It matters because the story of Sevilla 82 has entered football folklore; because the game, according to one French commentator ‘evoked memories of war’; and because the French players know that when it comes to Germany and World Cups, that weight of history might plant the smallest seed of doubt.