June 22, 1986, Argentina 2 - 1 England

Forty years ago today, on a sun-drenched afternoon in Mexico City’s colossal Estadio Azteca, football history unfolded in a blaze of audacity and genius. In the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Argentina faced England in a match charged with the lingering shadows of the Falklands War. What transpired was not merely a game, but a transcendent chapter in the sport’s eternal saga.

In the 51st minute, Diego Armando Maradona etched the first indelible mark. Rising amid a crowded penalty area, he punched the ball into the net with his hand, unseen by the referee. The “Hand of God” goal, as it would forever be known, gave Argentina a controversial yet fateful 1–0 lead. It was mischief woven into myth, a sly defiance that only a player of Maradona’s audacious spirit could conjure.

Then, 4 minutes later, came the divine counterpoint, the masterpiece that would be crowned the "Goal of the Century." From the halfway line, Maradona received the ball and embarked on a solo odyssey of breathtaking brilliance. With feline agility and unyielding will, he danced past five English defenders: Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher, Terry Fenwick, and Butcher once more, before rounding goalkeeper Peter Shilton and slotting the ball home. It was a run of pure poetry in motion—elegant, unstoppable, almost otherworldly. Argentina won 2–1, advanced through the tournament, and claimed the World Cup with victory over West Germany in the final. Maradona, the tournament’s luminous heart, lifted the Golden Ball as its finest player, while England’s Gary Lineker, scorer of their solitary goal that day, claimed the Golden Boot as top scorer.

Beyond the pitch, this second goal became legend not only for its brilliance but for the voice that immortalized it across the Spanish-speaking world. Uruguayan journalist and commentator Víctor Hugo Morales delivered a narration of such raw passion, ecstasy, and lyricism that it fused inseparably with the moment itself. His words soared like a hymn, capturing the collective soul of a nation and a continent in rapturous celebration.

Here is the iconic Spanish excerpt from his legendary call of Maradona’s second goal (the “ta-ta-ta-ta” passage):

«... Maradona tiene la pelota, lo marcan dos, pisa la pelota, arranca por la derecha el genio del fútbol mundial... deja al tercero, va a tocar para Burruchaga... ¡Siempre Maradona! ¡Genio! ¡Genio! ¡Genio! ¡Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta...! ¡Gooooool! ¡Gooooool! ¡Quiero llorar! ¡Dios santo! ¡Viva el fútbol! ¡Gooooool! ¡Diegoal! ¡Maradona! Es para llorar, disculpen... Maradona, en una corrida memorable, en la jugada de todas las jugadas... ¡Barrilete cósmico! ¿De qué planeta viniste para dejar a tanto inglés por el camino? Para que el país sea un puño apretado gritando por Argentina... ¡Argentina 2 – Inglaterra 0! ¡Diegoal, Diegoal, Diego Armando Maradona! Gracias Dios, por el fútbol, por Maradona, por estas lágrimas, por esto... ¡Argentina 2, Inglaterra 0!»

Even four decades later, the memory endures: a flash of genius, a controversial spark, and a voice that turned athletic brilliance into something sacred. Maradona did not just score goals that day—he wove dreams into reality, and Víctor Hugo Morales gave them wings.

Enjoy the main parts of this historical game, folloing this link.