On this day in World Cup history: Algeria shock the world (16 June 1982)
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Your support makes all the difference.Algeria may not have the finest World Cup record but, unfortunately for England, they do have a history of causing upsets.
West Germany went into the 1982 World Cup as serious title contenders, having scored 33 goals and conceded a meagre three as they easily won all eight of their qualifiers. But the minnows from Algeria shocked the world in the opening game of Group Two by beating the European champions 2-1 at Gijon's El Molinon stadium.
Despite their impressive display and another victory over Chile in their final match, the Desert Foxes were denied the chance to become the first African team to reach the second round.
West Germany and Austria conspired to play out a 1-0 German win in their final group game that saw both of the European teams progress at Algeria's expense. After Horst Hrubesch scored for Germany in the 10th minute, and aware that the scoreline suited both of them, Germany and Austria effectively stopped trying to play, and created one of the biggest scandals in the history of the World Cup.
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