Madrid and its two cavernous stadiums were latecomers to the España 82 party. The tournament had criss-crossed the length and breadth of the country, but finally, after 15 days of waiting, the Spanish capital got to stage a match. The Estadio Viecente Calderón was an obvious choice as a venue, given that it was little over a decade old and had an all-seated capacity of 66,000. However, whether it was the host nation’s poor performances in the first round or the presence of two relative minnows, the matches at the Calderón were poorly attended, with practically half the seats left empty for the matches featuring France, Austria & Northern Ireland.
The home of Atlético Madrid had been built over nine years from 1961, and was finally completed in 1970, although Atléti had moved into a three-sided stadium in 1966. The main stand, which straddled a six-lane ring road, almost stood separate from the remainder of the stadium, which was made up of two tiers in a horseshoe configuration. Little in the way of refurbishment was required for the tournament, although new media facilities were added to the west tribuna and large video screens were installed in the gaps between the main stand and the open tiers. With every match a second round affair played over six days, one would have expected higher attendances, but with a highest of just 37,000, the Vicente Calderón’s capacity was not exactly tested.
FRANCE vs AUSTRIA – GAME 1 GROUP D
France were dominant against a poor Austrian side, who were clearly exhausted by their exploits against West Germany in Gijón! Genghini’s excellent free-kick was the game’s only goal, but France missed several chances in the second half that would have ensured a more convincing score line.
AUSTRIA vs NORTHERN IRELAND – GAME 2 GROUP D
Only 20,000 spectators watched an entertaining match, which did not help either side with hopes of progressing. Northern Ireland were the happier, with Hamilton’s late equaliser keeping their hopes of a semi-final appearance just about alive. Austria, which started the tournament brightly but ended it in a whimper, headed home.
FRANCE vs NORTHERN IRELAND – GAME 2 GROUP D
France eased their way into the semi-finals with a comfortable win over Northern Ireland. Giresse and Rocheteau did the damage in a comfortable win with two goals apiece. Northern Ireland’s reply from Gerry Armstrong was too little too late, but they left the tournament with their reputation massively enhanced. As for France, they headed to Sevilla for one of the matches of the tournament.
Estadios de España 