From a purely footballing perspective, Málaga was not an obvious choice to act as a host city at España 82, but when has that ever deterred FIFA? Club Deportivo Málaga had never come close to winning a national title, and the capacity of their Estadio La Rosaleda was clearly too small. The city of Málaga, however, was at the heart of the Costa del Sol and aside from the stadium, it had all the necessary infrastructure, such as hotels and a huge international airport. All that was needed was an international-quality stadium.
ESTADIO LA ROSALEDA
In February 1980, the municipality of Málaga signed off the budget for the expansion of the stadium. The first phase began in the summer of 1980 and focused on building two new double-decked fondos at the north and south ends of the stadium. The two side stands also had bench seats added to both upper tiers. During the summer of 1981, the pitch was lowered, and work began on adding a moat around the pitch. By December of 1981, La Rosaleda had four double-deck stands, new floodlights, a new pitch, a moat and four gaping holes in each corner of the stadium. The work to “link” the stands was completed a mere five weeks before Scotland, USSR & New Zealand began their World Cup campaigns. I’ve used the word link with caution, because with the possible exception of the work at El Molinón in Gijón, the four corner-stands at La Rosaleda were among the worst work on the stadium transformations. It was as if each side stand had been given a set of shoulder pads. Not that CD Málaga was bothered. It now played in a stadium with a 45,000-capacity and did not have to fork out a single céntimo, which was just as well, as they were up to their neck in debt! You can read more about La Rosaleda and the clubs that have called it home here.
SCOTLAND vs NEW ZEALAND – GAME TWO GROUP V
Scotland stormed into a 3-0 half-time lead against the debutants. However, defensive lapses saw New Zealand score twice early in the second half, and whilst Scotland restored their three-goal lead before the end, it was their defensive frailties that ultimately cost them dear.
SOVIET UNION vs NEW ZEALAND – GAME FOUR GROUP V
The Soviets coasted to a three-goal victory against the ultra-defensive Kiwis. The Soviet squad was built around the club sides of Dinamo Kyiv & Dinamo Tbilisi, who were approaching their peak in the early 1980s. This defeat eliminated New Zealand, marking the start of a 28-year absence from the competition.
SCOTLAND vs SOVIET UNION – GAME FIVE GROUP V
With Scotland needing a win to progress, the last thing they could afford was more defensive disasters. Joe Jordan gave Scotland the lead on 15 minutes, but after the interval, the Dinamo Tbilisi duo Chivadze & Shengelia made the most of some hesitant defending. Souness equalised with five minutes to go, but Scotland bid adios to España 82.
Estadios de España 