Even the most casual soccer fan knows about Argentine legend Diego Maradona’s controversial goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the ‘Hand of God’. Palm strikes like volleyball should have been banned, but soon after, the path was paved for one of sports’ most magical moments. But “The Match” by Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco, based on the book by Andres Burgo, is not just about this singular moment. Through personal testimony and geopolitical history, this documentary unravels the iconic quarter-final by placing it within a larger, tumultuous context, resulting in one of the most fascinating and accessible documentaries ever made about the sport.
Centered around the June 1986 match, The Match plays out a temporary hopscotch game that rapidly shows not only soccer but also the history of the Falkland Islands, which was the source of a conflict that would lead to all-out war between Britain and Argentina in 1982 (the film notes, “The Match is four years away”). Its structure is deceptively simple. In stark black-and-white footage, men in their 60s from both teams calmly reflect on their upbringing while watching images projected on giant movie screens, placing the former TV stars in the context of the film. They are both subjects and narrators, personalizing the political turmoil that was once thrust upon them and to which they were forced to respond through various media interviews. Meanwhile, color archival footage brings us closer to the present, when the World Cup is being held in Mexico for the first time in 40 years.
Part anniversary, part pop document, ‘The Match’ reflects on the two countries’ sporting history with their geopolitical rivalry, setting the stage for a perfect storm of symphonic gameplay and ensuring that the late Maradona remains the undisputed standout, for better or for worse. Like the match itself, the film’s first half lays the foundation for all the drama, which its subjects (most importantly Englishman Gary Lineker and Argentinian Jorge Valdano) reflect on wistfully and even excitedly.
No matter how much time has passed, there’s a certain thrill in watching this footage again, made all the more palatable by the addition of all the context, from the atmosphere at the Azteca Stadium to the two countries’ joint contributions in creating red and yellow cards (soccer’s warning system for violent play). Knowing the outcome doesn’t make this movie any less exhilarating, but it’s just as rewarding because even if you happen to know nothing about the sport, you’ll be able to see definitively why The Beautiful Game is so beloved around the world.
The Match delves into little of the political details of the Falklands War, but it features footage of both countries’ leaders (Leopoldo Galtieri, Margaret Thatcher) and casts football as a proxy war fought by fans seeking to exorcise the demons of tarnished national pride. Caught up in this emotional melee are the players themselves, and although 40 years later they have largely made peace with the skirmish, they occasionally find themselves picking at old wounds by the story at hand.
The film is essayistic in nature, often forensic in its depiction of certain moments (particularly the aforementioned handball), but never academic. Its mesmerizing rush lies in its imitation of the structure of soccer itself back in the day, especially between the 4:3 aspect ratio that mirrored televisions of the time and the approximately 90-minute running time, the length of an average match. The process involves exactly the same excitement and fleeting downtime as watching a World Cup match. Best of all, the film allows the former rivals, through intimate close-ups, the catharsis of being on the same side for once – the sports side and the movie side, revisiting their heated enmity and all the baggage that made that fateful morning such an enduring and magnetic flashpoint.
