Left: Martin Tyler joined an illustrious list of ITV England match commentators in 1982, but it was at Sky Sports in the 1990s where he really made his mark, covering almost all of the England games outside of the major tournaments.

The early eighties was a period when the two major television companies managed to replace some of the standard highlights coverage of England games with more live broadcasts. This was a general trend across all of their football coverage, though in the Football League, it came about due to dwindling audiences for both TV highlights and the actual attendance figures at the games.

There had long been a resistance to live games from the league, but with instances of football-related hooliganism on the rise and sponsorship becoming a tempting means for the game to maintain its proud long-held position as the nation's favourite sport, it was inevitable that the only way to reach the masses was via live games. The BBC and ITV were tentatively allowed to dip their toes into the water in the 1983-84 season, with ten First Division games and four FA Cup ties (in addition to the final), plus the Milk Cup Final all afforded live coverage. This, of course, eventually became a non-stop torrent of worldwide games across a myriad of channels and the internet in the 21st century.

Back in 1980, however, the majority of England games were only available in highlights form. It was only for special occasions (e.g. major tournaments and deciding qualifiers, or the annual fixture with Scotland) that a game would be viewed live, and if it was played in this country, the FA had to be sure that the game would be sold out. Of course, it could be argued that all England games were of national importance and the drama of a rollercoaster World Cup qualifying campaign was the ideal opportunity to stretch the boundaries of what could be 'upgraded' to live coverage.

Such was the situation in 1981. It was becoming the norm by the end of the previous decade that England's end-of-season tours would be covered live, with no conflicts with club games being played at the same time or fans being put off from going to Wembley and watching it on TV, instead. On consecutive Saturday evenings, impinging slightly on peak-time favourites, the drama was allowed to unfold in real-time, in first, Switzerland, where England lost and we had the unedifying images of rioting fans on the terraces, and then on to Hungary, where a glorious victory justified the faith bestowed on the national team.

"Played back for Brooking! Terrific goal! A terrific goal by Brooking and England are back in the lead! Look at the ball caught up in the corner there. A beautiful move and a magnificent finish and again, the Hungarians are stunned. Played in there, back by Keegan, Brooking really whacking it up into the corner there and England are back in the lead." - Brian Moore (Hungary v. England World Cup Qualifier June 1981)

England had not qualified for a World Cup since 1970, and their inconsistencies in this campaign suddenly made great television. Could they actually do it this time? ITV took a punt on showing the game with Norway, live from Oslo. It was the first away qualifier ever to be broadcast live during the regular football season. Incredibly, England lost to Norway, a huge shock and a massive blow to England's chances of qualifying. It was also a very significant moment for Norwegian football. Twelve years later, they were to win a qualifying group, when England failed to progress, but in 1981, many of their players were still amateurs, and their own radio commentator, Bjørge Lillelien was so moved by the result that he uttered the following immortal lines in English:

"Lord Nelson! Lord Beaverbrook! Sir Winston Churchill! Sir Anthony Eden! Clement Atlee! Henry Cooper! Lady Diana!

...Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me?

...Maggie Thatcher...your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!"

As it turned out, it was not the end of England's campaign. Romania dropped vital points and England were left with a home game against Hungary, needing only a draw to qualify. As in the two previous World Cup campaigns, England's final qualifier at a sold-out Wembley was broadcast live, this time by the BBC, meaning that the last four of the eight games had all gone out live.

Normal service then resumed. It was back to highlights in the run-up to the tournament, apart from the usual Scotland fixture and the final warm-up in Finland. With three home nations having qualified (Northern Ireland and Scotland joined England in Spain), the TV companies could justify blanket coverage of the 1982 tournament, though there was an agreement this time that they would not be broadcasting different games on both channels at the same time, giving the non-football fans two alternative channels to watch.

The main BBC commentators were still Barry Davies and John Motson, with the latter still getting the lion's share of the bigger games. Brian Moore was still ITV's top commentator, doing the FA Cup Final every year, and although he had commentated on the previous two European Championship finals, it was as a presenter and chairman of the panel of pundits during the World Cup, where it was felt that he was invaluable. He was also given an interview series called 'Brian Moore Meets...' in which he spent time relaxing with the likes of great sportsmen, such as Kevin Keegan, Björn Borg and Niki Lauda. This was enough to keep him at ITV, when he had been tempted to switch channels, and there was provision for him to fly out to Spain for the semi-finals and final, if England made it that far.

Hugh Johns had commentated on the previous four World Cup Finals for ITV, but he had only covered Welsh internationals since 1978 and the channel looked to 36-year-old, Martin Tyler, who had been a regional commentator for them since 1974. He was given three England games prior to the World Cup and then all of England's games during the tournament, as well as the final itself. John Motson, meanwhile, as expected, covered all of the BBC's live England games and also did his first final, whilst his predecessor as top commentator, David Coleman, reappeared to host World Cup Grandstand back in London.

The following season, Bobby Robson's first as manager, saw all England games featured only as highlights (with Motson and Tyler commentating, Moore appearing for only one game), until the home internationals, where the Northern Ireland game was shown live on a Saturday night by ITV (apart from in the Ulster region, so as not to affect the attendance in Belfast). Then, following twelve years of shared live coverage of the annual Scotland fixture, the two companies began a period of alternating, with the BBC broadcasting the first ever midweek staging of the oldest rivalry in the British Championship. This was the beginning of the end for it, however, with hooliganism a growing concern and the qualification for major tournaments of greater importance for England (and, increasingly for Scotland, as well).

A low-key tour of Australia followed and only short highlights of each game were slotted into the schedules. None of the games had a match commentator and the five or ten minutes shown were probably missed by the majority of fans. Clearly, it was competitive action that drew the viewers in now.

The 1983-84 season saw England, once again, stumbling towards qualification for a major tournament and both BBC and ITV, once again, switched to live coverage to capture the drama as it unfolded. A disastrous defeat at home to Denmark, with Brian Moore back at the helm, was followed by another dramatic recovery in Hungary (similar to two years earlier) and all then depending on one night in November. England needed Denmark to fail to beat Greece in Athens, so ITV scheduled live coverage of the last half-hour of that game, followed by the second-half of England's inevitable win in Luxembourg. Unfortunately, Denmark were already two goals up when they were thrust into the spotlight, so the whole evening became a huge anti-climax. Denmark were never under threat and England followed it with a routine victory, but they were out of the European Championship.

That same season was the last for the British Championship. All four teams finishing level on points would have been a fitting finale, but for the fact that Northern Ireland won it on goal difference! The European Championship, with no British teams in the final tournament, was virtually ignored by ITV, and the BBC only showed two games live, including the final.

England's tour of South America, meanwhile, provided a big surprise (in more than one sense). It was 28 years since they had beaten Brazil and never in Rio, and the relative recent form of the two nations suggested that the run would continue. There was further indication of how far football was slipping behind other forms of entertainment when the game was played at peak viewing time on a Sunday night. ITV had scheduled the last in the series of Cilla Black's 'Surprise Surprise'. It was broadcast live and this first series proved to be so popular that the programme ran for another thirteen years. So, only the second half of the Brazil game was available for ITV to show live, and it made sense to slot the usual ITN News in before the football. So it was that one of the greatest ever England goals was missed by mere seconds from being broadcast live.

The programme began just as England's players were mobbing John Barnes at the end of the first half. Replays were shown of the goal and England went on to win 2-0, but the timing of the programme took away some of the shine of a historic night.

ITV scored another own goal, four months later, when a dispute at Thames Television prevented highlights of the World Cup qualifier with Finland from being screened. Unlike the similar events of 1978-79, when two Wembley games were blacked out, at least the goals were available to be seen a few days later, with an off-tube commentary added on later.

Both companies were keen to provide live coverage of England's away games in the World Cup qualifiers, with the game in Turkey appearing as almost-full delayed coverage an hour and a half after the game kicked off at 12 noon on a Wednesday (1:30 was a better fit to the daytime schedules). With Jim Rosenthal or Steve Rider available to present the programmes from the studio in London, Brian Moore was, once again, freed up to commentate on the live games.

The end of the season was an all-time low in the history of English football, with two major disasters causing the deaths of nearly a hundred spectators. A fire in Bradford, followed by a riot at the European Cup Final in Brussels turned the national game into a menacing problem in terms of safety. English clubs withdrew from all European competition before they were banned by UEFA, and the television companies were in no hurry to show games that people were rapidly losing interest in. England internationals were strangely exempt from this, and gave the game its one opportunity to restore its good name.

Only eight days after Brussels (caused by clashes between English and Italian fans), England and Italy happened to face each other in a tournament in Mexico. The players lined up for the national anthems with every England player next to an Italian as a show of strength between the two nations. It was a small step forward. Whilst the public was falling out with club football and there would be no Football League action at all on the television screens until the following year, England games would still appear amidst the continuing fear of trouble on foreign shores.

For more details on TV football in this era, the ITV Football 1966-98 website is well worth a visit.

Season 1980-81
547	Wednesday, 10 September 1980 - England 4 Norway 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:30pm - 11:40pm Anglia, ATV, Border, Channel, Granada, HTV Cymru/Wales, HTV West, Southern, Thames, Tyne Tees, Ulster, Westward and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentator Brian Moore (recorded highlights)
Notes		Scotland's opening World Cup qualifier in Sweden was shown live by ITV in the Grampian and Scottish regions only at 6pm. Midweek Sports Special included highlights from Scotland's game, as well as the Republic of Ireland's victory against the Netherlands played in the afternoon.
548	Wednesday, 15 October 1980 - Romania 2 England 1 [1-0] Stadionul 23 August, Bucureşti - Kick-off 3.00pm (2.00pm BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 9:25pm - 10:45pm World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 9.25pm - 10:45pm (recorded highlights) commentator Barry Davies
Notes		Viewers in Wales saw their team's clash with Turkey, whilst in Northern Ireland, their afternoon game with Sweden was featured. World Cup Sportscene featured Scotland's game with Portugal. All regions would probably have shown action from all four games, with the possible addition of the Republic of Ireland's clash with Belgium, played that afternoon. Sportsnight also featured boxing from the previous night's bill at the Royal Albert Hall, where British and European flyweight champion, Charlie Magri defeated the Mexican, Enrique Castro in the first round, and welterweight Dave 'Boy' Green beat another Mexican, Mario Mendez in two rounds.
549	Wednesday, 19 November 1980 - England 2 Switzerland 1 [2-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7:45pm GMT HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:30pm - 12:00am Anglia, ATV, Border, Channel, Granada, HTV West, Southern, Thames, Tyne Tees, Ulster, Westward and Yorkshire (Grampian, HTV Cymru/Wales and Scottish opted out) commentator Brian Moore (recorded highlights)
Notes		The programme also included a preview of the following week's long-awaited WBC welterweight title fight rematch between the champion, Roberto Durán of Panama and the American, 'Sugar' Ray Leonard. HTV Cymru/Wales showed highlights from the game with Czechoslovakia in World Cup Soccer, some of which will also have appeared on Midweek Sports Special, possibly along with the goals from the Republic of Ireland's qualifier with Cyprus. Grampian and Scottish featured highlights of the Scottish League Cup semi-final second leg between Celtic and Dundee United in Scotsport. BBC1 Northern Ireland had live coverage of their game against Portugal in Lisbon, kicking off at 9:30pm in Sportsnight.
550	Wednesday, 25 March 1981 - England 1 Spain 2 [1-2] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm GMT HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:15pm - 11:18pm World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 9.25pm - 10:45pm commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights)
Notes		Sportsnight also included brief action from Wales' victory in Turkey in a World Cup qualifier and whetted the appetite for the following weekend's first ever Gillette London Marathon with a few highlights from some famous marathons of the past. The qualifier between Scotland and Northern Ireland was featured by the ITV Grampian and Scottish regions in Scotsport World Cup Special, and also by Sportscast Special in the Ulster region, as well as World Cup Sportscene, with brief highlights in Sportsnight.
551	Wednesday, 29 April 1981 - England 0 Romania 0 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 11:00pm World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:00pm - 11:00pm commentator John Motson (recorded highlights)
Notes		Sportsnight also included brief highlights from Northern Ireland's qualifier with Portugal, and from Scotland's victory against Israel played the previous night. The goals from the Republic of Ireland's friendly with Czechoslovakia may also have been included, whilst there was boxing action from the previous night's British welterweight title fight between Colin Jones and Kirkland Laing at the Royal Albert Hall. BBC1 Northern Ireland had a longer version of Sportsnight until 11:37pm, featuring extended highlights from their game. Northern Ireland's game was also the main feature of World Cup Sportscene as they were in the same group as Scotland, and this programme will have also included further reflections on the previous night's victory.
552	Tuesday, 12 May 1981 - England 0 Brazil 1 [0-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	International Football Special (ITV) - 10:00pm - 11:10pm Anglia, ATV, Border, Channel, Granada, HTV Cymru/Wales, HTV West, Southern, Thames, Tyne Tees, Ulster, Westward and Yorkshire Scotsport Cup Final Special - 10:00pm - 11:10pm Grampian and Scottish commentator Brian Moore (recorded highlights)
Notes		Scotsport Cup Final Special featured the Scottish Cup Final Replay between Dundee United and Rangers, as well as England's game. BBC1 Scotland also showed the replay in Cup Final Sportscene.
553	Wednesday, 20 May 1981 - England 0 Wales 0 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 11:10pm commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights)
Notes		The first match shown on Sportsnight was Ipswich Town's UEFA Cup Final second leg against AZ '67 in Amsterdam.
554	Saturday, 23 May 1981 - England 0 Scotland 1 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 3.00pm	Grandstand (BBC1) - 2:35pm - 4:50pm commentator John Motson BBC Scotland commentator Archie Macpherson World of Sport (ITV) - 2:40pm - 4:55pm Anglia, ATV, Border, Channel, Granada, HTV Cymru/Wales, HTV West, London Weekend, Southern, Tyne Tees, Ulster, Westward and Yorkshire commentator Brian Moore Grampian and Scottish commentators Jock Brown and Ian St John
555	Saturday, 30 May 1981 - Switzerland 2 England 1 [2-0] Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel - Kick-off 8.00pm (7.00pm BST)	Grandstand (BBC1) - 6:45pm - 8:50pm commentators John Motson and Bobby Charlton
556	Saturday, 6 June 1981 - Hungary 1 England 3 [1-1] Népstadion, Budapest - Kick-off 8.00pm (7.00pm BST)	World Cup Football (ITV) - 6:45pm - 9:00pm (all regions) commentators Brian Moore and John Bond
Notes		Grandstand also broadcast Wales' qualifier with the USSR, live from Wrexham, in the afternoon (BBC Scotland opted out and BBC Northern Ireland only showed the second half).
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 13th June 1981 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 1 West Germany 2 - World of Sport (ITV) 3:10pm - 4:55pm (all regions) commentator Brian Moore

Season 1981-82
557	Wednesday, 9 September 1981 - Norway 2 England 1 [2-1] Ullevål Stadion, Oslo - Kick-off 7.00pm (6.00pm BST)	World Cup Special (ITV) - 5:50pm - 8:00pm Anglia, ATV, Border, Channel, Granada, HTV West, Southern, Thames, Tyne Tees, Westward and Yorkshire commentators Brian Moore and Ron Atkinson (Grampian, HTV Cymru/Wales, Scottish and Ulster opted out) Scotsport World Cup Special - 10:30pm - 11:30pm Grampian and Scottish World Cup Football (Ulster) - 10:30pm - 11:30pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		HTV Cymru/Wales had live coverage of Wales' trip to Prague to face Czechoslovakia, at the same time as the England match. The programmes at 10:30 featured highlights from Scotland's game with Sweden, but may also have included action from England's game.
558	Wednesday, 18 November 1981 - England 1 Hungary 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm GMT	World Cup Football (BBC1) - 7:30pm - 9:45pm commentator John Motson (BBC Northern Ireland opted out - News Headlines during half-time interval) World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:15pm - 10:45pm World Cup Special (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:45pm - 12:00am (recorded highlights)
Notes		BBC Scotland's planned live coverage of their final qualifier in Lisbon was cancelled due to a Portuguese television dispute, so they showed highlights from Northern Ireland's historic victory against Israel that secured their World Cup qualification. World Cup Special featured extended highlights from the game in Belfast, along with action from Wembley. World Cup Sportscene may also have re-run brief clips from England's game.
559	Tuesday, 23 February 1982 - England 4 Northern Ireland 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm GMT HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10.20pm - 11:10pm commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights)
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 23rd March 1982 - José Francisco Rojo Testimonial Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain Athletic Bilbao 1 England 1 - Sportsnight (BBC1) 9.25pm - 10.25pm - Wednesday, 24th March commentator Alan Parry (recorded highlights)
560	Tuesday, 27 April 1982 - Wales 0 England 1 [0-0] Ninian Park, Cardiff - Kick-off 7.30pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:45pm - 11:55pm (all regions) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
Notes		The programme also included a look ahead to England's speedway first test match against the United States on the Thursday night at Wimbledon, and a horse-racing preview of the first two classics of the flat-racing season, beginning with the weekend's 2000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket.
561	Tuesday, 25 May 1982 - England 2 Netherlands 0 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	International Football (ITV) - 10:45pm - 11:55pm (all regions) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
Notes		A preview of the following night's European Cup Final between Aston Villa and Bayern Munich was also included in the programme.
562	Saturday, 29 May 1982 - Scotland 0 England 1 [0-1] Hampden Park, Glasgow - Kick-off 3.00pm BST	Grandstand (BBC1) - 2:35pm - 4:45pm commentator Barry Davies BBC Scotland commentator Archie Macpherson World of Sport (ITV) - 2:40pm - 4:50pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Cymru/Wales, HTV West, London Weekend, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire commentators Brian Moore and Jack Charlton Grampian and Scottish commentators Jock Brown and Ian St John International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:25pm - 11:10pm International Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:25pm - 11:10pm (recorded highlights)
564	Thursday, 3 June 1982 - Finland 1 England 4 [0-2] Olympiastadion, Helsinki - Kick-off 7.00pm (5.00pm BST)	International Football Special (ITV) - 4:45pm - 6:50pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Cymru/Wales, HTV West,  Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentators Martin Tyler and Jack Charlton
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 5th June 1982 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 0 Scotland 0 - World of Sport (ITV) 3:15pm - 4:55pm (all regions) commentators Martin Tyler and Ian St John
World Cup Finals 1982		Spain
565	Wednesday, 16 June 1982 - England 3 France 1 [1-1] Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao - Kick-off 5.15pm (4.15pm BST)	World Cup Grandstand (BBC1) - 4:05pm - 6:05pm commentators John Motson and Jimmy Hill - see transcripts below World Cup Report (BBC1) - 6:55pm - 7:30pm (recorded highlights) World Cup '82 (ITV - all regions) - 7:30pm - 7:55pm (approximately) commentators Martin Tyler and Jack Charlton (recorded highlights) World Cup Report (BBC1) - 11:25pm - 11:55pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		World Cup Grandstand included brief highlights from the other game being played at the same time, between Algeria and West Germany, and also in the first World Cup Report. World Cup '82 featured live coverage of the host nation's opening game against Honduras in Zaragoza, following highlights from the two earlier games. The second World Cup Report included highlights from all three games.
566	Sunday, 20 June 1982 - England 2 Czechoslovakia 0 [0-0] Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao - Kick-off 5.00pm (4.00pm BST)	World Cup '82 (ITV) - 3:45pm - 6:30pm (all regions) commentators Martin Tyler and Jack Charlton World Cup Report (BBC1) - 9:20pm - 10:30pm commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights) World Cup '82 (ITV) - 11:00pm - 11:40pm (all regions) (recorded highlights)
Notes		The live coverage included brief highlights from the other game being played at the same time, between Chile and West Germany. World Cup Report and the later World Cup '82 included extended highlights from both games, plus the evening fixture between Spain and Yugoslavia.
567	Friday, 25 June 1982 - England 1 Kuwait 0 [0-0] Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao - Kick-off 5.15pm (4.15pm BST)	World Cup '82 (ITV) - 3:45pm - 6:15pm (all regions) commentators Martin Tyler and Jack Charlton World Cup '82 (ITV) - 7:00pm - 7:30pm (all regions) (recorded highlights) World Cup Grandstand (BBC1) - 7:30pm - 7:55pm (approximately) commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights) World Cup '82 (ITV) - 11:00pm - 11:40pm (all regions) (recorded highlights)
Notes		The live coverage included brief highlights from the other game being played at the same time, between Austria and West Germany, and also in the early evening World Cup '82. World Cup Grandstand featured live coverage of Northern Ireland's group decider against the hosts in Valencia, following highlights from the two earlier games. The final World Cup '82 included highlights from all three games.
568	Tuesday, 29 June 1982 - West Germany 0 England 0 [0-0] Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid - Kick-off 9.00pm (8.00pm BST)	Wimbledon 82 and World Cup Grandstand (BBC1) - 7:10pm - 9:55pm (News Headlines during half-time interval) commentators John Motson and Jimmy Hill World Cup '82 (ITV) - 11:00pm - 11:40pm (all regions) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
Notes		The live coverage began with a review of the day's play in the Wimbledon tennis championships, with Britain's Buster Mottram making it through to the last 16 of the men's singles. This was followed by brief highlights of the afternoon game between Argentina and Italy which had been screened live by ITV. World Cup '82 included highlights from both games.
569	Monday, 5 July 1982 - Spain 0 England 0 [0-0] Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid - Kick-off 9.00pm (8.00pm BST)	World Cup '82 (ITV) - 7:30pm - 10:00pm (all regions) commentators Martin Tyler and Jack Charlton World Cup Report (BBC1) - 11:15pm - 12:10am commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights)
Notes		World Cup '82 began with brief highlights of the afternoon game in which Italy sensationally knocked out the favourites, Brazil. World Cup Grandstand had shown the game live and then provided highlights, with a preview of England's game in a thirty-minute World Cup Report at 7. The later World Cup Report included highlights from both games.

Season 1982-83
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 21st September 1982 UEFA Under-21 Championship Final First Leg Bramall Lane, Sheffield England 3 West Germany 1 On The Ball (ITV) - Saturday, 25th September 12:20pm - 12:45pm (all regions) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
570	Wednesday, 22 September 1982 - Denmark 2 England 2 [0-1] Idrætsparken, København - Kick-off 7.00pm (6.00pm BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:30pm - 11:40pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian, HTV Cymru/Wales and Scottish opted out) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
Notes		HTV Cymru/Wales showed highlights of Wales' opening European Championship qualifier with Norway instead, brief highlights of which were shown in Midweek Sports Special, whilst Grampian and Scottish may have had an edition of Scotsport featuring the Scottish League Cup quarter-final first leg between Aberdeen and Dundee United.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 12th October 1982 UEFA Under-21 Championship Final Second Leg Weserstadion, Bremen West Germany 3 England 2 England win 5-4 on aggregate Sportsnight (BBC1) - Wednesday, 13th October 10:05pm - 11:28pm (BBC Scotland opted out) reporter Tony Gubba (recorded highlights)
571	Wednesday, 13 October 1982 - England 1 West Germany 2 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:05pm - 11:28pm (BBC Scotland opted out) commentator John Motson (recorded highlights)
Notes		Sportsnight also included the goals from Northern Ireland's defeat to Austria in Vienna and boxing action from the previous night's bill at the Royal Albert Hall, with Clinton McKenzie making his first defence of the European light-welterweight title against Robert Gambini of France. The Grampian and Scottish regions of ITV showed highlights of Scotland's opening European Championship qualifier against East Germany in a Scotsport Special.
572	Wednesday, 17 November 1982 - Greece 0 England 3 [0-1] Kaftanzoglio Stadio, Thessalonica  - Kick-off 2.00pm (12.00pm GMT) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 9:55pm - 10:55pm European Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 9:55pm - 10:55pm commentator John Motson (recorded highlights)
Notes		Sportsnight viewers in Northern Ireland were treated to extended highlights of their team's incredible victory against the defending European champions, West Germany. Also featured was a six-goal thriller between the Republic of Ireland and Spain. European Sportscene focused on Scotland's trip to Bern to face Switzerland. Viewers in England and Wales will have seen brief highlights of the other three games, along with cricket action from the final day's play in Perth, where England's first defence of the Ashes against Australia ended in a draw.
573	Wednesday, 15 December 1982 - England 9 Luxembourg 0 [4-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm GMT HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:40pm - 11:40pm Anglia, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Border, Grampian, HTV Wales and Scottish opted out) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
Notes		Midweek Sports Special had an additional half-hour from 11:40 to show snooker highlights from the semi-finals of the inaugural Hofmeister World Doubles Championship at Crystal Palace. The Welsh pair of Terry Griffiths and Doug Mountjoy were holding off the challenge of world champion, Alex Higgins and Australian, Eddie Charlton. They were joined by HTV Wales, who had shown highlights of an incredible 4-4 draw with Yugoslavia, played in the afternoon in Titograd (now Podgorica in Montenegro), whilst Border, Grampian and Scottish had broadcast live coverage of Scotland's game with Belgium in Brussels, earlier in the evening, in Scotsport Special. Midweek Sports Special will also have included action from these two games.
574	Wednesday, 23 February 1983 - England 2 Wales 1 [1-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm GMT HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:35pm - 12:05am Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
Notes		The programme also included highlights from the Milk Cup semi-final second leg between Manchester United and Arsenal.
575	Wednesday, 30 March 1983 - England 0 Greece 0 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 11:05pm Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:00pm - 11:05pm Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:00pm - 11:05pm commentator John Motson (recorded highlights)
Notes		Sportscene featured Scotland's qualifier with Switzerland, whilst viewers in Northern Ireland saw the game with Turkey. Both games were also included in Sportsnight for the rest of the UK, along with tennis action from the Monte Carlo Open, as the great Björn Borg began, what was to be, his only tournament of the year, beating José Luis Clerc of Argentina in straight sets.
576	Wednesday, 27 April 1983 - England 2 Hungary 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:30pm - 12:00am Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Grampian, Granada, HTV West, Scottish, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees and Yorkshire (HTV Wales and Ulster opted out) commentator Brian Moore (recorded highlights)
Notes		Midweek Sports Special included ice-hockey action from the British League match at Streatham between Cleveland Bombers and Durham Wasps. Highlights from Wales' qualifier with Bulgaria was featured by HTV Wales, and Ulster viewers saw Northern Ireland entertain Albania in a Sportscast Special. Action from both games will also have appeared on Midweek Sports Special.
577	Saturday, 28 May 1983 - Northern Ireland 0 England 0 [0-0] Windsor Park, Belfast - Kick-off 7.30pm BST	ITV - 7:00pm - 9:30pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Grampian, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, London Weekend, Scottish, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees and Yorkshire (Ulster opted out) commentators Martin Tyler and Ron Atkinson Ulster - 10:15pm - 11:45pm commentator Jackie Fullerton (recorded highlights) International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 11:30pm - 12:30am International Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 11:30pm - 12:30am commentator Alan Parry (recorded highlights)
Notes		Each programme also provided highlights from the afternoon game played at Cardiff between Wales and Scotland.
578	Wednesday, 1 June 1983 - England 2 Scotland 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST	BBC1 - 7:25pm - 9:40pm (News Headlines during half-time interval) commentators John Motson and Jimmy Hill BBC Scotland commentators Archie Macpherson and Alex Ferguson Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:40pm - 11:40pm (all regions) commentator Martin Tyler (recorded highlights)
Notes		Midweek Sports Special also included a re-run of the Epsom Derby, won for a record ninth time, by Lester Piggott, on Teenoso, and highlights from Coventry where Chris Morton became the British speedway champion.
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 11th June 1983 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 3 Scotland 3 - World of Sport (ITV) 3:15pm - 4:55pm (all regions) commentator Brian Moore
579	Sunday, 12 June 1983 - Australia 0 England 0 [0-0] Sydney Cricket Ground, Moore Park, Sydney - Kick-off 3.10pm (6.10am BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sunday Grandstand (BBC2) - 4:40pm - 4:45pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		Barry Davies gave a brief summary over the highlights of the game, just as Wales' friendly with Brazil at Cardiff came to an end. This was shown live by all ITV regions, except Scottish.
580	Wednesday, 15 June 1983 - Australia 0 England 1 [0-0] Lang Park, Milton, Brisbane - Kick-off 8.00pm (11.00am BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	World of Sport (ITV) - Saturday, 18th June (all regions) 1:05pm - 1:15pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		Martin Tyler gave a brief summary over the highlights of the game.
581	Sunday, 19 June 1983 - Australia 1 England 1 [1-1] Olympic Park Stadium, Richmond, Melbourne - Kick-off 3.10pm (6.10am BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sunday Grandstand (BBC2) - 5:00pm - 5:05pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		Barry Davies gave a brief summary over the highlights of the game.

Season 1983-84
582	Wednesday, 21 September 1983 - England 0 Denmark 1 [0-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 7:30pm - 9:30pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees and Yorkshire commentators Brian Moore and Brian Clough (Grampian, HTV Wales, Scottish and Ulster opted out) Midweek Sports Special (Ulster) - 11:00pm - 12:00am Scotsport International Special - 11:10pm - 12:10am Grampian and Scottish (recorded highlights)
Notes		HTV Wales provided live coverage of their game against Norway in Oslo, whilst Ulster viewers saw highlights of the Belfast qualifier with Austria and Scotsport International Special featured Scotland's friendly with Uruguay. Both were likely to have included highlights from England's game in their programmes.
583	Wednesday, 12 October 1983 - Hungary 0 England 3 [0-3] Népstadion, Budapest - Kick-off 7.00pm (6.00pm BST)	BBC1 - 5:55pm - 7:55pm (Regional News during half-time interval) commentator John Motson (BBC Scotland opted out) Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:45pm - 11:15pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		Northern Ireland's qualifier with Turkey in Ankara was televised live by BBC1 Northern Ireland in the afternoon. Sportscene featured action from Scotland's game with Belgium, whilst BBC1 Wales provided highlights of a 5-0 victory in a friendly against Romania at Wrexham.
584	Wednesday, 16 November 1983 - Luxembourg 0 England 4 [0-2] Stade Municipal, Stad Lëtzebuerg - Kick-off 7.00pm (6.00pm GMT)	ITV - 7:00pm - 8:00pm (second half only) Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentators Brian Moore and Brian Clough
Notes		ITV (except Grampian and Scottish) had earlier provided live coverage of the last half-hour from Athens of Denmark's final qualifier against Greece in England's group. The second half of Scotland's final qualifier against East Germany in Halle was screened live by the Grampian and Scottish regions of ITV, at the same time as the England game, in Scotsport International Special. HTV Wales had later highlights of their meeting with Bulgaria in Sofia, whilst BBC1 Northern Ireland featured a historic victory in Hamburg as they completed the double over the defending champions, West Germany.
585	Wednesday, 29 February 1984 - France 2 England 0 [0-0] Parc des Princes, Paris - Kick-off 8.30pm (7.30pm GMT)	Sportsnight Special (BBC1) - 7:20pm - 9:20pm commentators Barry Davies and Bob Wilson (BBC Scotland opted out) Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:15pm - 11:05pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		Sportscene may have included some reaction to Scotland's British Championship victory against Wales on the previous night, along with a preview of the weekend's rugby union international in the Five Nations Championship against Ireland in Dublin.
586	Wednesday, 4 April 1984 - England 1 Northern Ireland 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek Sports Special (ITV) - 10:40pm - 11:50pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentator Brian Moore (recorded highlights)
Notes		The programme also featured highlights of the ice-hockey match between Streatham Redskins and Ayr Bruins.
587	Wednesday, 2 May 1984 - Wales 1 England 0 [1-0] Racecourse Ground, Wrexham - Kick-off 7.30pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:10am commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights)
Notes		The programme also included action from the quarter-finals of the Embassy World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, where defending champion, Steve Davis beat Terry Griffiths, 13-10. There was also a report on the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics and the prospects for British success.
588	Saturday, 26 May 1984 - Scotland 1 England 1 [1-1] Hampden Park, Glasgow - Kick-off 3.00pm BST	World of Sport (ITV) - 2:40pm - 4:50pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, London Weekend, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire commentators Brian Moore and Trevor Brooking Grampian and Scottish commentators Jock Brown and Billy McNeill Sunday Grandstand (BBC2) - Sunday, 27th May 1:55pm - 6:50pm commentator Archie Macpherson (recorded highlights)
Notes		Sunday Grandstand also included golf from Wentworth (the PGA Championship), the UK Athletics Championships from Cwmbran, a report on Daley Thompson's chances of retaining his Olympic decathlon title in Los Angeles, and the Olympic swimming trials from Coventry.
589	Saturday, 2 June 1984 - England 0 USSR 2 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 3.00pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	BBC1 - 10:05pm - 10:55pm commentator John Motson (recorded highlights)
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 9th June 1984 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 4 Netherlands 1 - World of Sport (ITV) 3:10pm - 4:50pm (all regions) commentators Martin Tyler and Ian St John
590	Sunday, 10 June 1984 - Brazil 0 England 2 [0-1] Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Rio de Janeiro - Kick-off 4.30pm (8.30pm BST)	ITV (all regions) - 9:10pm - 10:15pm commentator Brian Moore - see transcripts below (second half only)
Notes		The Grampian and Scottish regions of ITV provided live coverage of the Scottish Junior Cup Final in the afternoon.
591	Wednesday, 13 June 1984 - Uruguay 2 England 0 [1-0] Estadio Centenario, Montevideo - Kick-off 7.00pm (11.00pm BST)	BBC1 - 10:50pm - 1:00am (News Headlines during half-time interval) commentator Barry Davies
Notes		During the half-time interval there were also brief highlights of the two opening games played in the European Championship finals in France, between England's conquerors, Denmark and the hosts, from the previous night, and between Belgium and Yugoslavia, from earlier in the evening.
592	Sunday, 17 June 1984 - Chile 0 England 0 [0-0] Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago - Kick-off 3.30pm (8.30pm BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sports Special (BBC1) - 10:35pm - 12:55am commentator Barry Davies
Notes		The programme included highlights from the day's European Championship matches in France, with Romania meeting West Germany in the first game, and Portugal facing Spain in the evening fixture. Also featured were the Everest Grand Prix at the Royal International Horse Show at Birmingham, and Formula One world champion, Nelson Piquet of Brazil winning the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal.

Season 1984-85
593	Wednesday, 12 September 1984 - England 1 GDR 0 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	International Soccer Special (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 10:55pm (recorded highlights) commentator John Motson
Notes		The ITV Ulster region showed highlights of Northern Ireland's game with Romania in England's World Cup qualifying group, whilst BBC1 Wales viewers had to wait another two nights to see highlights of their side's trip to Reykjavik to face Iceland.
594	Wednesday, 17 October 1984 - England 5 Finland 0 [2-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm BST HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	On The Ball (ITV) - Saturday, 20th October (all regions) 12:50pm - 1:20pm (recorded highlights) commentator Martin Tyler
Notes		Midweek Sport Special had been scheduled to show highlights on the night of the game, but a pay dispute at Thames Television involving film editors and their assistants led to a blackout of the evening's programmes. The game was only filmed by a news camera and the goals were shown three days later in the weekend World of Sport preview show. The Grampian and Scottish regions had shown highlights of Scotland's game with Iceland on the night in Midweek Scotsport, whilst S4C (Channel 4 Wales) had provided live coverage of Wales' qualifier in Seville against Spain, with highlights on HTV Wales.
595	Wednesday, 14 November 1984 - Turkey 0 England 8 [0-3] Inönü Stadyumu, İstanbul - Kick-off 2.00pm (12.00pm GMT) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Midweek World Cup Special (ITV) - 1:30pm - 3:00pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) Midweek Sport Special (ITV) - 10:40pm - 11:50pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire Midweek Scotsport - 10:40pm - 11:40pm Grampian and Scottish (HTV Wales opted out) commentators Brian Moore and Ray Clemence (recorded highlights)
Notes		Midweek World Cup Special began before the game in Istanbul had finished. England's manager, Bobby Robson was due to fly back to appear in the studio for the highlights in Midweek Sport Special. HTV Wales featured their own highlights of their qualifier with Iceland and Midweek Scotsport showed Scotland's clash with Spain, both of which appeared in Midweek Sport Special, alongside Northern Ireland's game with Finland, and a film report on the ice-dancing partners, Karen Barber and Nicky Slater.
596	Wednesday, 27 February 1985 - Northern Ireland 0 England 1 [0-0] Windsor Park, Belfast - Kick-off 7.30pm GMT	World Cup Special (BBC1) - 7:25pm - 9:25pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking BBC Northern Ireland commentator Mike Nesbitt World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 7:30pm - 9:25pm
Notes		World Cup Sportscene featured live coverage of Scotland's qualifier in Seville against Spain, with brief highlights appearing in World Cup Special.
597	Tuesday, 26 March 1985 - England 2 Republic of Ireland 1 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 7.45pm GMT HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	International Football Special (ITV) - 10:30pm - 11:30pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Grampian, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Scottish opted out) commentator Brian Moore (recorded highlights)
Notes		RTÉ 2 showed the game live in Ireland.
598	Wednesday, 1 May 1985 - Romania 0 England 0 [0-0] Stadionul 23 August, Bucureşti - Kick-off 6.00pm (4.00pm BST)	World Cup Football (BBC1) - 3.50pm - 6:00pm commentators John Motson and Bobby Charlton (BBC Scotland opted out) Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:05pm - 11:20pm (BBC Scotland opted out) Sportsnight (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:05pm - 11:05pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		BBC2 Wales showed the last few minutes of the game, as BBC1 Wales switched to Wales Today. Highlights of Northern Ireland's qualifier with Turkey was the main feature of their edition of Sportsnight, whilst in England and Wales, the programme also included action from that game, plus the Republic of Ireland's game with Norway, and a historic moment in ice hockey as the USSR were eliminated from the world championship after five successive titles, with defeat by Canada in Prague.
Other England Internationals		Thursday, 16th May 1985 - Schoolboys' Victory Shield Vetch Field, Swansea Wales 3 England 3 - Wales at Six 6:00pm - 7:00pm - Monday, 20th May (HTV Wales) (recorded highlights) reporter Rob King
599	Wednesday, 22 May 1985 - Finland 1 England 1 [1-0] Olympiastadion, Helsinki - Kick-off 6.00pm (4.00pm BST)	Midweek World Cup Special (ITV) - 3:55pm - 5:55pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) Midweek Sport Special (ITV) - 10:30pm - 12:00am Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentators Brian Moore and Mick Channon (recorded highlights)
Notes		Midweek Sport Special also included highlights from Larry Holmes' 48th consecutive victory, a successful world heavyweight boxing title defence against Carl 'The Truth' Williams in Reno, plus action from the second leg of the UEFA Cup Final between Real Madrid of Spain and Videoton of Hungary.
600	Saturday, 25 May 1985 - Scotland 1 England 0 [0-0] Hampden Park, Glasgow - Kick-off 3.00pm BST	Grandstand (BBC1) - 2:40pm - 5:05pm commentators John Motson and Jimmy Hill BBC Scotland commentator Archie Macpherson
601	Thursday, 6 June 1985 - Italy 2 England 1 [0-0] Estadio Azteca, ciudad de México - Kick-off 2.00pm (9.00pm BST)	International Football Special (ITV) - 8:50pm - 10:50pm (News Headlines during half-time interval) Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentators Brian Moore and Mick Channon
Notes		The broadcast experienced sound problems at the beginning of the game, so Martin Tyler stepped in as a substitute commentator from the studio in London for almost twenty minutes.
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 8th June 1985 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 2 Switzerland 0 - World of Sport (ITV) 3:15pm - 4:55pm (all regions) commentators Martin Tyler and Ian St John
602	Sunday, 9 June 1985 - Mexico 1 England 0 [1-0] Estadio Azteca, ciudad de México - Kick-off 12.00pm (7.00pm BST)	BBC1 - 6:50pm - 9:00pm commentators John Motson and Terry Venables (BBC Scotland opted out)
603	Wednesday, 12 June 1985 - England 3 West Germany 0 [1-0] Estadio Azteca, ciudad de México - Kick-off 2.00pm (9.00pm BST)	International Football Special (ITV) - 9:00pm - 10:50pm (News Headlines during half-time interval) Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentators Brian Moore and Mick Channon
604	Sunday, 16 June 1985 - United States 0 England 5 [0-2] LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles - Kick-off 5.00pm (1.00am Monday, 17 June BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	BBC1 - 5:35pm - 6:00pm - Monday, 17th June BBC1 Northern Ireland - 6:35pm - 7:00pm - Monday, 17th June BBC1 Wales - 6:35pm - 7:00pm - Monday, 17th June commentator John Motson (recorded highlights)

Wednesday, 16 June 1982

WORLD CUP

England 3 France 1

(BBC commentary transcript - John Motson)

As Bryan Robson put England ahead after only 27 seconds of their first World Cup finals match for twelve years...

Already the French are marking up, man for man. Mariner's on the near post, Butcher has pushed well forward. There's a header in there and a great chance for the first goal, and it's there, Bryan Robson! Bryan Robson, number sixteen, pounced there in the first minute. What a start for England! Amazing! Mariner and Butcher caused problems from the throw and Robson was on hand to score his fifth goal of the season. Just watch here as Terry Butcher, number four, causes problems, flicks it on and look at the space! Robson, on his left foot, which he favours, knocks the ball in the net after only a minute, inside a minute, in fact. England are in front.

Sunday 10 June 1984

Brazil 0 England 2

(ITV commentary transcript - Brian Moore)

As John Barnes put England in front with a superb individual goal...

Hateley for England, that's a good ball there for Barnes. Now, can he take Leandro? John Barnes, now! Might go all the way for England, Barnes! Barnes!..and England, amazingly, are into the lead!..right on half-time! First goal for England and what a place to get it! John Barnes, that long, lazy dribble and Barnes, here in Rio, has performed a miracle there. What a sight that was! Just look at it again! Through the entire Brazilian defence with marvellous presence of mind, goes round the 'keeper and England, sensationally, have just gone into the lead, right on half-time, with a goal by John Barnes.*

* Words in blue were the first spoken as ITV went live to the stadium at the beginning of the programme.