Spain 12–1 Malta

With only the group winner getting a spot in the finals, the Netherlands had defeated Malta 5–0 four days before, and had finished their qualification schedule on top of the group with 13 points and a goal difference of +16.

By winning their final qualifier Spain would also finish on 13 points, and goal difference would decide the group winner. Spain's goal difference was +5 before the match; if it also reached +16, then the total number of goals scored by Spain would surpass that of the Netherlands, putting Spain ahead. Therefore, the team needed a win by a margin of 11 or more goals.

Spain had only managed to score 12 goals in their seven matches in the group until then. Before the game the Maltese goalkeeper John Bonello said: "I wouldn't return to my country if they scored 11 goals."{{cite web |last1=Olmedo |first1=Álvaro |title=La intrahistoria de la gran hazaña |url=http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/seleccion/es/desarrollo/1193906.html |website=Marca |language=es |date=20 December 2008|quote=El meta de Malta, John Bonello, se retractaba de las declaraciones hechas días antes -“Si me meten once goles no vuelvo a mi país”- mientras la otra cara de la moneda, Holanda, se preguntaba cómo era posible. "Fue simplemente la segunda parte que habíamos soñado". }}

Going into the match, the Group 7 table stood as follows:

{{UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying group tables|Group 7 (prior to ESP-MLT)|showteam=ESP}}

Spain's only chance of qualifying for Euro 1984 was to defeat Malta by at least 11 goals.

In the second minute of the match, Spain were awarded a penalty kick after a foul on Francisco José Carrasco inside the box. However, Juan Antonio Señor subsequently missed the penalty in the fourth minute after the shot deflected back off the left post and was cleared by a Maltese defender for a corner. After Santillana opened the scoring for Spain in the 15th minute, Malta's Michael Degiorgio levelled the score 1–1 in the 24th minute.{{cite news |last=Murray |first=Scott |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/sep/02/joy-of-six-european-championship-qualifiers |title=The Joy of Six: European Championship qualifiers |website=The Guardian |date=2 September 2011 |access-date=22 January 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723194307/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/sep/02/joy-of-six-european-championship-qualifiers |archive-date=23 July 2016}}{{cite news |date=22 December 1983 |title=Colossal 12–1 win for Spain |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/archive/download/19831222-031.pdf |work=Times of Malta |location=Seville |access-date=23 January 2019 |url-access=subscription }} {{dead link|date=July 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [https://archive.org/details/TimesofMalta19831222p31 Alt URL]

When half-time came and the scoreline was 3–1 to Spain, few expected them to score enough goals to qualify. However, Juan Antonio Señor, who had missed the early penalty, scored Spain's 12th and last goal in the 88th minute; Rafael Gordillo nearly scored a 13th in the final minutes of the game but it was disallowed by the referee. That did not matter, however, as the Spaniards won by the 11-goal margin required for them to beat the Netherlands to qualification.{{cite web|url = http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131221/sport/spain-recalls-12-1-victory-over-malta-30-years-ago-today.499958#.Utagk_RdVc4|title= Spain's top newspaper recalls 12-1 victory over Malta 30 years ago today|date=21 December 2013|work=Times of Malta|access-date=15 January 2014}}

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{{weasel|date=June 2014}}

The match was broadcast by Televisión Española in Spain. Afterwards, in Malta, many claimed {{citation needed|date=June 2014}} that the Maltese were paid to not play their best and to let Spain win by a large margin, and it was rumoured that words had been exchanged between Maltese and Spanish officials and players at half-time. In March 2018, two Maltese players, Silvio Demanuele and Carmel Busuttil, claimed that Spain had been using doping as "they had foam in their mouths and could not stop drinking water". They also claim the Maltese players were drugged via lemon wedges during halftime.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-03-20/local-news/Watch-1983-12-1-defeat-against-Spain-Maltese-players-say-they-were-drugged-6736186575|title=Watch: 1983 12-1 defeat against Spain - Maltese players say they were drugged|author=independent.com|date=March 20, 2018|language=en}} However, as of 2018, no evidence has come forth to support these allegations.{{cite news|url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2004/06/20/la-spagna-rifilo-12-reti-malta.html|title=E la Spagna rifilò 12 reti a Malta|author=Mattia Chiusano|newspaper=la Repubblica|date=June 20, 2004|page=48|language=it}}

The Malta Football Association launched an inquiry into the result, and its chairman George Abela (later the President of Malta) brought about changes to the national team. Abela said that a lack of facilities meant that the team lacked serious professional preparation for a tournament such as the European Championships, and the closeness of away fixtures (Malta had played in the Netherlands only four days before their 12–1 loss in Seville) was a further hindrance and such scheduling would be avoided in future.

Spain and the Netherlands finished the qualification stage level on 13 points, level on goal difference, but Spain qualified on goals scored (24, compared to 22 for the Netherlands).

{{UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying group tables|Group 7|showteam=ESP}}

• The match produced the second-largest win in Spain's history (the largest was 13–0 against Bulgaria in 1933), and Malta's largest loss.
• The four goals scored by Santillana put him as the top goalscorer in qualifying group 7.

• UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying Group 7
• Spain national football team results

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/television/espana-12-malta-1-1983/364310/ Integral video of the game 'ESP 12–1 MLT'] rtve.es

{{UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying}}

{{Spain national football team matches}}

{{Malta national football team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spain 12-1 Malta}}

Category:UEFA European Championship matches

Category:UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying

1983

1983

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Category:December 1983 sports events in Europe

Category:Football competitions in Seville

Category:20th century in Seville

Category:Malta–Spain relations

Category:Association football matches in Spain