OTD E0051 — 21 Dec 1983: Spain 12–1 Malta & The Night the Margin Was Just Enough

21 Dec 1983: Spain need to beat Malta by 11 goals to reach Euro 84. At half-time in Seville it’s only 3–1… and yet it finishes 12–1. We set the Group 7 maths, walk through the second-half avalanche and the later Maltese allegations, then zoom out to other nights of “just the right score” – Argentina Peru 1978, the Disgrace of Gijón, Denmark–Sweden’s “biscotto”, Barbados Grenada and the Tiger Cup – and how football has tried to protect itself.Tips/corrections: [email protected]