When West Germany met Algeria in the 1982 World Cup, the world stood up in amazement. Algeria beat one of the strongest teams. Algeria won their final group match too. But Germany and Austria had other ideas. In what has become known as the "non-aggression pact of Gijon", Germany beat Austria, 1-0.
After the first goal, there was very little activity as the two teams largely kept the ball in midfield and hardly passed. The only Austrian player to take a shot in the second half was berated by his coach. Fans waved dollars and other currencies in the crowd. Commentators were disgusted. Germany and Austria progressed as Algeria crashed out.
None of the players who featured on that day actually admit there was a pact even today. Algerians will remember the events of 1982 when their team faces the Germans in the 2014 edition of the World Cup. As for the match itself, this could be more even than most think.
Germany, after battering Portugal, did just enough to draw against Ghana and beat the USA. While they completely overwhelmed the Americans in their last group game, they took their foot off the gas after Thomas Müller struck his fourth goal of the tournament. His coach had this to say about him afterwards according to the Guardian:
“He is mentally strong, a very smart player who always seems able to find space, but physically he is in great shape as well. He is the one who runs the most kilometres but he makes it look easy, even the heat doesn’t seem to affect him."
Joachim Löw made some changes ahead of the USA game, putting in Bastian Schweinsteiger and taking out Sami Khedira. He also took out Mario Götze, putting in Lukas Podolski. Schweinsteiger had a great affect; the team played better as a unit and Philipp Lahm had a much better game. Podolski left the pitch after 45 minutes, giving way to Miroslav Klose.
Algeria meanwhile went a goal down against Russia but found their way back. Their best performance came against South Korea. Their direct play resulted in a 4-2 victory. Germany's defense has lapses; they will definitely get a chance or two to score.
Can Algeria surprise Germany and gain some revenge for the events of 1982?
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Germany vs Algeria live on Monday, June 30, 2014:
In the US at 16.00 EST on:
- On TV: ESPN, Univision Deportes USA, Univision USA
- Online & Apps:ESPN Deportes+, ESPN3 Online-App, Univision Deportes En Vivo, WATCH ESPN
- Audio / Radio: ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Radio, SiriusXM FC, Futbol de Primera Radio,
In Canada at 16.00 ET on:
- On TV: CBC, Mediaset Italia, TVA Sports, Univision Canada, TLN
- Online & Apps: CBC Sports Live Streaming, ICI Radio-Canada En Direct,
- Audio / Radio: TSN 690 Montreal, TSN 1200 Ottawa, TSN 1050 Toronto, TEAM 1410 Vancouver
In the UK at 21.00 BST on:
- On TV: ITV 1 UK, STV Scotland, UTV
- Online & Apps: The ITV Player
- Audio / Radio: BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport Radio
In Australia at 06:00 (Tuesday) on:
- On TV: SBS One Australia
- Audio / Radio: SBS Radio 3, SBS Radio 4
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Germany vs Algeria match page.
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