Spain 12–1 Malta
| Event | UEFA Euro 1984 qualification Matchday 8 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 21 December 1983 | ||||||
| Venue | Benito Villamarín, Sevilla, Spain | ||||||
| Referee |  Erkan Göksel | ||||||
| Attendance | 18,871 | ||||||
| Weather | Very Cold | ||||||
The Spain vs Malta 1984 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying match was one of the most important matches ever played by the Spain national team. It was the last qualifying match for the EURO 1984 France.
Background
Four days before, the Netherlands won 5–0 Malta (December 17 1983), and the Netherlander team obtained 13 points and a +16 goal difference. Previously the aggregate score between Spain and the Netherlands was 2–2 and, by the tie-break rules, if Spain would obtain 13 points, the goal difference would decide the team qualified.
Table before the match
After December 17, the group 7 table was the follow:
| Pos. | Team | Points | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Dif. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Netherlands
|
13 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 6 | +16 |
| 2 |  Spain
|
11 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 |
| 3 |  Republic of Ireland
|
9 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 10 | +10 |
| 4 |  Iceland
|
3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 13 | –10 |
| 5 |  Malta
|
2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 25 | –21 |
Match report
The only Spanish chance was winning Malta by a 11 or more goals difference. The people in Spain couldn't think that their national football team would score 11 goals, so RFEF decided to host the match in Sevilla and not in Madrid.
Nobody thought that with a 3–1 score at the half time Spain would win the match by 12–1, but the second half of the match showed that it was not impossible. Ironically, Juan Antonio Señor scored the last goal after having missed a penalty in the 2nd minute of the game. Rafael Gordillo scored a 13th goal in the waning minutes of the game but it was disallowed. The match was broadcasted by RTVE for the entire country.
| Spain | 12 – 1 | Malta |
|---|---|---|
Santillana  15', 26', 29', 66'Rincón 47', 57', 64', 78'Maceda 62', 63'Sarabia 80'Señor 84' |
24' Degiorgio |
        Spain
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   Malta
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Final table
| Pos. | Team | Points | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Dif. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain (Q)
|
13 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 8 | +16 |
| 2 | Netherlands
|
13 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 6 | +16 |
| 3 | Republic of Ireland
|
9 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 10 | +10 |
| 4 | Iceland
|
3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 13 | –10 |
| 5 | Malta
|
2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 37 | –32 |
Records
- It was the second biggest win in Spain history (the best, 13–0 against Bulgaria, 1933).
- In the second half, Spain scored 0.2 goals per minute.
- The four goals scored by Santillana put him as the top goalscorer in Group 7.