101 most memorable World Cup moments: Hungary upset El Salvador

Pa Doug McIntyre
Posted by FOX Sports Soccer

Editor’s note: Every day from now until the start of the first match World Cup 2022 On November 20, we will open another memory from the history of the World Cup. The countdown to 101 continues

With a brutal civil war engulfing their country, Salvador beating the odds to even qualify for the 1982 World Cup. They were not so lucky when they reached Spain.

The Salvadorans were desperate for a respectable performance in just their second appearance at the tournament, having lost all three games and failed to score in the 1970 tournament. But a lack of funding meant they took just 20 players, two short of the squad limit, and were the last team to arrive at the competition. Add in an overly aggressive game plan from young coach Mauricio “Pip” Rodriguez and the result was a 10-1 loss Hungary in their garden. It remains the most one-sided scoreline in World Cup history.

A record result was established

In 1982, the Hungarian national team scored 10 goals against El Salvador, making this the most one-sided result in World Cup history.

The performance was so humiliating that when ES forward Luis Ramírez Zapata scored to make it 5-1, some of his teammates begged him to tone down his celebrations so as not to anger the Hungarians. Perhaps he did; Laszlo Kiss came off the bench to score a hat-trick in seven minutes (also a record) and Hungary added two more goals before the final whistle to complete the rout.

One of North America’s leading soccer journalists, Doug McIntyre has covered the United States men’s and women’s national teams at numerous FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer for ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Written by Doug McIntyre.