As the group stage came to an end, the round of 16 of the 1986 World Cup was created, namely Argentina, Italy and Bulgaria in Group A. Mexico, Paraguay, Belgium in group b. Group C of the USSR and France. Group d brazil and Spain. Group e Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Uruguay. Group f Morocco, England and Poland. An even more intense knockout round is about to unfold.
The first quarter-final was played between host Mexico and Bulgaria, and for host Mexico fans, the match was undoubtedly perfect. In the 35th minute, Mexico attacked and, after a juggling show near the Arc of the Bulgarian penalty area, Aguirre quickly passed the ball to teammate Manuel Negret in the box. Negret did not pause, and without waiting for the ball to land, he jumped up high and sent the ball into the Bulgarian team gate guarded by Borisrav Mikhailov with an acrobatic volley. Mexico took a 1:0 lead, the goal is impeccable in terms of viewing and technical use, so this classic goal is often voted one of the top ten goals in the history of the World Cup by various foreign media.
Such a wonderful goal also boosted the morale of the Mexican team, and in the 60th minute of the second half, Selvin helped Mexico extend the score to 2:0, and finally Mexico ended the game with this score, and they advanced to the quarterfinals first.
In another quarter-final played on the same day, the Soviets took on Belgium. The performances of the two teams in the group stage were worlds apart, with Belgium stumbling all the way to a thrilling finish in the group. On the other hand, the Soviets, who defeated the French team with Platini in the group stage with two wins and one draw, won the first place in the group, scored 9 goals and conceded only 1 goal, and the former Soviet Union team was undoubtedly a bigger favorite at the beginning of the game.
The game did develop as expected, in the 27th minute of the game, the Soviet Union launched an attack, only to see Belanov running from the left side with lightning speed to the middle, after receiving a pass from his teammates, he crossed outside the penalty area to get rid of the defenders and then pulled a bar to score the goal, and the Soviet team took a 1:0 lead.
For Belanov, the past season was perfect. His Kyiv Dynamo not only defended the Title of Soviet League, but also won the European Cup Winners' Cup, including a 9-2 sweep of Vienna Fastball Club in the quarter-finals and a crazy and wonderful match like Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the final.
In the first half, the Soviets led 1:0 thanks to Belanov's goal. After the start of the second half, there seemed to be a hint of eerie atmosphere on the pitch. In the 57th minute of the match, Belgium equalized by supernova Schiff, and the Soviets did not care much about it, because in the 70th minute of the game, Belanov's meikai twice helped the Soviet Union take the lead again.
The Soviets' joy did not last long, and just five minutes later, Thurlemance equalised again for Belgium. But the goal seemed to be offside, but Sweden referee Fredrickson insisted that the goal was valid. Neither side scored another goal in the regular hours since then, with a 2-2 score that forced both sides into extra time. In the first half of extra time, a scene of controversy recurred, and in the 102nd minute of the game, De Moore helped Belgium reverse the score. In fact, the goal was still suspected of offside, but Fredrickson still turned a blind eye. In the 108th minute of the match, Klassen helped Belgium widen the point difference to two goals, and the Soviets were in a desperate situation. Although the Soviets scored a penalty in the 111th minute of the match and Belanov scored a hat-trick, the Soviets lost the match.
Considering the background of the times at that time, it was not surprising that the Soviet team suffered such treatment. Although he could only regret being out, Bielanov's year was still full of gains, and because the Ballon d'Or awards at that time were only awarded to European players, he won the European Ballon d'Or that year.