Trevor Brooking At The Double

England under the guidance of Ron Greenwood and a Brooking double earn a valuable away victory against Hungary. The victory was needed to rebuild their ailing World Cup qualifying hopes. It was a case of Trevor Brooking at the double!

The West Ham United legend scored twice to give England an impressive 3-1 victory.

Brooking Strikes Early

Brooking struck early on but his effort was cancelled out just before half-time by Hungary. England were struggling 1-1 at half time in a game they had to win.

It was in the second half that England really turned on the pressure. They got their reward in the shape of a brilliantly taken goal by Brooking. Brooking struck a rising shot so powerfully after accepting a pass from Kevin Keegan that the ball jammed in the stanchion of the goal. Trevor Brooking at the double had given England a valuable lead. One they wouldn’t relinquish but build upon.

Keegan put the result beyond doubt when he scored a penalty in the 73rd minute after being brought down by a desperate tackle.

Devastating England

Brooking and Keegan were devastating together in the England front line. Along with Terry McDermott they were the motivating factors of one of England’s best away day performances on European soil. From the first whistle to the last England was in total charge of a match that they had to win.

England would go on to qualify for the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain. Expectations from fans and the media as usual were high for England to progress deep into the tournament.

They didn’t fair too badly and departed the tournament in the Second Round having not lost a game in the tournament. However, their inability to break down either Spain or Germany was to prove costly in the end. Against Spain, both Keegan and Brooking missed big chances in a game they had to win. As a result, the two goalless draws in the Second Round meant that Ron Greenwood’s England dream was over.