BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- World soccer star Diego Armando Maradona admitted for the first time before Argentine fans that the score that gave the victory to his country in the match versus England in the quarter-finals of Mexico 1986 World Cup was scored with his hand.

    He said this in new television show "La Noche del 10" which he conducts and almost 20 years after that happened. He acknowledged he resorted to the hand because he said that then goalkeeper Shilton of the English national team was taller than him, there was no purpose in trying a header.

    Argentina won 2-1 in that match celebrated in Aztec Stadium of Mexico City and qualified for the final in which it met and defeated the Germans, to become the world champion.

    "Never did I regret having scored in that way," said Maradona, because he said that compensated for the loss of Malvinas (Falkland) Islands to the English in the 1982 war between Argentina and Great Britain.

    Finally he remembered Shilton did not invite him to his farewell match because of that hand scoring, and said "I told him: who cares?" Enditem