1/8 finals.
23.06.90 (17.00) Napoli, Stadio San Paolo
CAM – COL 2:1 (0:0, 0:0, 0:0)
(+50000) Lanese ITA, Al-Sharif SYR, Ulloa COS
CAM: N’Kono – Ebwelle, Onana, N’Dip, Tataw (c) – Kana-Biyik, M’Bouh, M’Fede
(58 Milla), Maboang – Makanaky (71 Djonkep), Omam-Biyik
COL: Higuita – A.Herrera, Perea, Escobar, Gómez Monsalve – Gómez Jaramillo
(79 Redin), Alvarez, Valderrama (c) – Rincón, Fajardo (63 Iguaran), Estrada
1:0 Milla 106, 2:0 Milla 109, 2:1 Redin 116
booked: Kana Byik, N’Dip, M’Bouh, Onana / Perea, Gómez Monsalve
Colombia left good impression, but what a stupid way to get itself eliminated – the memorable idiocy of Rene Higuita going ahead and trying to trick Milla instead of passing the ball safely to one of his teammates. Yet, it was good going so far and at home satisfaction prevailed. Internationally, the world discovered that there is more talent in Colombia than Valderrama.
23.06.90 (21.00) Bari, Stadio San Nicola
CZE – COS 4:1 (1:0)
(-48000) Kirschen DDR, Pérez COL, d’Elia ITA
CZE: Stejskal – Kadlec, Kocian, Chovanec, Hašek (c) – Bilek, Kubik, Moravčik,
Straka – Skuhravý, Knofliček
COS: Barrantes – Flores (c), Montero, J.Obando (46 Medford), Chavez – González,
Chavarria (66 Guimaráes), Marchena, Cayasso – Ramirez, C.Jara
1:0 Skuhravý 11 h, 1:1 González 55 h, 2:1 Skuhravý 62 h, 3:1 Kubik 78 f,
4:1 Skuhravý 82 h
booked: Kocian, Straka, Hašek / González, Marchena
Costa Rica outdid itself. They lost badly at the 1/8 finals, but still it was proud exit. If anything, the Costaricans proved that anonymous team needs only to learn the rules of modern collective and pressing football to be equal to the big boys. Bora Milutinovic did good job and perhaps in Italy he got real international recognition. At home, the boys were instant heroes.
24.06.90 (17.00) Turin, Stadio Delle Alpi
ARG – BRA 1:0 (0:0)
(+61000) Quiniou FRA, Pairetto ITA, Junini TUN
ARG: Goycoechea – Simon, Ruggeri, Monzón, Olarticoechea – Giusti, Troglio
(63 Calderón), Caniggia – Basualdo, Burruchaga, Maradona (c)
BRA: Taffarel – Mauro Galvão (85 Renato), Ricardo Gomes (c), Ricardo
Rocha, Jorginho – Valdo, Dunga, Alemão (85 Silas), Branco – Careca, Müller
1:0 Caniggia 81
booked: Monzón, Giusti, Goycoechea / Ricardo Rocha, Mauro Galvão
sent off: Ricardo Rocha (85)
Against Argentina, standing from left: Taffarel, Rocha, Galvao, Ricardo, Jorginho, Branco.
Crouching: Muller, Alemao, Careca, Dunga, Valdo.
Brazil came to win the title, but had to go home early instead. Many things to blame for the failure, but at the end the most convenient excuse was the ‘poisoned water’ offered to Branco by the Argentines. Hardly the reason for missed scoring opportunities, though.
24.06.90 (21.00) Milano, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro)
GER – HOL 2:1 (0:0)
(-75000) Laustau ARG, Jacome ECU, Mauro USA
GER: Illgner – Reuter, Brehme, Kohler, Augenthaler – Buchwald,
Berthold, Matthäus (c), Littbarski – Völler, Klinsmann (78 Riedle)
HOL: Van Breukelen – Van Aerle (67 Kieft), Rijkaard, R.Koeman, van
Tiggelen – Wouters, Ri.Witschge (79 Gillhaus), Winter, van’t Schip – Van
Basten, Gullit (c)
1:0 Klinsmann 51, 2:0 Brehme 82, 2:1 R.Koeman 89 p
booked: Völler, Matthäus / Wouters, Van Basten, Rijkaard
sent off: Völler (22), Rijkaard (22)
For many, Holland vs Germany was the best match in the finals. Others remembered the spitting ‘incident’, leading to the expulsion of Rijkard and Voeller. If the Irish tale of agreement on the pitch between the teams to end in a tie is true, then there was just punishment for the crime of fixing a match – Holland had to face one of the strongest teams and on top of it, an archenemy. More ‘pedestrian’ reasons like bad form, tiredness, and internal frictions are better explanations, but the fact remains: the Germans scored, the Dutch did not and got vacation.
25.06.90 (17.00) Genoa, Stadio Luigi Ferraris
(-32000) Wright BRA, Maciel PAR, Mandi SRI
IRL – ROM 0:0 (0:0, 0:0, 0:0) p 5-4
IRL: Bonner – Morris, Staunton (95 O’Leary), McCarthy (c), Moran –
McGrath, Houghton, Townsend, Aldridge (19 Cascarino) – Sheedy, Quinn
ROM: Lung (c) – Rednic, Klein, Andone, Gh.Popescu – Rotariu, Sabău (96
D.Timofte), Hagi, Lupescu – Răducioiu (76 Lupu), Balint
Penalties: 0:1 Hagi, 1:1 Sheedy, 1:2 Lupu, 2:2 Houghton, 2:3 Rotariu, 3:3
Townsend, 3:4 Lupescu, 4:4 Cascarino, (4:4) D.Timofte (save Bonner), 4:5
O’Leary
booked: Aldridge, McGrath / Hagi, Lupu
Hard to blame Romania for anything – they were eliminated only in the penalty shootout and even that was a matter of one penalty saved by Bonner. No disappointment at the end. As for home reactions, it is hard to tell how much football was really on the minds of the Romanians in the middle of political turmoil, made present at the World Cup by country’s flags with a hole in the middle where the Communist emblem used to be. Most players were already noticed and after the World Cup quickly moved to play for foreign clubs.
25.06.90 (21.00) Roma, Stadio Olimpico
ITA – URU 2:0 (0:0)
(+73000) Courtney ENG, Petrović JUG, Röthlisberger SUI
ITA: Zenga – F.Baresi, Bergomi (c), De Agostini, Ferri – Maldini, Berti
(54 Serena), de Napoli, Giannini – R.Baggio (80 Vierchowod), Schillaci
URU: Alvez – Gutiérrez, de Leon, Dominguez, Pintos – Perdomo, Ostolaza
(80 Alzamendi), Francescoli (c) – Ruben Pereira, Aguilera (67 Sosa), Fonseca
1:0 Schillaci 65, 2:0 Serena 85 h
booked: Berti / Aguilera, Alvez, Perdomo, Gutiérrez
Italy was the favourite, so no much trouble over losing – Uruguay did well with its limited resources and Tabarez was judged favorably. The team lost some of their image of brutes, but hardly because of cleaning its play – it was just that most teams played brutal football and Uruguay blended in the environment.
26.06.90 (17.00) Verona, Stadio Marc Antonio Bentegodi
JUG – ESP 2:1 (0:0, 1:1, 2:1)
(+35000) Schmidhuber GER, Listkiewicz POL, Snoddy NIR
JUG: Ivković – Spasić, Hadžibegić, Jozić, D.Brnović – Sušić, Stojković,
Katanec (80 Vulić), Šabanadžović – Pančev (57 Savićević), Vujović (c)
ESP: Zubizarreta – Chendo, Villaroya, Gorriz, Andrinúa (49 Jimenez) –
Sanchis, Roberto, Vázquez, Butragueño (c – 80 Paz) – Michel, Salinas
1:0 Stojković 77, 1:1 Salinas 83, 2:1 Stojković 92 f
booked: Katanec, Vujović, Vulić / Roberto, Chendo
Spain performed more or less as expected – nothing especially bright and creative. Reaching the 1/8 finals was pretty much the limit. Once again the team disappointed the fans at home, but that was a tradition… and not taken as bad as in 1982.
26.06.90 (21.00) Bologna, Stadio Renato Dall’Ara
ENG – BEL 1:0 (0:0, 0:0, 0:0)
(+34000) Mikkelsen DAN, Kohl AUT, Takada JAP
ENG: Shilton (c) – Pearce, Walker, Butcher, Parker – Wright, Waddle, McMahon
(73 Platt), Gascoigne – Lineker, Barnes (76 Bull)
BEL: Preud’homme – Gerets, Clijsters, Demol, Grun – De Wolf, F.van der
Elst, Scifo, Versavel (118 Vervoort) – Degryse (66 Claesen), Ceulemans (c)
1:0 Platt 119
booked: Gascoigne
Belgium did not disappoint, did not excel. They delivered their usual sturdy and determined performance, but with little bright moments. To a point, it was too bad they were eliminated, for England struggled too and won the match only by a very late goal by substitute, but football counts goals, not wishes. One thing was sure – this was the twilight of some great heroes: Gerets, Ceulemans, very likely van der Elst and Preud’homme. And Guy Thys.