1990 FIFA World Cup

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1990 FIFA World Cup
Italia '90
1990 FIFA World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host nation Flag of Italy Italy
Dates June 8July 8
Teams 24 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s) 12 (in 12 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Flag of West Germany West Germany (3rd title)
Second place Flag of Argentina Argentina
Third place Flag of Italy Italy
Fourth place Flag of England England
Tournament statistics
Matches played 52
Goals scored 115  (2.21 per match)
Attendance 2,516,348  (48,391 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Italy Salvatore Schillaci (6 goals)
Best player Flag of Italy Salvatore Schillaci

The 1990 FIFA World Cup, the 14th staging of the World Cup, was held in Italy from June 8 to July 8. Italy was chosen as hosts by FIFA on May 19, 1984, making it the second country to host the event twice. USSR was the rival of Italy's candidacy to host the event. It was won by West Germany, who beat Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup for the third time.

Contents

[edit] Qualification

Qualifying countries
Qualifying countries

Three teams qualified for the first time: Costa Rica, the Republic of Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. The United States also made it back to the World Cup after a 40-year absence. The draw for the finals took place on December 9th 1989 at Rome. Tenor Luciano Pavarotti performed at the event.

[edit] Disqualifications

[edit] Summary

[edit] First round

The format of the 1990 competition remained the same as 1986: 24 qualified teams were divided into six groups of four. The top two teams and four best third place finishers from the six groups advanced to the knockout stage round of 16.

The 1990 World Cup finals got off to a surprising start. In the first match, Cameroon soaked up pressure from Argentina for most of the first half. After a quarter of an hour's play in the second half, Cameroon's Andre Kana was sent off, and it seemed certain that the world champions would now take control. But six minutes later, the ten men took the lead. François Omam-Biyik scored when he placed a perfect downward header past Argentine goalkeeper Nery Pumpido. Argentina pressed hard for an equaliser, and Cameroon were reduced to nine men when Benjamin Massing got the red card in the 89th minute - but the African team still held out for a shock 1-0 win. Then, when Cameroon faced Romania in their second game, Roger Milla took centre stage. His inclusion in Cameroon's squad had been controversial. He'd been a favourite in the Cameroon team for years, but he was now 38 years old. He was only in Italy because of political intervention: Paul Biya, Cameroon's President, had insisted that Milla be included in the squad. Against Argentina, Milla only appeared for the last ten minutes. But in the match with Romania, Cameroon coach Valeri Nepomniachi sent him on in the 58th minute, with the score still 0-0. It proved to be an inspired move. Milla scored with 15 minutes left, then added another with five minutes remaining, thus getting two opportunities to demonstrate his trademark hip-shaking goal celebration dance. Gavrila Balint scored for Romania, but it was too little too late. Cameroon held on to win 2-1. Surprisingly, they were beaten 4-0 in their last group game by a Soviet Union side desperately, and unsuccessfully, striving to stay in the tournament on goal difference. Despite the heavy defeat, Cameroon were through to the second round as group winners. Romania came second in Group B, and Argentina just scraped into the second round as one of the best third-placed teams, having lost goalkeeper Pumpido for the rest of the tournament to a broken leg sustained early in their win over the USSR.

Another surprise team emerged from Group C. Costa Rica beat Scotland 1-0 in their first match, held Brazil to another 1-0 scoreline in their second, then saw off Sweden 2-1 to claim a place in the second round. Brazil bore little resemblance to the free-flowing, free scoring Brazilian sides of earlier years, but they still took maximum points from the group. They began with a 2-1 win over Sweden, then beat both Costa Rica and Scotland 1-0. Scotland's 2-1 win over Sweden wasn't enough to save them from an early return home as they were one of the two lowest-ranked third placed teams.

Group F, featuring the Netherlands, England, the Republic of Ireland and Egypt, perfectly encapsulated what was wrong with the 1990 World Cup finals. In the six group games, no team managed to score more than once in a match. England beat Egypt 1-0, thanks to a 64th minute goal from Mark Wright - and that was enough to win the group. The Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands matched each other's standings and could only be separated into second and third place by the drawing of lots (the Irish won, although the Dutch progressed as well).

There were more goals in Group D, but a lot of them were due to the defensive inadequacies of a United Arab Emirates team that lost 2-0 to Colombia, 5-1 to West Germany and 4-1 to Yugoslavia. All three of the UAE's first round opponents reached the last 16, with West Germany topping the group after an impressive 4-1 win over group runners-up Yugoslavia. Colombia needed a late equaliser against West Germany to secure their place.

Italy won Group A with a 100 per cent record achieved via cautious football. They beat Austria and the United States 1-0, and Czechoslovakia 2-0. Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci, who'd played only one international before the World Cup finals, came on as substitute in the 74th minute against Austria and scored Italy's winner four minutes later. Czechoslovakia thrashed the USA 5-1 and claimed the runner-up spot in the group, while the USA's first appearance in a World Cup Finals since 1950 ended abruptly after three consecutive defeats. The winners of Group E were Spain, for who Michel hit a hat-trick as they beat South Korea 3-1. Belgium and Uruguay also reached the last 16 from the same group.

[edit] Second round and quarter-finals

The second round featured some intriguing fixtures. Two of the ties - Argentina vs Brazil and Italy vs Uruguay - pitted former champion countries against each other, and West Germany met the Netherlands in a rematch of the 1974 World Cup final. The all-South American game turned out to be a tight, edgy affair, won for Argentina by a goal from Claudio Caniggia with ten minutes remaining from a magical run of Diego Maradona through the Brazilian defense and an outstanding performance from their goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea. A strong second half showing from Italy saw them beat Uruguay 2-0, thanks to another goal from Schillaci and one from Aldo Serena. The West Germany-Netherlands clash produced a repeat of the Euro 88 semifinal. The match turned ugly after 22 minutes when Rudi Völler and Frank Rijkaard, in an infamous moment, were dismissed for a bizarre spitting incident. Early in the second half, Jürgen Klinsmann put the West Germans ahead and Andreas Brehme added a second with eight minutes left. Ronald Koeman converted a penalty for the Netherlands in the 89th minute, but it was too little, too late and West Germany held on for a 2-1 win.

The official 1990 FIFA World Cup poster.
The official 1990 FIFA World Cup poster.

Meanwhile, the run of Cameroon and Roger Milla continued. In Cameroon's game with Colombia, Milla was introduced in the 49th minute with the score 0-0. The scoreline stayed that way after 90 minutes, and after the first period of extra time. And then, as those around him tired, the veteran shone. Milla scored twice in four minutes in the second period of extra time. Bernardo Redin reduced the deficit for Colombia with five minutes left, but the 'Indomitable Lions' held out to win 2-1. For the first time ever, an African team was in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

The other first-round giant-killers fared less well. Costa Rica were comfortably beaten 4-1 by Czechoslovakia, for whom Tomas Skuhravy scored a hat-trick. Yugoslavia beat Spain 2-1 after extra time, with Dragan Stojkovic scoring both the Yugoslavs' goals. The Republic of Ireland's match with Romania remained goalless after extra time, and the Irish side won through 5-4 on penalties. David O'Leary converted the penalty that clinched Ireland's place in the quarter-finals. The Republic of Ireland thus achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the last eight in a World Cup finals tournament without actually winning a match outright.

The most intriguing match of the quarter-finals was between England and Cameroon. Apart from anything else, it was the only quarter-final to produce more than one goal. Despite Cameroon's heroics earlier in the tournament, David Platt put England ahead in the 25th minute. But at half-time, Milla was brought on, and the game was turned on its head in five second half minutes. First Cameroon were awarded a penalty, from which Emmanuel Kunde scored the equaliser. Then, in the 65th minute, Eugene Ekeke put Cameroon ahead. With the African nation only eight minutes away from reaching the last four, England were given a lifeline after being granted a penalty and Gary Lineker scored from the spot, forcing the game to extra-time. Lineker scored from another penalty kick in extra-time, giving England a 3-2 win and a place in the semi-finals.

The Republic of Ireland's World Cup run was brought to an end by a single goal from Schillaci in the first half of their quarter-final with Italy. Another dull match saw West Germany beat Czechoslovakia with a 25th-minute Lothar Matthaeus penalty. Argentina and Yugoslavia played out a stalemate that stayed at 0-0 after extra time, despite the fact that Yugoslavia were reduced to ten men after half an hour when Refik Sabanadzovic, assigned with the task of marking Maradona, was sent off. Argentina reached the semi-finals after winning the penalty shoot-out 3-2.Tomislav Ivković becoming famous for saving Maradona's kick and restoring parity. After Pedro Troglio hit the post, the World Champions looked to be on their way out until Goycochea rescued his side by stopping the final two penalties by Yugoslavia.

[edit] Semi-finals, the third-place match, and the final

The first semi-final featured the host nation, Italy, and the world champion, Argentina. 'Toto' Schillaci scored yet again to put Italy ahead in the 17th minute, but Claudio Cannigia equalised midway through the second half. There were no more goals in the 90 minutes or in extra time despite Maradona showing glimpses of magic, but there was a sending-off: Ricardo Giusti of Argentina was shown the red card in the 13th minute of extra time. Argentina went through on penalties, winning the shoot-out 4-3 after more heroics from Goycochea, who saved two spot kicks again. The semi-final between West Germany and England was goalless at half-time. Then, in the 60th minute, a shot from Andreas Brehme was deflected by Paul Parker which resulted in a goal. But then, with 10 minutes left, Gary Lineker equalised for England. The game ended 1-1, and West Germany won the penalty shoot-out 4-3. Italy and England played an uninspiring game for third place, with Roberto Baggio and Schillaci scoring to give the hosts a 2-1 win and the bronze medal.

The final between West Germany and Argentina, described by veteran football writer Brian Glanville as "probably the worst, most tedious, bad-tempered Final in the history of the World Cup",[1] produced several football firsts. In the 65th minute, Argentina's Pedro Monzon was sent off for a foul on Klinsmann, becoming the first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final. It has been said that Klinsmann exaggerated his reaction to the foul, causing the referee to perhaps have been more severe with the punishment. Team-mate Gustavo Dezotti received the second red card of the game with four minutes left after he hauled Jürgen Kohler to the ground during a stoppage in play. Shortly before Dezotti's departure, referee Edgardo Codesal Mendez of Mexico awarded a penalty to West Germany, from which Andreas Brehme scored the only goal of the game. The 1-0 scoreline provided another first: Argentina were the first team ever to take part in a World Cup final without scoring.

[edit] Overview

With its third title (and three second place finishes) West Germany became the most successful World Cup nation for four years, until Brazil won their fourth title in 1994. West German team manager Franz Beckenbauer became the second footballer, after Mário Zagallo of Brazil, to win the World Cup as a player (in 1974) and as team manager. In doing so, Beckenbauer also became the first captain of a winning team to later manage a winning squad. Italy's Salvatore Schillaci won both the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer, with six goals, and the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

The 1990 World Cup is widely regarded as one of the poorest World Cups ever [1]. It generated a record-low goals-per-game average and (at the time) record 16 red cards. Most teams relied heavily on defensive play and hard tackling, as well as aggressive intimidation of the referee. In the knockout stage, many teams would "play it safe" for 120 minutes and try their luck in the penalty shootout, rather than risk going forward. Three of the 4 quarterfinal matches, both semifinals, the 3rd place play-off, and the final were decided on a penalty shoot-out or a match-winning penalty kick. Runners-up Argentina were the prime example of this trend, scoring only five goals in seven games (they had, however, lost half their team to injury or suspension by the final). Eventual champions West Germany were one of the few teams to initially choose an attacking style of play, although they too became more defensive as the tournament progressed.

[edit] Mascot

The official mascot of this World Cup was Ciao, a stick figure player with a football head and an Italian tricolor body. Its name is an Italian greeting. This World Cup saw The Three Tenors begin their tradition of performing on the eve of the final.

[edit] Venues

Rome Milan Naples Turin
Stadio Olimpico Stadio San Siro Stadio San Paolo Stadio delle Alpi
Capacity: 81,000 Capacity: 85,700 Capacity: 74,000 Capacity: 68,000
Bari Verona
Stadio San Nicola Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi
Capacity: 56,000 Capacity: 42,000
Florence Cagliari
Stadio Artemio Franchi Stadio Sant'Elia
Capacity: 41,000 Capacity: 40,000
Bologna Udine Palermo Genoa
Stadio Renato Dall'Ara Stadio Friuli Stadio La Favorita Stadio Luigi Ferraris
Capacity: 39,000 Capacity: 38,000 Capacity: 36,000 Capacity: 35,000

[edit] Match officials

Africa


Asia


Europe
North and Central America


South America


[edit] Squads

For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1990 FIFA World Cup squads.

[edit] Results

[edit] First round

All kick-off times local (CEST/UTC+2)

[edit] Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Italy Italy 3 3 0 0 4 0 +4 6
Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 4
Flag of Austria Austria 3 1 0 2 2 3 -1 2
Flag of the United States USA 3 0 0 3 2 8 -6 0
1990-06-09
21:00
Italy Flag of Italy 1 – 0 Flag of Austria Austria Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 73,303
Referee: José Roberto Wright (Brazil)
Schillaci Scored after 78 minutes 78' (Report)

1990-06-10
17:00
USA Flag of the United States 1 – 5 Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Stadio Comunale, Florence
Attendance: 33,266
Referee: Kurt Röthlisberger (Switzerland)
Caligiuri Scored after 61 minutes 61' (Report) Skuhravý Scored after 25 minutes 25' Scored after 78 minutes 78'
Bílek Scored after 39 minutes 39' (pen.)
Hašek Scored after 50 minutes 50'
Luhový Scored after 90 minutes 90'

1990-06-14
21:00
Italy Flag of Italy 1 – 0 Flag of the United States USA Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 73,423
Referee: Edgardo Codesal (Mexico)
Giannini Scored after 11 minutes 11' (Report)

1990-06-15
17:00
Austria Flag of Austria 0 – 1 Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Stadio Comunale, Florence
Attendance: 38,962
Referee: George Smith (Scotland)
(Report) Bílek Scored after 30 minutes 30' (pen.)

1990-06-19
21:00
Austria Flag of Austria 2 – 1 Flag of the United States USA Stadio Comunale, Florence
Attendance: 34,857
Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)
Ogris Scored after 52 minutes 52'
Rodax Scored after 65 minutes 65'
(Report) Murray Scored after 85 minutes 85'

1990-06-19
21:00
Italy Flag of Italy 2 – 0 Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 73,303
Referee: Joël Quiniou (France)
Schillaci Scored after 9 minutes 9'
Baggio Scored after 78 minutes 78'
(Report)

[edit] Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Cameroon Cameroon 3 2 0 1 3 5 -2 4
Flag of Romania Romania 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 3
Flag of Argentina Argentina 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 3
Flag of the Soviet Union USSR 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 2
1990-06-08
18:00
Argentina Flag of Argentina 0 – 1 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Attendance: 73,780
Referee: Michel Vautrot (France)
(Report) Omam-Biyik Scored after 67 minutes 67'

1990-06-09
17:00
USSR Flag of the Soviet Union 0 – 2 Flag of Romania Romania Stadio San Nicola, Bari
Attendance: 42,907
Referee: Juan Daniel Cardellino (Uruguay)
(Report) Lăcătuş Scored after 42 minutes 42' Scored after 57 minutes 57' (pen.)

1990-06-13
21:00
Argentina Flag of Argentina 2 – 0 Flag of the Soviet Union USSR Stadio San Paolo, Naples
Attendance: 55,759
Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)
Troglio Scored after 27 minutes 27'
Burruchaga Scored after 79 minutes 79'
(Report)

1990-06-14
17:00
Cameroon Flag of Cameroon 2 – 1 Flag of Romania Romania Stadio San Nicola, Bari
Attendance: 38,687
Referee: Hernán Silva (Chile)
Milla Scored after 76 minutes 76' Scored after 86 minutes 86' (Report) Balint Scored after 88 minutes 88'

1990-06-18
21:00
Argentina Flag of Argentina 1 – 1 Flag of Romania Romania Stadio San Paolo, Naples
Attendance: 52,733
Referee: Carlos Silva Valente (Portugal)
Monzón Scored after 63 minutes 63' (Report) Balint Scored after 68 minutes 68'

1990-06-18
21:00
Cameroon Flag of Cameroon 0 – 4 Flag of the Soviet Union USSR Stadio San Nicola, Bari
Attendance: 37,307
Referee: José Roberto Wright (Brazil)
(Report) Protasov Scored after 20 minutes 20'
Zygmantovich Scored after 29 minutes 29'
Zavarov Scored after 55 minutes 55'
Dobrovolski Scored after 63 minutes 63'

[edit] Group C

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Brazil Brazil 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 6
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 4
Flag of Scotland Scotland 3 1 0 2 2 3 -1 2
Flag of Sweden Sweden 3 0 0 3 3 6 -3 0
1990-06-10
21:00
Brazil Flag of Brazil 2 – 1 Flag of Sweden Sweden Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin
Attendance: 62,628
Referee: Tullio Lanese (Italy)
Careca Scored after 40 minutes 40' Scored after 63 minutes 63' (Report) Brolin Scored after 79 minutes 79'

1990-06-11
17:00
Costa Rica Flag of Costa Rica 1 – 0 Flag of Scotland Scotland Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Attendance: 30,867
Referee: Juan Carlos Loustau (Argentina)
Cayasso Scored after 49 minutes 49' (Report)

1990-06-16
17:00
Brazil Flag of Brazil 1 – 0 Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin
Attendance: 58,007
Referee: Naji Jouini (Tunisia)
Müller Scored after 33 minutes 33' (Report)

1990-06-16
21:00
Scotland Flag of Scotland 2 – 1 Flag of Sweden Sweden Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Attendance: 31,823
Referee: Carlos Maciel (Paraguay)
McCall Scored after 10 minutes 10'
Johnston Scored after 80 minutes 80' (pen.)
(Report) Strömberg Scored after 86 minutes 86'

1990-06-20
21:00
Brazil Flag of Brazil 1 – 0 Flag of Scotland Scotland Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin
Attendance: 62,502
Referee: Helmut Kohl (Austria)
Müller Scored after 82 minutes 82' (Report)

1990-06-20
21:00
Sweden Flag of Sweden 1 – 2 Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Attendance: 30,223
Referee: Zoran Petrović (Yugoslavia)
Ekström Scored after 32 minutes 32' (Report) Flores Scored after 75 minutes 75'
Medford Scored after 88 minutes 88'

[edit] Group D

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of West Germany West Germany 3 2 1 0 10 3 +7 5
Flag of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 3 2 0 1 6 5 +1 4
Flag of Colombia Colombia 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 3
Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 3 0 0 3 2 11 -9 0
1990-06-09
17:00
United Arab Emirates Flag of the United Arab Emirates 0 – 2 Flag of Colombia Colombia Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna
Attendance: 30,791
Referee: George Courtney (England)
(Report) Redín Scored after 50 minutes 50'
Valderrama Scored after 85 minutes 85'

1990-06-10
21:00
West Germany Flag of West Germany 4 – 1 Flag of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Attendance: 74,765
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Matthäus