1990 FIFA World Cup
Template:Infobox Football World Cup
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.
The official mascot of this World Cup was Ciao, a stick figure player with a football head and an Italian tricolore 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.
Qualification
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. Mexico were disqualified from the 1990 qualifiers as the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación fielded an overage player in a prior youth tournament. Chile were also punished after their goalkeeper Roberto Rojas faked an injury due to a firework thrown from the stands in a match against Brazil, causing the match to be abandoned.
Summary
The format of the competition stayed the same as in 1986: 24 teams qualified, divided into six groups of four. 16 teams would qualify for the knockout competition: the six group winners, the six group runners-up, and the four third-placed teams with the best records. The draw for the finals took place at Rome on December 9 1989.
The World Cup began with an upset. Defending champions Argentina fell 0-1 to Cameroon in the opening match. The match was held in Milan, where Diego Maradona of Argentina, striker for Napoli, was deeply despised: this resulted in an unexpected public support for Cameroon. The goal was headed in by François Omam-Biyik. Cameroon went on to become the surprise team of the tournament, becoming the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals and losing there 2-3 in extra time to England after leading 2-1. Cameroon's Roger Milla, who came out of retirement for the World Cup, became an international superstar at age 38, long after most top-level footballers typically retire.
Argentina recovered from their defeat and went all the way to the final. On their way, they defeated Brazil in the round of 16 and, in the semi-final, were the first team in this tournament to score a goal against the hosts Italy, winning through a penalty shootout after a 1-1 score after extra time. Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea saved two penalty kicks. West Germany also defeated England on penalty kicks in the other semi-final, a match memorable for the tears of England's Paul Gascoigne after he received a booking which would have seen him suspended for the final had England won.
The final was one of the ugliest games ever seen in a World Cup. The fraught atmosphere was not helped by a number of questionable penalty decisions by the Mexican referee Edgardo Codesal, who denied clear penalties first to German player Klaus Augenthaler and then to Argentine player Pedro Monzón, who was sent off for tackling Jurgen Klinsmann without being issued a yellow card prior. Six minutes from the end, Codesal awarded a highly debatable penalty for the Germans, which was put away by Andreas Brehme. West Germany won 1-0 and the match ended amid scenes of unprecedented chaos with Argentina reduced to nine men, Monzón and Gustavo Dezotti having been sent off. [1]
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. Amazingly, 'Totò' had played for Italy only once prior to the tournament.
The 1990 World Cup is widely regarded as one of the poorest World Cups ever [2]. 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 quaterfinal 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), and managing only one shot on goal in the final. Champions West Germany were one of the few teams to choose an attacking style of play, although they too became more defensive as the tournament progressed.
Trivia
- The 1990 tournament had the lowest goals-per-match average of all World Cups. There were 115 goals, an average of 2.21 goals per match, and, taking account of extra time matches, 4920 minutes of play - which means 1 goal every 42.7 minutes, or only 2.1 goals for every 90 minutes.
- The 1990 tournament was the second to feature an all-champion final four.
- The Republic of Ireland reached the quarter-finals despite scoring only 2 goals. They also did not win a single match outright - they drew their three group matches, then advanced over Romania on penalty kicks after a goalless draw in the round of 16, and then lost to Italy in the quarter-finals.
- For the second World Cup in succession Uruguay squeezed through to the knockout stage as fourth-best third-placed team, thanks to an injury-time goal in their final group game against South Korea.
Venues
Twelve cities hosted the tournament:
City | Stadium | Capacity | Matches |
Bari | Stadio San Nicola | 56,000 | R1, R2, Third-place match |
Bologna | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara | 39,000 | R1, R2 |
Cagliari | Stadio Sant'Elia | 40,000 | R1 |
Florence | Stadio Comunale | 41,000 | R1, QF |
Genoa | Stadio Luigi Ferraris | 35,000 | R1, R2 |
Milan | Stadio Giuseppe Meazza | 85,700 | R1, R2, QF |
Naples | Stadio San Paolo | 74,000 | R1, R2, QF, SF |
Palermo | Stadio La Favorita | 36,000 | R1 |
Rome | Stadio Olimpico | 81,000 | R1, R2, QF, Final |
Turin | Stadio Delle Alpi | 68,000 | R1, R2, SF |
Udine | Stadio Friuli | 38,000 | R1 |
Verona | Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi | 42,000 | R1, R2 |
Match officials
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Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1990 FIFA World Cup squads.
Results
First round
All kick-off times local (CET)
Group A
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Italy | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
Czechoslovakia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
Austria | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
United States | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -6 |
United States | 1–5 | Czechoslovakia |
---|---|---|
Caligiuri 61' | (Report) | Skuhravý 25', 78' Bílek 39' pen Hašek 50' Luhový 90' |
Attendance: 33,266
Italy | 1–0 | United States |
---|---|---|
Giannini 11' | (Report) |
Attendance: 73,423
Austria | 0–1 | Czechoslovakia |
---|---|---|
(Report) | Bílek 30' pen |
Attendance: 38,962
Austria | 2–1 | United States |
---|---|---|
Ogris 52' Rodax 65' |
(Report) | Murray 85' |
Attendance: 34,857
Italy | 2–0 | Czechoslovakia |
---|---|---|
Schillaci 9' Baggio 78' |
(Report) |
Attendance: 73,303
Group B
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cameroon | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 |
Romania | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
Argentina | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
Soviet Union | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Argentina | 0–1 | Cameroon |
---|---|---|
(Report) | Omam-Biyik 67' |
Attendance: 73,780
Soviet Union | 0–2 | Romania |
---|---|---|
(Report) | Lăcătuş 42', 57' pen |
Attendance: 42,907
Argentina | 2–0 | Soviet Union |
---|---|---|
Troglio 27' Burruchaga 79' |
(Report) |
Attendance: 55,759
Cameroon | 2–1 | Romania |
---|---|---|
Milla 76', 86' | (Report) | Balint 88' |
Attendance: 38,687
Cameroon | 0–4 | Soviet Union |
---|---|---|
(Report) | Protasov 20', Zygmantovich 29' Zavarov 55' Dobrovolski 63' |
Attendance: 37,307
Argentina | 1–1 | Romania |
---|---|---|
Monzón 63' | (Report) | Balint 68' |
Attendance: 52,733
Group C
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brazil | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
Costa Rica | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
Scotland | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
Sweden | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 |
Brazil | 2–1 | Sweden |
---|---|---|
Careca 40', 63' | (Report) | Brolin 79' |
Attendance: 62,628
Costa Rica | 1–0 | Scotland |
---|---|---|
Cayasso 49' | (Report) |
Attendance: 30,867
Brazil | 1–0 | Costa Rica |
---|---|---|
Müller 33' | (Report) |
Attendance: 58,007
Scotland | 2–1 | Sweden |
---|---|---|
McCall 10' Johnston 80' pen |
(Report) | Strömberg 86' |
Attendance: 31,823
Sweden | 1–2 | Costa Rica |
---|---|---|
Ekström 32' | (Report) | Flores 75' Medford 88' |
Attendance: 30,223
Group D
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Germany | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 |
Yugoslavia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 |
Colombia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
United Arab Emirates | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 |
United Arab Emirates | 0–2 | Colombia |
---|---|---|
(Report) | Redín 50' Valderrama 85' |
Attendance: 30,791
West Germany | 4–1 | Yugoslavia |
---|---|---|
Matthäus 28', 65' Klinsmann 39' Völler 71' |
(Report) | Jozić 55' |
Attendance: 74,765
Yugoslavia | 1–0 | Colombia |
---|---|---|
Jozić 75' | (Report) |
Attendance: 32,257
West Germany | 5–1 | United Arab Emirates |
---|---|---|
Völler 35', 75' Klinsmann 36' Matthäus 47' Bein 59' |
(Report) | Ismaïl 46' |
Attendance: 71,169
West Germany | 1–1 | Colombia |
---|---|---|
Littbarski 89' | (Report) | Rincón 90' |
Attendance: 72,510
Yugoslavia | 4–1 | United Arab Emirates |
---|---|---|
Sušić 5' Pančev 9', 46' Prosinečki 90' |
(Report) | Thani 22' |
Attendance: 27,833
Group E
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spain | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 |
Belgium | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
Uruguay | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
South Korea | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -5 |
Belgium | 2–0 | South Korea |
---|---|---|
Degryse 53' De Wolf 64' |
(Report) |
Attendance: 32,790
Spain | 3–1 | South Korea |
---|---|---|
Míchel 22', 61', 81' | (Report) | Hwang Bo-Kwan 42' |
Attendance: 32,733
Belgium | 3–1 | Uruguay |
---|---|---|
Clijsters 16' Scifo 22' Ceulemans 48' |
(Report) | Bengoechea 74' |
Attendance: 33,759
South Korea | 0–1 | Uruguay |
---|---|---|
(Report) | Fonseca 90' |
Attendance: 29,039
Belgium | 1–2 | Spain |
---|---|---|
Vervoort 28' | (Report) | Míchel 20' pen Górriz 38' |
Attendance: 35,950
Group F
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
England | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
Republic of Ireland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Netherlands | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Egypt | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
Note: Republic of Ireland awarded second place by drawing of lots
England | 1–1 | Republic of Ireland |
---|---|---|
Lineker 8' | (Report) | Sheedy 73' |
Attendance: 35,238
Netherlands | 1–1 | Egypt |
---|---|---|
Kieft 58' | (Report) | Abdelghani 83' pen |
Attendance: 33,421
England | 0–0 | Netherlands |
---|---|---|
(Report) |
Attendance: 35,267
Republic of Ireland | 0–0 | Egypt |
---|---|---|
(Report) |
Attendance: 33,288
England | 1–0 | Egypt |
---|---|---|
Wright 64' | (Report) |
Attendance: 34,959
Netherlands | 1–1 | Republic of Ireland |
---|---|---|
Gullit 10' | (Report) | Quinn 71' |
Attendance: 33,288
Third place qualifiers for round of 16
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
Colombia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
Netherlands | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Uruguay | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
Austria | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
Scotland | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
Knockout stage
Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
June 25 - Rome | ||||||||||||||
Italy | 2 | |||||||||||||
June 30 - Rome | ||||||||||||||
Uruguay | 0 | |||||||||||||
Italy | 1 | |||||||||||||
June 25 - Genoa | ||||||||||||||
Republic of Ireland | 0 | |||||||||||||
Republic of Ireland (pen) | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||
July 3 - Naples | ||||||||||||||
Romania | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||
Italy | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
June 26 - Verona | ||||||||||||||
Argentina (pen) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
Yugoslavia (aet) | 2 | |||||||||||||
June 30 - Florence | ||||||||||||||
Spain | 1 | |||||||||||||
Yugoslavia | 0 (2) | |||||||||||||
June 24 - Turin | ||||||||||||||
Argentina (pen) | 0 (3) | |||||||||||||
Argentina | 1 | |||||||||||||
July 8 - Rome | ||||||||||||||
Brazil | 0 | |||||||||||||
Argentina | 0 | |||||||||||||
June 24 - Milan | ||||||||||||||
West Germany | 1 | |||||||||||||
West Germany | 2 | |||||||||||||
July 1 - Milan | ||||||||||||||
Netherlands | 1 | |||||||||||||
West Germany | 1 | |||||||||||||
June 23 - Bari | ||||||||||||||
Czechoslovakia | 0 | |||||||||||||
Czechoslovakia | 4 | |||||||||||||
July 4 - Turin | ||||||||||||||
Costa Rica | 1 | |||||||||||||
West Germany (pen) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
June 26 - Bologna | ||||||||||||||
England | 1 (3) | Third place | ||||||||||||
England (aet) | 1 | |||||||||||||
July 1 - Naples | July 7 - Bari | |||||||||||||
Belgium | 0 | |||||||||||||
England (aet) | 3 | Italy | 2 | |||||||||||
June 23 - Naples | ||||||||||||||
Cameroon | 2 | England | 1 | |||||||||||
Cameroon (aet) | 2 | |||||||||||||
Colombia | 1 | |||||||||||||
Round of 16
Cameroon | 2–1 (AET) | Colombia |
---|---|---|
Milla 106', 109' | (Report) | Redín 115' |
Attendance: 50,026
Czechoslovakia | 4–1 | Costa Rica |
---|---|---|
Skuhravý 12', 63', 82' Kubík 75' |
(Report) | González 54' |
Attendance: 47,673
Argentina | 1–0 | Brazil |
---|---|---|
Caniggia 80' | (Report) |
Attendance: 61,381
West Germany | 2–1 | Netherlands |
---|---|---|
Klinsmann 51' Brehme 82' |
(Report) | R. Koeman 89' pen |
Attendance: 74,559
Republic of Ireland | 0–0 (AET) (5–4 PSO) | Romania |
---|---|---|
(Report) |
Attendance: 31,818
Italy | 2–0 | Uruguay |
---|---|---|
Schillaci 65' Serena 85' |
(Report) |
Attendance: 73,303
Spain | 1–2 (AET) | Yugoslavia |
---|---|---|
Salinas 83' | (Report) | Stojković 78', 92' |
Attendance: 35,500
England | 1–0 (AET) | Belgium |
---|---|---|
Platt 119' | (Report) |
Attendance: 34,520
Quarter-finals
Argentina | 0–0 (AET) (3–2 PSO) | Yugoslavia |
---|---|---|
(Report) |
Attendance: 38,971
Italy | 1–0 | Republic of Ireland |
---|---|---|
Schillaci 38' | (Report) |
Attendance: 73,303
West Germany | 1–0 | Czechoslovakia |
---|---|---|
Matthäus 25' pen | (Report) |
Attendance: 73,347
England | 3–2 (AET) | Cameroon |
---|---|---|
Platt 25' Lineker 83' pen, 105' pen |
(Report) | Kundé 61' pen Ekéké 65' |
Attendance: 55,205
Semi-finals
Argentina | 1–1 (AET) (4–3 PSO) | Italy |
---|---|---|
Caniggia 67' | (Report) | Schillaci 17' |
Attendance:1
West Germany | 1–1 (AET) (4–3 PSO) | England |
---|---|---|
Brehme 60' | (Report) | Lineker 80' |
Attendance: 62,628
Third place match
Italy | 2–1 | England |
---|---|---|
Sereni 71' Schillaci 86' pen |
(Report) | Platt 81' |
Attendance: 51,426
Final
Argentina | 0–1 | West Germany |
---|---|---|
(Report) | Brehme 85' pen |
Ref: Codesal (MEX)
Attendance: 73,603
Awards
1990 World Cup Winners |
---|
Italy Fourth Title |
Golden Shoe winner: | Golden Ball winner: | [[FIFA World Cup awards#FIFA Fair Play Trophy|FIFA Fair Play Trophy to Italy | Salvatore Schillaci | Salvatore Schillaci | England |
---|
All-star team
Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
Diego Maradona |
Scorers
- There were no own goals scored in the tournament.
Trivia
This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- World Cup Italia '90 was the official licensed videogame product.
- Diego Maradona seemed to confirm in 2005 a rumour that the water a member of the Argentinian staff offered to Brazilian midfielder Branco in the round of 16 Brazil vs Argentina match contained a tranquilizer.
- The official theme song, Un'estate italiana (Notti magiche), was produced by Giorgio Moroder and performed by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini.
- The World Cup is featured in the film Good Bye Lenin!
Firsts
- It was the first time that the Republic of Ireland, Costa Rica and the United Arab Emirates qualified for the World Cup
- For the first time, both World Cup semi-finals were decided by penalty shootouts.
- For the first time, a drawing of lots was used to decide group positions, as the Republic of Ireland and Netherlands finished with identical records in Group F. Ireland won the draw and finished second, while the Netherlands finished third. Both teams made it to the next round as the Netherlands were one of the four best third-placed teams.
- This was the first (and only, so far) World Cup in which two European teams were defeated by a Central American squad: Costa Rica, who beat Scotland 1-0, and Sweden 2-1.
- The first official theme song for the FIFA World Cup was Un'estate italiana produced by Giorgio Moroder.
- The final alone had several firsts:
- For the first time a team reached three World Cup finals in a row: West Germany had already lost the finals in 1982 and 1986. This feat was later repeated by Brazil in 1994, 1998 and 2002 with better results: two titles out of three finals.
- It was the first rematch of a preceding final: The two countries had met in the 1986 FIFA World Cup final with Argentina the victors.
- Pedro Monzón of Argentina became the first player to be sent off in a World Cup final. Teammate Gustavo Dezotti was also sent off.
- For the first time, the losing team did not score a goal: Germany won by a penalty, almost saved by Sergio Goycochea, scored in the 85th minute by Andreas Brehme after a disputed foul on Rudi Völler. As such, West Germany's Bodo Illgner became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final. The subsequent three World Cup finals (1994, 1998, 2002) would also see the losers not score.
Lasts
- This would be the last World Cup in which goalkeepers were allowed to pick up direct backpasses from teammates. The backpass rule was in use from the 1994 tournament in order to make it harder for teams to time-waste, having been introduced on July 1, 1992. It is thought that Egypt's performance in their match against the Republic of Ireland influenced the introduction of this new rule.
- This was the last World Cup in which the countries of four teams existed as political entities: West Germany joined with East Germany shortly after the tournament, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993 (although they continued to play as one country when failing to qualify for the 1994 tournament), Yugoslavia dissolved into the nations Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro (the latter two were Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until 2002, and Serbia and Montenegro 2003-2006), and the USSR, which split into Russia and fourteen smaller states with the fall of the Communist regime, although eleven of the former Soviet states fielded a CIS team in the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship.
- This was also the last time World Cup finals matches awarded two points for a win during the group stage. The poor attacking play of sides prompted FIFA to introduce three points for a win for the 1994 tournament, to encourage attacking play.
- In disciplinary matters, for the last time players were suspended for one match if accumulating two yellow cards throughout the tournament. Starting from 1994, yellow cards accumulated in the group stage were wiped clean after its completion, and players start with a clean slate at the start of the knockout stage. For example, had the new system been in place, Argentina's Claudio Caniggia would not have been suspended for the final.
- This was the last World Cup in which referees primarily wore the traditional black jerseys: starting from 1994, referees can choose other colours to avoid a clash with the two competing teams. This has been followed since 1994, although black has been provided as an option since 1998 (in practice however, a second-choice red jersey already existed for the 1990 finals: this was worn in the two matches where Scotland wore their traditional navy blue).
- This was also the last World Cup in which players only had their number printed in the back of their jersey. Players would have their names above the numbers on their jerseys, and smaller numbers duplicated on the front of their jerseys, from 1994.
- This was the last World Cup of which Pan Am was one of the sponsors. Pan Am ended operations the following year.