Netherlands and Brazil will be facing none another in the unnecessary fight for third place in this year's world cup. For both sides this is a huge disappointment considering their expectations before the tournament, but they can really blame nobody else.
Brazil is there after crashing wildly on the expectations and their lack of preparation and focus. The humiliation by the Germans could give the players an incentive to try to get a bit of honor. On the other hand the huge level of disappointment at not playing the final could result in a poisonous lack of motivation.
The Dutch started the tournament flying against Spain, but steadily worsened. Already in their second match they struggled to defeat Australia. In their third match they played cynically to defeat a Chile side that was not nearly as good as people said. The Dutch then made it to the semifinal with a controversial win and an unimpressive penalty win against Mexico and Costa Rica respectively. Against Argentina they were unable or unwilling to take a risk and only had one meager shot on target.
With the offensive traditions and capabilities of Dutch football, this World Cup has continued the Dutch national team slide into boring result-oriented football that we saw in 2010. One of the most likable teams in the world has become one of the least unlikeable defensive side in the world.
The match today will be the fifth time the two sides are facing one another. In 1974 they played for the first time in a match where the Dutch won 2-0, exposing a violent and poor Brazilian side. This in fact led to a revision of Brazilian approach to youth development that still resonates today.
In 1994 they played what is perhaps the best match between them in the quarterfinal. Brazil was ahead but Netherlands equalized to 2-2, before the great Branco scored on an angry free kick
to give Brazil the victory.
In 1998 both sides met again in the semifinals, in a match that went into penalty kicks. With Cocu and Ronald de Boer missing for the Dutch, Brazil made it to the final against France, which until recently remained their heaviest World Cup defeat!
The two sides lastly met in the quarterfinal of the 2010 World Cup. Netherlands came back from being 1-0 down to winning 1-2 on two strikes
by Wesley Sneijder. The Dutch did not win many friends and went on to lose the World Cup final to Spain 1-0.
The match for bronze between Brazil and the Netherlands today, will be between two sides that have strayed away from their football roots; two sides that after being admired for decades, are now largely seen as shadows of their former selfs.
I hope that I am not the only football fan out there that hopes that the match today will be the first step in both sides returning to their former glory, and to the admiration of football fans all over. Football Total and Jogo Bonito have given the world of football so much that I hope they return to their roots.
Showing posts with label world cup 1994. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world cup 1994. Show all posts
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Friday, April 16, 2010
Greatest World Cup matches: Brazil-Italy (1994)
The 1994 World Cup in the USA was a strange world cup: on the one hand it meant a rebirth of football in the sense of a wider commercialization as ever seen before, and the fans (who in USA showed a new friendler side) responded by showing a friendlier and more partying side. At the same time, some events put a dark shadow over the world party, notably the murder of the Colombian player Andrés Escobar after scoring an own-goal against the USA that eliminated Colombia, but also the entire scandal about the ever-controversial Diego Maradona, who scoring against Greece in his opening match, was suddenly tested positive for ephedrine, an astma medicine that was not even considered an illegal substance by the IOC, and banned from the tournament effectively eliminating a splendidly playing Argentinean side.
On the pitch new rules had been introduced that (more or less) successfully called for more attacking football: a relaxing of the off-side rule, the ban on the goalkeeper picking up the ball when passed from a team-mate, and the introduction of 3 points for a victory instead of 2.
All these things surely contributed to more goals and exciting matches than the meagre 1990 World Cup. Also, as some giants like England and France failed to qualify, some new countries stepped in, notably Bulgaria and Sweden, who both made it to the semifinal.
That said, the quality of football itself seemed to decay: there were many mediocre matches, and it seemed that ultimately even new rules could not change the fact that the two World cup giants of Italy and Brazil were to face one another in the final, after playing a defensive and robotic style of football the entire tournament.
Italy had started the tournament rather weakly: in their first match they had lost 1-0 to Ireland. In the second match the Italians had defeated Norway 1-0, and 1-1 in their last match against Mexico had been just enough to let them through to the last-16 on one of the best third places that this was the last tournament to play with.
In the last-16 Italy was up against the African debutants from Nigeria, who had sensationally won their group ahead of Bulgaria and Argentina. The Nigerians were leading 1-0 until two minutes before time when Roberto Baggio from Juventus had levelled the match for the Italians, and in extra time he scored on a penalty to give the Italians the place in the quarter-final against Spain in Boston, Massachussetts.
Roberto Baggio, the clear-eyed calm Buddhist, was one of the most extraordinary players ever to come from Italy. With his extraordinary skills and overview of the game, he was to become the star for the Italian side in 1994: in the quarter-final against Spain he scored a beautiful goal to give Italy the victory when they were most pressed by the Spaniards, and in the semifinal he scored both goals in Italy’s 2-1 victory against Bulgaria. The expectations to Roberto Baggio were huge before the final against Brazil as he had been the machine of the Italian team.
Although Brazil had entered the tournament as favourites, they had not been the kind of Brazilian team that everyone loved to watch: after the debacle in the 1990 World Cup and 24 years without victory the coach Carlos Alberto Parreira had focused more on a tactical and physical style of play where the defence was in focus. That said, Brazil had some awesome offensive power with FC Barcelona’s Romario, the most extraordinary striker of the 1990s, and Deportivo La Coruña’s Bebeto, who were surely the most awesome strikers’ duo in the tournament. Still, the brazilians didn’t score that many goals in spite of their good first round with 2-0 and 3-0 victories against Russia and Cameroon respectively and a 1-1 tie against Sweden, that gave them the first place in the group.
In the last-16 the Brazilians narrowly defeated the US hosts 1-0. In the following quarter-final Brazil played the best match of the tournament against a strong Dutch side that was defeated 3-2 on goals by Romario, Bebeto and Branco. In the semifinal the Brazilians were again up against Sweden, and the Scandinavians were defeated 1-0 on a goal by Romario.
Brazil were in their first World Cup final since 1970, and this largely silenced the many critics of the team that was being accused of not playing the style that Brazil was known for.
Italy against Brazil – one of the most classical matches in world cup football and a repeat of the 1970 final – was to be played in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as the entire world looked on with great expectations.
The match between two countries that were contending to become four-times world champions, was a huge disappointment. Both teams struggled for control of the midfield, with none really gaining control. And although there were some chances, there was no really great opportunity for either team, except for a free run for the AC Milan striker Daniele Massaro in the first half that was excellently saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel, and only fifteen minutes from the end of the match Brazil hit the post when Pagliuca clumsily mishandled a shot from Mauro Silva that nearly cost Italy the match (and famously thanked the post).
In extra time the goalless draw continued, although Pagliuca made yet another dreadful mistake that left Bebeto with a completely open goal, that he nevertheless missed. Also, Taffarel made an excellent save on a long-range effort by Roberto Baggio.
Still, except for Pagliuca’s mistakes, both teams were standing solidly in defence and it seemed very true what the Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi said after the match: “We could have played all day and there would have been no goals.”
It was the first goalless draw in a World Cup final ever.
And it was thus also the first world cup title to be decided on penalty kicks.
Claudio Taffarel, playing in the Italian Reggiana, was an often criticized goalkeeper, but truth is that he was one of the most stable goalkeepers Brazil had ever created. He played with enormous success later in Galatasaray (he was man-of-the-match in their UEFA cup final victory against Arsenal in 2000) and is still the most capped goalkeeper on the Brazilian national team (101).
And besides his stability, Taffarel was considered an expert at reading out penalty kick takers. In previous tournaments he had saved many penalties, and in this tournament he had saved two penalties in the semifinal against the Netherlands.
The first to kick was AC Milans veteran defender Franco Baresi. He had played an extraordinary match in defence in spite of an injury, but at the moment of kicking, he was unable to keep his nerve, and shot the ball far over the goal. But when Mauro Silva shot directly on Pagliuca for the following kick, the match was still 0-0.
At the score 2-2, Daniele Massaro’s shot was saved by Taffarel, and then the Brazilian captain Dunga scored for 3-2 for Brazil. The next kick, by Italy’s superstar, Roberto Baggio was crucial, since Baggio had to score, and then the Italians had to hope Brazil would not score on their last kick.
Roberto Baggio shot far over the goal, and last missed kick of the tournament was what made Brazil World Champion for the 4th time. It was surely the most memorable moment of the match.
Roberto Baggio’s tears are probably more remembered than the Brazilian celebrations, as this great and fair player had missed at the most important moment, although he was also the one to be credited for Italy getting this far.
Match Stats:
Penalty kicks:
Brazil-Italy 3-2
Brazil: Taffarel, Jorginho (Cafu), Marcio Santos, Aldair, Branco, Mazinho, Zinho (Viola), Mauro Silva, Dunga, Bebeto, Romario
Italy: Pagliuca, Mussi (Apolloni), Baresi, Maldini, Benarrivo, Berti, D. Baggio (Evani), Albertini, Donadoni, R. Baggio, Massaro
On the pitch new rules had been introduced that (more or less) successfully called for more attacking football: a relaxing of the off-side rule, the ban on the goalkeeper picking up the ball when passed from a team-mate, and the introduction of 3 points for a victory instead of 2.
All these things surely contributed to more goals and exciting matches than the meagre 1990 World Cup. Also, as some giants like England and France failed to qualify, some new countries stepped in, notably Bulgaria and Sweden, who both made it to the semifinal.
That said, the quality of football itself seemed to decay: there were many mediocre matches, and it seemed that ultimately even new rules could not change the fact that the two World cup giants of Italy and Brazil were to face one another in the final, after playing a defensive and robotic style of football the entire tournament.
Italy had started the tournament rather weakly: in their first match they had lost 1-0 to Ireland. In the second match the Italians had defeated Norway 1-0, and 1-1 in their last match against Mexico had been just enough to let them through to the last-16 on one of the best third places that this was the last tournament to play with.
In the last-16 Italy was up against the African debutants from Nigeria, who had sensationally won their group ahead of Bulgaria and Argentina. The Nigerians were leading 1-0 until two minutes before time when Roberto Baggio from Juventus had levelled the match for the Italians, and in extra time he scored on a penalty to give the Italians the place in the quarter-final against Spain in Boston, Massachussetts.
Roberto Baggio, the clear-eyed calm Buddhist, was one of the most extraordinary players ever to come from Italy. With his extraordinary skills and overview of the game, he was to become the star for the Italian side in 1994: in the quarter-final against Spain he scored a beautiful goal to give Italy the victory when they were most pressed by the Spaniards, and in the semifinal he scored both goals in Italy’s 2-1 victory against Bulgaria. The expectations to Roberto Baggio were huge before the final against Brazil as he had been the machine of the Italian team.
Although Brazil had entered the tournament as favourites, they had not been the kind of Brazilian team that everyone loved to watch: after the debacle in the 1990 World Cup and 24 years without victory the coach Carlos Alberto Parreira had focused more on a tactical and physical style of play where the defence was in focus. That said, Brazil had some awesome offensive power with FC Barcelona’s Romario, the most extraordinary striker of the 1990s, and Deportivo La Coruña’s Bebeto, who were surely the most awesome strikers’ duo in the tournament. Still, the brazilians didn’t score that many goals in spite of their good first round with 2-0 and 3-0 victories against Russia and Cameroon respectively and a 1-1 tie against Sweden, that gave them the first place in the group.
In the last-16 the Brazilians narrowly defeated the US hosts 1-0. In the following quarter-final Brazil played the best match of the tournament against a strong Dutch side that was defeated 3-2 on goals by Romario, Bebeto and Branco. In the semifinal the Brazilians were again up against Sweden, and the Scandinavians were defeated 1-0 on a goal by Romario.
Brazil were in their first World Cup final since 1970, and this largely silenced the many critics of the team that was being accused of not playing the style that Brazil was known for.
Italy against Brazil – one of the most classical matches in world cup football and a repeat of the 1970 final – was to be played in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as the entire world looked on with great expectations.
The match between two countries that were contending to become four-times world champions, was a huge disappointment. Both teams struggled for control of the midfield, with none really gaining control. And although there were some chances, there was no really great opportunity for either team, except for a free run for the AC Milan striker Daniele Massaro in the first half that was excellently saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel, and only fifteen minutes from the end of the match Brazil hit the post when Pagliuca clumsily mishandled a shot from Mauro Silva that nearly cost Italy the match (and famously thanked the post).
In extra time the goalless draw continued, although Pagliuca made yet another dreadful mistake that left Bebeto with a completely open goal, that he nevertheless missed. Also, Taffarel made an excellent save on a long-range effort by Roberto Baggio.
Still, except for Pagliuca’s mistakes, both teams were standing solidly in defence and it seemed very true what the Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi said after the match: “We could have played all day and there would have been no goals.”
It was the first goalless draw in a World Cup final ever.
And it was thus also the first world cup title to be decided on penalty kicks.
Claudio Taffarel, playing in the Italian Reggiana, was an often criticized goalkeeper, but truth is that he was one of the most stable goalkeepers Brazil had ever created. He played with enormous success later in Galatasaray (he was man-of-the-match in their UEFA cup final victory against Arsenal in 2000) and is still the most capped goalkeeper on the Brazilian national team (101).
And besides his stability, Taffarel was considered an expert at reading out penalty kick takers. In previous tournaments he had saved many penalties, and in this tournament he had saved two penalties in the semifinal against the Netherlands.
The first to kick was AC Milans veteran defender Franco Baresi. He had played an extraordinary match in defence in spite of an injury, but at the moment of kicking, he was unable to keep his nerve, and shot the ball far over the goal. But when Mauro Silva shot directly on Pagliuca for the following kick, the match was still 0-0.
At the score 2-2, Daniele Massaro’s shot was saved by Taffarel, and then the Brazilian captain Dunga scored for 3-2 for Brazil. The next kick, by Italy’s superstar, Roberto Baggio was crucial, since Baggio had to score, and then the Italians had to hope Brazil would not score on their last kick.
Roberto Baggio shot far over the goal, and last missed kick of the tournament was what made Brazil World Champion for the 4th time. It was surely the most memorable moment of the match.
Roberto Baggio’s tears are probably more remembered than the Brazilian celebrations, as this great and fair player had missed at the most important moment, although he was also the one to be credited for Italy getting this far.
Match Stats:
- 17th July, 1994 Rose Bowl, Pasadena
- Attendance: 94,194
- Referee: Sandor Puhl (Hungary)
Penalty kicks:
Brazil-Italy 3-2
- Baresi missed for Italy
- Marcio Santos missed for Brazil
- 0-1 Albertini
- 1-1 Romario
- 1-2 Evani
- 2-2 Branco
- Massaro missed for Italy
- 3-2 Dunga
- R. Baggio missed for Italy
Brazil: Taffarel, Jorginho (Cafu), Marcio Santos, Aldair, Branco, Mazinho, Zinho (Viola), Mauro Silva, Dunga, Bebeto, Romario
Italy: Pagliuca, Mussi (Apolloni), Baresi, Maldini, Benarrivo, Berti, D. Baggio (Evani), Albertini, Donadoni, R. Baggio, Massaro
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Greatest World Cup matches: Bulgaria-Germany (1994)
After the victory of West Germany and the reunification of the two Germanies it would seem that the 1990s would be poised to be the era where German football would dominate. Although the unified German team had not managed to defeat Denmark in the final of the 1992 European Championships, the team was strong and motivated to defend its title at the 1994 World Cup in the USA. The team was indeed very strong, still captained by Lothar Matthäus who was now playing in Bayern Munich; and including the strong veteran defenders such as Juventus’ Jurgen Koehler, Stuttgart’s Guido Buchwald and Andreas Brehme (now in Kaiserslautern), the small creative Thomas Hässler from AS Roma and a now legendary forwarding duo of Jurgen Klinsmann and Rudi Völler.
While some strong European nations like France and England had been unable to qualify, all eyes were on the Germans, who came in as heavy favourites. In the first round the Germans played well without being overwhelming: they defeated Bolivia 1-0 in the opening match and tied Spain in their second match. In the last match they were three goals up against South Corea, but almost threw the victory away in a match that they won 3-2. Of Germany’s five goals, four had been scored by Klinsmann who was changing club from AS Monaco to Tottenham (and he was very successful in every club where he played), so he was looking awesome as Germany faced Belgium in the last-16 and won another close 3-2 victory on two goals by Olympique Marseille’s strong veteran striker Rudi Völler (appearing in his third World Cup) and one by Klinsmann.
The Germans were feeling confident as it became clear that they were to face Bulgaria in the quarter-final.
Bulgaria was participating in their sixth world cup, and their qualification had been sensational: in their last qualifying match they had to defeat France in Paris, and after being 1-0 down, two goals by FC Porto’s Emil Kostadinov gave them a very unexpected victory, and qualification at the expense of France.
However, Bulgaria entered the tournament with the statistic that they had never won a world cup match, and it seemed a difficult thing to change as they got into a difficult group with Argentina, Nigeria and Greece. They started poorly by losing 3-0 to Nigeria, but the second match against Greece gave them a resounding 4-0 victory. An Argentinean crisis, where Maradona had been banned from playing after testing positive for illegal drugs, gave Bulgaria the upper hand in their last match, and they won 2-0 to qualify for the last-16, where they faced Mexico, and won 3-1 on penalty kicks after a very boring match.
Still, it meant nothing, as Bulgaria had already achieved their best World Cup ever. It was nevertheless not a coincidence: Bulgaria’s team was probably the most talented generation of Bulgarian footballers ever: besides Emil Kostadinov, the team also had an extraordinary goalkeeper in Boris Mihaylov, Hamburg SV’s Iordan Letchkov, Sporting Lisbon’s Krassimir Balakiv, and the star above them all, the extraordinary and temperamental Barcelona striker Hristo Stoitchkov.
The Bulgarians had already shown that it would be unwise to underestimate them, and they were ready to give the Germans a good fight.
First half was disappointing as both teams played carefully, apparently afraid to make mistakes, but the Germans having a slight overweight in possession. However, only two minutes into the second half Jurgen Klinsmann was clumsily brought down inside the Bulgarian area by Iordan Letchkov. Captain Lothar Matthäus made no mistake in scoring his first goal of the tournament.
Germany’s lead had come on a cheap background, but things seemed to be going their way. Although the Bulgarians started putting more pressure and had more possession, the German routine and organisation was not letting them through. It had to be a moment of Stoitchkov’s genius that changed this. Fifteen minutes before time, Stoitchkov himself was brought down thirty meters from the German goal. He took the free kick himself; a perfectly placed kick above the wall and into the goal, without a chance for the goalkeeper Bodo Illgner from FC Cologne.
Sensationally, Bulgaria had levelled the match which, as a tactical tightrope, seemed to be heading towards extra time. But only two minutes after the equalizer Bulgaria combined in the German half. The ball ended with the Levski Sofia midfielder Zlatko Yankov on the right side, who centered into the German area, where only Thomas Hässler was defending against Iordan Letchkov. The Bulgarian jumped forward in front of Hässler and scored on a quite spectacular header that stunned Bodo Illgner.
Bulgaria was suddenly ahead, and the Germans seemed stunned. The German veterans were unable to put pressure under the hot New Jersey sun, while the Bulgarians suddenly had extra energy, and were able to defend their lead.
All eyes were on the sensational Bulgarian dream team that had eliminated the world champions. In the semifinal they played Italy, who defeated them 2-1, and they also lost the game for bronze against Sweden, but none of this could take away that Bulgaria had taken the world with storm in 1994. Hristo Stoitchkov’s extraordinary free kick contributed to him winning the Golden Boot of the tournament (together with Oleg Salenko), as well as him on that year being awarded the title as European footballer of the year.
Match Stats:
Goals: 0-1 Matthäus (47) (pen), 1-1 Stoitchkov (75), 2-1 Letchkov (78)
Teams:
Bulgaria: Mihailov; Ivanov, Tzvetanov, Houbchev, Iankov, Kostadinov (Guenchev), Stoitchkov (Iordanov), Letchkov, Sirakov, Kiriakov, Balakov
Germany: Illgner; Kohler, Helmer, Buchwald, Berthold, Wagner (Strunz), Möller, Hässler, (Brehme), Matthäus, Völler, Klinsmann
While some strong European nations like France and England had been unable to qualify, all eyes were on the Germans, who came in as heavy favourites. In the first round the Germans played well without being overwhelming: they defeated Bolivia 1-0 in the opening match and tied Spain in their second match. In the last match they were three goals up against South Corea, but almost threw the victory away in a match that they won 3-2. Of Germany’s five goals, four had been scored by Klinsmann who was changing club from AS Monaco to Tottenham (and he was very successful in every club where he played), so he was looking awesome as Germany faced Belgium in the last-16 and won another close 3-2 victory on two goals by Olympique Marseille’s strong veteran striker Rudi Völler (appearing in his third World Cup) and one by Klinsmann.
The Germans were feeling confident as it became clear that they were to face Bulgaria in the quarter-final.
Bulgaria was participating in their sixth world cup, and their qualification had been sensational: in their last qualifying match they had to defeat France in Paris, and after being 1-0 down, two goals by FC Porto’s Emil Kostadinov gave them a very unexpected victory, and qualification at the expense of France.
However, Bulgaria entered the tournament with the statistic that they had never won a world cup match, and it seemed a difficult thing to change as they got into a difficult group with Argentina, Nigeria and Greece. They started poorly by losing 3-0 to Nigeria, but the second match against Greece gave them a resounding 4-0 victory. An Argentinean crisis, where Maradona had been banned from playing after testing positive for illegal drugs, gave Bulgaria the upper hand in their last match, and they won 2-0 to qualify for the last-16, where they faced Mexico, and won 3-1 on penalty kicks after a very boring match.
Still, it meant nothing, as Bulgaria had already achieved their best World Cup ever. It was nevertheless not a coincidence: Bulgaria’s team was probably the most talented generation of Bulgarian footballers ever: besides Emil Kostadinov, the team also had an extraordinary goalkeeper in Boris Mihaylov, Hamburg SV’s Iordan Letchkov, Sporting Lisbon’s Krassimir Balakiv, and the star above them all, the extraordinary and temperamental Barcelona striker Hristo Stoitchkov.
The Bulgarians had already shown that it would be unwise to underestimate them, and they were ready to give the Germans a good fight.
First half was disappointing as both teams played carefully, apparently afraid to make mistakes, but the Germans having a slight overweight in possession. However, only two minutes into the second half Jurgen Klinsmann was clumsily brought down inside the Bulgarian area by Iordan Letchkov. Captain Lothar Matthäus made no mistake in scoring his first goal of the tournament.
Germany’s lead had come on a cheap background, but things seemed to be going their way. Although the Bulgarians started putting more pressure and had more possession, the German routine and organisation was not letting them through. It had to be a moment of Stoitchkov’s genius that changed this. Fifteen minutes before time, Stoitchkov himself was brought down thirty meters from the German goal. He took the free kick himself; a perfectly placed kick above the wall and into the goal, without a chance for the goalkeeper Bodo Illgner from FC Cologne.
Sensationally, Bulgaria had levelled the match which, as a tactical tightrope, seemed to be heading towards extra time. But only two minutes after the equalizer Bulgaria combined in the German half. The ball ended with the Levski Sofia midfielder Zlatko Yankov on the right side, who centered into the German area, where only Thomas Hässler was defending against Iordan Letchkov. The Bulgarian jumped forward in front of Hässler and scored on a quite spectacular header that stunned Bodo Illgner.
Bulgaria was suddenly ahead, and the Germans seemed stunned. The German veterans were unable to put pressure under the hot New Jersey sun, while the Bulgarians suddenly had extra energy, and were able to defend their lead.
All eyes were on the sensational Bulgarian dream team that had eliminated the world champions. In the semifinal they played Italy, who defeated them 2-1, and they also lost the game for bronze against Sweden, but none of this could take away that Bulgaria had taken the world with storm in 1994. Hristo Stoitchkov’s extraordinary free kick contributed to him winning the Golden Boot of the tournament (together with Oleg Salenko), as well as him on that year being awarded the title as European footballer of the year.
Match Stats:
- 10th July 1994, Giants Stadium, New Jersey
- Attendance: 72,000
- Referee: José Torres Cárdena (Colombia)
Goals: 0-1 Matthäus (47) (pen), 1-1 Stoitchkov (75), 2-1 Letchkov (78)
Teams:
Bulgaria: Mihailov; Ivanov, Tzvetanov, Houbchev, Iankov, Kostadinov (Guenchev), Stoitchkov (Iordanov), Letchkov, Sirakov, Kiriakov, Balakov
Germany: Illgner; Kohler, Helmer, Buchwald, Berthold, Wagner (Strunz), Möller, Hässler, (Brehme), Matthäus, Völler, Klinsmann
Monday, April 05, 2010
Greatest World Cup matches: Italy-Spain (1994)
Spain and Italy are two great southern European footballing nations that have produced some of the best players, and at club level have some of the most winning clubs in the world. That said, their trajectories at the level of national teams could not have been more different: while Italy has won the world championship four times and been in more finals, Spain has only one semifinal in 1950 to brag about.
The misfortunes of the Spanish national football side have been discussed widely, and credited in part on the diversity of Spain with little attachment to the national team, as well as to the intense rivalry between the two major clubs, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Still, Spain has always entered a tournament as a major favourite, although never (yet) living up to the expectations. However, in 1994 the Spanish team came very close to success against Italy in a world cup where other major European powers (France and England) had not qualified.
The Spanish side was coached by Javier Clemente, arguably one of the most unpopular coaches Spain had ever had, but who clung stubbornly to the job in spite of criticism about his style and what seemed an overwhelming selection of players from his native Basque country. Many of these players came from the extraordinary Barcelona side that had won the Spanish leagues from 1991 to 1994, and in fact their results had been quite good in spite of the heavy criticism against Clemente.
Spain had started the tournament by tying South Corea 2-2 and Germany 1-1, while a 3-1 victory against Bolivia had given them the second spot in the group behind Germany. In the last-16 Spain had crushed Switzerland 3-0 and now saw their chance for world cup success as they were to face Italy in the quarter-finals.
Contrary to Spain, Italy had not looked too strong in the tournament and had made it to the quarter-final on some very close calls: in the first round Italy had started out by losing 1-0 to Ireland in a match that was historical for the islanders. In the second match Italy had defeated Norway 1-0 on a goal by the Juventus midfielder Dino Baggio, and in their last match 1-1 against Mexico had been just enough to let the Azzuri through on one of the best third places.
In the last-16 Italy was against the African debutants from Nigeria, who had sensationally won their group ahead of Bulgaria and Argentina. The Nigerians dominated the match against Italy and were leading 1-0 until two minutes before time when the extraordinary Roberto Baggio from Juventus equalized for the Italians, and in extra time scored on a penalty to give the Italians the place in the quarter-final against Spain in Boston, Massachussetts.
The match between the two northern Mediterranean teams was to be very dramatic, with the Italians starting out the best against an apparently nervous Spanish side with more possession, and Roberto Baggio having an excellent shot deflected by Albert Ferrer to corner kick after 15 minutes.
And 25 minutes into the first half Italy went ahead: the AC Milan midfielder Roberto Donadoni passed the ball to Dino Baggio who spectacularly shot from 30 meters and scored without a chance for Barcelona’s (Basque) goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta.
Although Spain tried moving forward, and increased possession, Italy was the better team in the first half and was leading as well. But in the second half Spain attacked more, with Italy increasingly and as usual relying on their counter-attacks.
But it only took fifteen minutes into the second hand before Spain nevertheless equalised: Barcelona’s offensive left-back, Sergi, rushed forward on the left side on a quick Spanish counter-attack and centred low before the Italian defence was in place. A Spanish player jumped over the ball which went to Atlético Madrid’s elegant midfielder José Luis Caminero, who had enough time to try to curve the ball into the goal outside of Gianluca Pagliuca’s reach with the help of a small deflection from an Italian defender.
Spain suddenly smelled Italian blood, and started to press on, but without luck. In the 83rd minute the Barcelona striker Julio Salinas missed a golden opportunity alone with Pagliuca, but shot weakly right on the Sampdoria goalkeeper’s leg. Also, the Real Madrid defender Fernando Hierro had a good shot from outside that just went over the crossbar.
But as often happens in football, Italy went ahead instead on a splendid counterattack following one of the Spanish chances: a long ball from the Italian defense caught the Spanish defense off guard as two Italian players rushed forward. The ball dropped towards the Lazio striker Giuseppe Signori, who with the tip of his toe managed to tip the ball over a Spanish defender to his right side, where Roberto Baggio was running alone. With great skill Baggio controlled the ball immediately, and elegantly and quickly went around the onrushing Zubizarreta. Although the angle to shoot was getting very small, Baggio made no mistake and hammered the ball into goal as a Spanish defender desperately tried to block on the goalline.
The Italians were off course delighted, while the Spaniards could do nothing in the last minutes but push forward. In the last minute of the match the Real Madrid player Luis Enrique was brought down in the Italian area by the AC Milan defender Mauro Tassotti during a cross. The Hungarian referee, Sandor Puhl, gave nothing to the Spaniards, while Luis Enrique got up with a bleeding face from the elbow Tassotti had given him. The TV pictures clearly showed the infraction and Tassotti was banned for eight matches, but this was a poor consolation for the Spaniards who went out of the tournament.
Spain obviously felt badly treated by the referee and by the Italians, who had nevertheless played their best game of the tournament. The Italians went on to defeat Bulgaria 2-1 in the semifinal on two goals by Roberto Baggio who had become their saviour in the tournament. In the final, Italy nevertheless lost to Brazil on penalty kicks, after Roberto Baggio missed his crucial kick….
The Spanish sides continued to have an Italy-complex that was perhaps only broken in 2008, when they defeated Italy in the quarterfinals of the European championships and went on to win the tournament.
World Cup glory has still continued to elude Spain.
Match Stats:
Goals: 1-0 Dino Baggio (26), 1-1 José Luis Caminero (59), 2-1 Roberto Baggio (88)
Teams:
Italy: Pagliuca; Benarrivo, Costacurta, Maldini, Tassott, Albertini (Signori), D. Baggio, Conte (Berti), Donadoni, R. Baggio, Massaro
Spain: Zubizarreta; Ferrer, Abelardo, Sergi (Salinas), Caminero, Alkorta, Nadal, Otero, Goicoechea, Bakero (Hierro), Luis Enrique
The misfortunes of the Spanish national football side have been discussed widely, and credited in part on the diversity of Spain with little attachment to the national team, as well as to the intense rivalry between the two major clubs, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Still, Spain has always entered a tournament as a major favourite, although never (yet) living up to the expectations. However, in 1994 the Spanish team came very close to success against Italy in a world cup where other major European powers (France and England) had not qualified.
The Spanish side was coached by Javier Clemente, arguably one of the most unpopular coaches Spain had ever had, but who clung stubbornly to the job in spite of criticism about his style and what seemed an overwhelming selection of players from his native Basque country. Many of these players came from the extraordinary Barcelona side that had won the Spanish leagues from 1991 to 1994, and in fact their results had been quite good in spite of the heavy criticism against Clemente.
Spain had started the tournament by tying South Corea 2-2 and Germany 1-1, while a 3-1 victory against Bolivia had given them the second spot in the group behind Germany. In the last-16 Spain had crushed Switzerland 3-0 and now saw their chance for world cup success as they were to face Italy in the quarter-finals.
Contrary to Spain, Italy had not looked too strong in the tournament and had made it to the quarter-final on some very close calls: in the first round Italy had started out by losing 1-0 to Ireland in a match that was historical for the islanders. In the second match Italy had defeated Norway 1-0 on a goal by the Juventus midfielder Dino Baggio, and in their last match 1-1 against Mexico had been just enough to let the Azzuri through on one of the best third places.
In the last-16 Italy was against the African debutants from Nigeria, who had sensationally won their group ahead of Bulgaria and Argentina. The Nigerians dominated the match against Italy and were leading 1-0 until two minutes before time when the extraordinary Roberto Baggio from Juventus equalized for the Italians, and in extra time scored on a penalty to give the Italians the place in the quarter-final against Spain in Boston, Massachussetts.
The match between the two northern Mediterranean teams was to be very dramatic, with the Italians starting out the best against an apparently nervous Spanish side with more possession, and Roberto Baggio having an excellent shot deflected by Albert Ferrer to corner kick after 15 minutes.
And 25 minutes into the first half Italy went ahead: the AC Milan midfielder Roberto Donadoni passed the ball to Dino Baggio who spectacularly shot from 30 meters and scored without a chance for Barcelona’s (Basque) goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta.
Although Spain tried moving forward, and increased possession, Italy was the better team in the first half and was leading as well. But in the second half Spain attacked more, with Italy increasingly and as usual relying on their counter-attacks.
But it only took fifteen minutes into the second hand before Spain nevertheless equalised: Barcelona’s offensive left-back, Sergi, rushed forward on the left side on a quick Spanish counter-attack and centred low before the Italian defence was in place. A Spanish player jumped over the ball which went to Atlético Madrid’s elegant midfielder José Luis Caminero, who had enough time to try to curve the ball into the goal outside of Gianluca Pagliuca’s reach with the help of a small deflection from an Italian defender.
Spain suddenly smelled Italian blood, and started to press on, but without luck. In the 83rd minute the Barcelona striker Julio Salinas missed a golden opportunity alone with Pagliuca, but shot weakly right on the Sampdoria goalkeeper’s leg. Also, the Real Madrid defender Fernando Hierro had a good shot from outside that just went over the crossbar.
But as often happens in football, Italy went ahead instead on a splendid counterattack following one of the Spanish chances: a long ball from the Italian defense caught the Spanish defense off guard as two Italian players rushed forward. The ball dropped towards the Lazio striker Giuseppe Signori, who with the tip of his toe managed to tip the ball over a Spanish defender to his right side, where Roberto Baggio was running alone. With great skill Baggio controlled the ball immediately, and elegantly and quickly went around the onrushing Zubizarreta. Although the angle to shoot was getting very small, Baggio made no mistake and hammered the ball into goal as a Spanish defender desperately tried to block on the goalline.
The Italians were off course delighted, while the Spaniards could do nothing in the last minutes but push forward. In the last minute of the match the Real Madrid player Luis Enrique was brought down in the Italian area by the AC Milan defender Mauro Tassotti during a cross. The Hungarian referee, Sandor Puhl, gave nothing to the Spaniards, while Luis Enrique got up with a bleeding face from the elbow Tassotti had given him. The TV pictures clearly showed the infraction and Tassotti was banned for eight matches, but this was a poor consolation for the Spaniards who went out of the tournament.
Spain obviously felt badly treated by the referee and by the Italians, who had nevertheless played their best game of the tournament. The Italians went on to defeat Bulgaria 2-1 in the semifinal on two goals by Roberto Baggio who had become their saviour in the tournament. In the final, Italy nevertheless lost to Brazil on penalty kicks, after Roberto Baggio missed his crucial kick….
The Spanish sides continued to have an Italy-complex that was perhaps only broken in 2008, when they defeated Italy in the quarterfinals of the European championships and went on to win the tournament.
World Cup glory has still continued to elude Spain.
Match Stats:
- 9th July 1994, Foxboro Stadium, Boston
- Attendance: 53,400
- Referee: Sandor Puhl (Hungary)
Goals: 1-0 Dino Baggio (26), 1-1 José Luis Caminero (59), 2-1 Roberto Baggio (88)
Teams:
Italy: Pagliuca; Benarrivo, Costacurta, Maldini, Tassott, Albertini (Signori), D. Baggio, Conte (Berti), Donadoni, R. Baggio, Massaro
Spain: Zubizarreta; Ferrer, Abelardo, Sergi (Salinas), Caminero, Alkorta, Nadal, Otero, Goicoechea, Bakero (Hierro), Luis Enrique
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Greatest World Cup matches: Cameroon-Russia (1994)
The match between Russia and Cameroon in the first round of the 1994 was completely irrelevant for both teams. Russia had lost their previous two matches 2-0 and 3-1 to Brazil and Sweden respectively, while Cameroon had tied Sweden 2-2 and lost 3-0 to Brazil. This meant that while Cameroon had a small theoretical chance of progressing, Russia was out. With Brazil and Sweden tying 1-1, the match was nevertheless irrelevant.
Still, the match in Stanford, California, is worth mentioning since two incredible records in world cup history were made in the same match.
After 15 minutes Oleg Salenko, striker from the CD Logroñés in Spain, opened the scoring for Russia, and by half-time, the same player had made a hat-trick by scoring two more goals (one of them on penalty). Cameroon, an ageing team that had been the sensation of the 1990 World Cup where they made it all the way to the quarterfinals, was being humiliated, and the saviour from the 1990 World Cup entered the pitch, the 42 year old Roger Milla.
Roger Milla had played some years in France during the 1980s and in 1976 had been awarded the African Footballer of the year award, but his career came came to the wider world’s attention in 1990 when, at the age of 38, he had controversially been selected for the world cup squad after Cameroon’s president had put pressure on the coach. Entering against Colombia in the last-16, he had scored the winning goal, and had been instrumental in Cameroon’s 2-1 lead against England in the 1990 quarter-finals. Then, Milla had been the oldest player to score in a World Cup. As he entered the pitch against Russia, it was only one minute before he beat his own record when scoring as he strongly held off a Russian defender in the penalty area and placed the ball in the goal.
Roger Milla’s record as the oldest man to score in a world cup is unlikely ever to be beaten.
However, this was not the first record to be broken. Cameroun was unable to score again, and instead Russia, and notably Oleg Salenko, proceeded to tame and destroy the African lions. Halfway through the second half Oleg Salenko scored his fourth goal on a comfortable right-foot shot after a quick Russian attack.
Only eight players before Salenko had ever achieved the feat of scoring four goals in a world cup match, the last being Emilio Butragueño in 1986, when Spain defeated Denmark. However, no player had ever scored five goals in one world cup match, and this was exactly what Oleg Salenko achieved only three minutes later, when he scored a fifth for Russia on a quick attack that tore apart the tired African defense. To this day Oleg Salenko remains the only player that has scored five goals in one world cup match.
Dmitri Radchenko from Zenit Leningrad scored a sixth for Russia before the end of the match, but that is only an anecdote in a match that had already seen two world cup records.
Roger Milla played his last world cup match in this match, as Cameroon returned home. He is still a legend in Cameroon, and widely considered one of the best players Africa has ever produced;
Oleg Salenko only played eight matches for Russia, and his club career was not prominent in spite of his talent, playing for Valencia, Glasgow Rangers, Istanbulspor, Córdoba and Pogon Szczecin with mixed success. In spite of this, he remains in the history books because of his record in this match, and including the goal he had scored against Sweden, he became top-scorer of the tournament together with Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoitchkov.
Match Stats:
Goals: 1-0 Salenko (15), 2-0 Salenko (41), 3-0 Salenko (44) (pen), 3-1 Milla (46), 4-1 Salenko (72), 5-1 Salenko (75), 6-1 Radchenko (81)
Teams:
Russia: Cherchesov; Nikiforov, Ternavski, Tetradze, Korneev (Radchenko), Tsymbalar, Onopko, Lediakhov (Beschastnykh), Salenko, Karpin, Khlestov
Cameroon: Songo; Kana, Ndip, Libiih, Omam-Biyik, Mfede (Milla), Kalla, Tataw, Agbo, Foe, Embe (Tchami)
Still, the match in Stanford, California, is worth mentioning since two incredible records in world cup history were made in the same match.
After 15 minutes Oleg Salenko, striker from the CD Logroñés in Spain, opened the scoring for Russia, and by half-time, the same player had made a hat-trick by scoring two more goals (one of them on penalty). Cameroon, an ageing team that had been the sensation of the 1990 World Cup where they made it all the way to the quarterfinals, was being humiliated, and the saviour from the 1990 World Cup entered the pitch, the 42 year old Roger Milla.
Roger Milla had played some years in France during the 1980s and in 1976 had been awarded the African Footballer of the year award, but his career came came to the wider world’s attention in 1990 when, at the age of 38, he had controversially been selected for the world cup squad after Cameroon’s president had put pressure on the coach. Entering against Colombia in the last-16, he had scored the winning goal, and had been instrumental in Cameroon’s 2-1 lead against England in the 1990 quarter-finals. Then, Milla had been the oldest player to score in a World Cup. As he entered the pitch against Russia, it was only one minute before he beat his own record when scoring as he strongly held off a Russian defender in the penalty area and placed the ball in the goal.
Roger Milla’s record as the oldest man to score in a world cup is unlikely ever to be beaten.
However, this was not the first record to be broken. Cameroun was unable to score again, and instead Russia, and notably Oleg Salenko, proceeded to tame and destroy the African lions. Halfway through the second half Oleg Salenko scored his fourth goal on a comfortable right-foot shot after a quick Russian attack.
Only eight players before Salenko had ever achieved the feat of scoring four goals in a world cup match, the last being Emilio Butragueño in 1986, when Spain defeated Denmark. However, no player had ever scored five goals in one world cup match, and this was exactly what Oleg Salenko achieved only three minutes later, when he scored a fifth for Russia on a quick attack that tore apart the tired African defense. To this day Oleg Salenko remains the only player that has scored five goals in one world cup match.
Dmitri Radchenko from Zenit Leningrad scored a sixth for Russia before the end of the match, but that is only an anecdote in a match that had already seen two world cup records.
Roger Milla played his last world cup match in this match, as Cameroon returned home. He is still a legend in Cameroon, and widely considered one of the best players Africa has ever produced;
Oleg Salenko only played eight matches for Russia, and his club career was not prominent in spite of his talent, playing for Valencia, Glasgow Rangers, Istanbulspor, Córdoba and Pogon Szczecin with mixed success. In spite of this, he remains in the history books because of his record in this match, and including the goal he had scored against Sweden, he became top-scorer of the tournament together with Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoitchkov.
Match Stats:
- 28th June 1994, Stanford Stadium, Stanford
- Attendance: 75,000
- Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)
Goals: 1-0 Salenko (15), 2-0 Salenko (41), 3-0 Salenko (44) (pen), 3-1 Milla (46), 4-1 Salenko (72), 5-1 Salenko (75), 6-1 Radchenko (81)
Teams:
Russia: Cherchesov; Nikiforov, Ternavski, Tetradze, Korneev (Radchenko), Tsymbalar, Onopko, Lediakhov (Beschastnykh), Salenko, Karpin, Khlestov
Cameroon: Songo; Kana, Ndip, Libiih, Omam-Biyik, Mfede (Milla), Kalla, Tataw, Agbo, Foe, Embe (Tchami)
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