September 5, 1993 is an unforgettable day for more than one generation of Colombians.. That day, the National Team led by Francisco Maturana achieved a historic milestone in national football.
This Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the historic 5-0 against Argentina, a match that gave many pages and many hours of conversation. The team went to heaven and entered the group of favorites to win the 1994 World Cup, which they qualified with that result, which also sent Argentina to play a playoff against Australia.
At least two generations of Colombians did not see that game live. Many of the stories from that day became urban legends. EL TIEMPO remembers, 30 years after that match, 30 moments of a historic day.
1. This was the position table: the tie reached
Colombia arrived as the leader of group A of the tie, with 8 points. Argentina was second with 7. The first went directly to the World Cup and the second, to the repechage. The tie reached Colombia.
2. Colombia came from brilliantly beating Argentina at home
Three weeks before the match in Buenos Aires, Colombia had brilliantly beaten Argentina, 2-1, with goals from Adolfo Valencia and Iván Valenciano, and took an unbeaten record from 33 games.
3. Why didn’t Diego Maradona play in the 5-0?
Diego Maradona had just had a stormy departure from Sevilla and had no team. That’s why he didn’t play the tie. Four days after the 5-0 loss, the star signed with Newell’s Old Boys.
4. Maradona’s harsh criticism of coach Alfio Basile
Despite being without a club, Maradona complained to DT Alfio Basile for not calling him. “Basile got drunk with two drinks,” he said, referring to the two Copa América that Argentina had recently won, in 1991 and 1993.
5. The phrase with which Maradona wanted to minimize Colombia
Despite everything, Maradona was convinced that the Albicelestes were going to win. “We must not break history, they must not break history. Argentina up, Colombia down…”, he said.
6. The first scare: the ‘Train’ Valencia played injured and infiltrated
In his book El 5-0, journalist Mauricio Silva made two revelations before the game. The first: the ‘Train’ Valencia had received a strong blow from Leonel Álvarez. He had to be infiltrated.
7. The second scare: ‘Tino’ Asprilla got sick the day before the game
The second: Faustino Asprilla had a fever before the game. “Very few people know that I played that game sick and that hours before going out on the pitch I was shaking like a chicken,” he recalled.
8. A difficult environment: shouting, noise and aggression
The National Team did not have a good time before the game: a group of fans went to make noise outside the hotel the night before and on the way to the stadium, the bus carrying the team was stoned.
9. The ‘Tino’ came out to lower the tension, talking on the cell phone
‘Tino’ Asprilla entered the field before the game, talking on the cell phone with his businessman, Gustavo Mascardi, while they insulted him from the stands: he went to the center of the field and promised two goals.
10. The duel of the ’10’, Simeone and the Kid Valderrama
A friction between Carlos Valderrama and Diego Simeone, who wore the 10 for Argentina, was key to the match. Today’s Atlético de Madrid coach bravado al Pibe and touched his face. The Colombian was not left. The game was heads up.
11. The plane that almost crashed into the Monumental stadium
An Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing was about to collide with the Monumental stadium. The pilot wanted to show the passengers the atmosphere before the key match of the tie.
12. The first goal, brilliant play
Before the end of the first half, Colombia went ahead: Valderrama hit a filtered pass and Freddy Rincón defined to put Francisco Maturana’s team ahead, in the 41st minute.
13. Óscar Córdoba, key to avoiding scares
Faustino Asprilla made it 2-0 at 50 and since then, Argentina has been on top of Colombia. Óscar Córdoba, the visitor’s goalkeeper, was essential to withstand that onslaught.
14. Two shots in a row: from 2-0 to 4-0
In two minutes, Colombia began to build the win and delivered two huge blows: Freddy Rincón repeated at 74 and Faustino Asprilla, bathing goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea, made it 4-0, at 75.
15. Maturana, with great confidence, did not make changes
Oscar Cordoba; Chonto Herrera, Alexis Mendoza, Luis Carlos Perea and Wilson Pérez; Barrabás Gómez, Leonel Álvarez, Freddy Rincón, Carlos Valderrama; Faustino Asprilla and Adolfo Valencia. Those were the 11 starters. They did so well that Maturana did not make changes in that game.
16. Marcelo Araújo’s laconic goal chant
While the Colombian narrators exhausted their shouts, Marcelo Araújo, who reported for Argentine TV, laconically said: “Ladies and gentlemen, the game is 4-0 in 30 minutes.”
17. The euphoria of TV broadcasting in Colombia
Seconds before Asprilla made it 4-0, Adolfo Pérez, who was commenting on the game on the Caracol TV broadcast, launched a phrase that sparked the party: “They can get the brandy out!”
18. The Argentines ended up singing other people’s goals
The rout could have left Argentina out of the World Cup if Paraguay beat Peru. For this reason, when Jorge Soto scored for the Peruvians in Lima, the Argentines claimed the goal as their own.
19. Is it true that the judge asked for another goal to be scored?
Diego Simeone broke Valencia’s mouth. It was red. ‘Barrabás’ Gómez asked judge Ernesto Filippi not to expel him. “I don’t miss it, but score another goal for those sons of p.”, the judge would have said.
20. The version of the referee Ernesto Filippi
In a chat with the journalist Adolfo Pérez in 2020, Filippi denied the version. “That is part of the folklore. My treatment was always gentleman to the players. I never used those terms.”
21. The unprecedented celebration of ‘Pacho’ Maturana
Francisco Maturana, the Colombian coach in that game, was not very expressive on the bench. That is why he surprised the photo of EL TIEMPO the next day, celebrating one of the goals with euphoria.
22. The Valencia Train begged Tino to help him score a goal
Faustino Asprilla says that the ‘Tren’ Valencia asked him throughout the game to help him score his goal. The striker who was playing for Bayern Munich at the time scored the fifth and final.
27 years ago today Colombia beat Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires and qualified for the USA 94 World Cup. By the way, this great anecdote of Tino Asprilla with El Tren Valencia that day. pic.twitter.com/2typuEsIui
— Arley Durán Gómez (@arleydeportes) September 5, 2020
23. The applause of Maradona and the Argentines in the stadium
The Argentine fans exchanged their hostility at the beginning for a shower of applause at the end. The TV showed Diego Maradona in the popular tribune of the Monumental also applauding.
24. Bolillo’s reaction: ‘We’re screwed, Pacho!’
One of the few who did not join the euphoria of the celebration was Hernán Darío Gómez. Bolillo approached Maturana and told him: “Pacho, we screwed up. Now we have to be world champions”.
25. The historic black cover of El Gráfico
El Gráfico, the traditional Argentine magazine, made a black cover. ‘Shame!’ was the title, without any images of the game. And inside, with a huge photo of the Kid, he titled: “This is how football is played.”
26. Sanfilippo’s strong attack on Goycochea
Sergio Goycochea, the goalkeeper for Argentina that day, had a difficult time. Former player José Sanfilippo attacked him live on a TV program: “You ate all the feints,” he told him.
27. From euphoria to mourning: a wild celebration
The celebration of the Colombian victory overflowed more than necessary. Official reports say that there were 85 deaths that day and more than 900 injuries in the middle of the celebration.
28. César Gaviria gave the Boyacá Cross to the National Team
César Gaviria, the then president, awarded the Cruz de Boyacá to the team after the 5-0 draw. The ‘Kid’ Valderrama received it. DT Francisco Maturana also received the Order of Boyacá.
29. The narco who paid for the party in Buenos Aires
The book about this party written by Mauricio Silva revealed that the drug trafficker Justo Pastor Perafán paid for the celebration in Buenos Aires. He alone in champagne he paid 12,000 dollars.
30. The praise of Fifa and the sentence of Pelé
Fifa declared Colombia as the revelation team of the year and the Brazilian star Pelé gave it as the great favorite to win the World Cup. What happened in the United States 94 gives for another special…
Jose Orlando Ascencio
sports deputy editor
@josasc
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