“Sons of bitches… Sons of bitches…”, he bellowed Maradona with an AFA pennant in hand, to exchange with Lothar Matthäus in midfield. The Argentine anthem was playing at the Olympic Stadium in Rome and a large portion of the 73,603 spectators, the Italian part especially, whistled the stanzas of Argentine national music. Maradona was singing it, but when he heard the whistles and boos he stopped and started insulting those fans. Argentina had just eliminated Italy in the semifinal and the local public did not forgive them. Some two billion watched it on television. It was not the best start for a World Cup final. That would end in controversy.
(You may be interested: Colombia made history! It closed its incredible Women’s World Cup after losing vs. England)
Argentina and Germany, who had encouraged the defining clash in Mexico ’86, returned to settle the World Cup. With many of the protagonists from four years ago and with the same coaches: Carlos Bilardo and Franz Beckenbauer. The previous one was clearly more attractive.
Italy ’90 was, without a doubt, the most generously staged World Cup. In full economic height, the country of Da Vinci and Michelangelo invested billions of dollars to make an unforgettable event. The idea was to show itself as a developed nation through the tournament. Put the distinction of “Made in Italy”, its art, its creativity, its unique culture, design, music, history, gastronomy and Italian industry in the international foreground. It even had what is almost unanimously considered the most beautiful song of all the World Cups: An Italian Summer, performed heavenly by Gianna Nannini and Edoardo Bennato. Even the Italia ’90 poster is the best of all: the Roman Colosseum, humanity’s first great stage, and inside, a soccer field.
Unfortunately, soccer did not have a correlate with the magnificence of the stadiums and the splendors. On the contrary, it was the counterpart of a brilliant organization. In general, an ugly, stingy, boring, very defensive game was seen, full of tricks, delays, simulations, abruptness and with the lowest goal average in history: 2.21 per game. The coaches were mean, the players misbehaved.
Alarmed by the poor spectacle that scared off the clientele, after the World Cup FIFA ordered a series of changes to the regulations to put an end to speculation and persistence. Only two changes per team were still allowed, very different from the current situation: France made 7 in Qatar against Argentina. And it was the last World Cup in which the victory reported two points, since the United States ’94 it became 3.
In this context, Argentina was the blackest of the black sheep: they received 21 yellow cards and 3 red cards during the Cup. They played ugly, but ended up as world runner-up, scoring only 5 goals in 7 games…!!! A negative record that has been going on for 33 years and that may last a century. He even qualified for the round of 16 as third in his group behind Cameroon and Romania. But before reaching the final he broke the glass: he eliminated a Brazil full of figures and an Italy that was sure to win the title because it was local.
(Also read: Linda Caicedo breaks down in tears: video of her tears after goodbye to Colombia from the World Cup)
Argentina was an imitation of the 1986 champion team. It brought some illustrious names –Maradona, Ruggeri, Burruchaga, Olarticoechea– but they were no longer on top of the mountain but descending it. And the new ones, except for the dazzling Caniggia, were not in the same category as those. He made a pilgrimage to the final and arrived in rags: without Giusti, Olarticoechea and Caniggia, suspended, and with Ruggeri and Burruchaga physically diminished (both had to be replaced). And Maradona had played the entire World Cup with an ankle that looked like a tennis ball. However, he was tough to beat. He barely conceded 4 goals. Bilardo enlisted Goycochea; Sensini, Ruggeri, Serrizuela, Simón and Lorenzo: Troglio, Basualdo, Burruchaga and Maradona and ahead Dezotti, a castaway who spent the entire clash running Germans all over the pitch. Specifically, Argentina played without forwards. A piece of information describes that albiceleste team: they did not finish off the goal in the 90 minutes. And on top of that he was in tatters, he ended up with nine men due to the expulsions of Pedro Monzón (65′) and Gustavo Dezzoti (87′).
Beckenbauer presented a much improved team compared to Mexico ’86. Two very penetrating forwards -Völler and Klinsmann-, two lively, fast midfielders with play -Littbarski and Haessler- and a very safe defence. He lined up illgner; Berthold, Kohler, Augenthaler, Buchwald, and Brehme; Haessler, Matthäus, and Littbarski; Voller and Klinsmann. The German dominance was ostensible, but their respect for Argentina, the disciplined Albiceleste defense and their own inefficiency prevented them from opening the scoring. And he created little danger in the Argentine goal, no one-on-one. He reached the goal for a non-existent penalty awarded by the Uruguayan referee Edgardo Codesal. He is erroneously referred to as “the Mexican Codesal”, but he was born and lived in Montevideo, there he graduated as a referee and led the First Division. Later, hired by the Mexican Federation, he settled in Mexico and, representing this football, arrived in Italy ’90. It was a run from the right by Völler paired by Sensini. This never touched the German striker, but Codesal was a trigger-happy player. Andreas Brehme executed with a low shot to the left wing and converted. A world title cannot be decided by such a light ruling. And less with five minutes left to lower the curtain. Six minutes before there was a clear penalty from Matthäus to Calderón and the judge ignored it. There was no VAR. It was the time when Blatter and Havelange argued that it was better to discuss it in bars and offices, that this was the salt of football, and not resort to technology.
In 2016, in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, Brehme himself confessed: “It was not a penalty, the mark was correct.” And in an interview with La Nación, from Buenos Aires, Lothar Matthäus also recognized it: “I was very well placed. I see that there is a contact, but for me it was not enough to collect a penalty. In a game like this, if you are going to collect a penalty, the referee has to be 100% sure that the infraction was clear. And for me it wasn’t so clear”. Both were very noble. Argentina didn’t make too much of a scandal either, it came from the famous “hand of God” of Maradona four years before .
(Also read: Nelson Abadía: “We show the growth of Colombian soccer, hierarchy and category”)
Haessler and Littbarski, the two squirrels from Cologne, were the figures of the champion. As always, the players with the most technique and daring. In order of merit, they are followed by Rudi Völler, fearsome in every attack, in every cross, and Andreas Brehme, in charge of all his team’s set pieces thanks to his excellent shot. Illgner, who years later would go on to Real Madrid, had no intervention, Buchwald followed Maradona individually because, as Matthäus revealed, “Beckenbauer was afraid of Diego”. Maradona did not have the incidence of the previous tournament, likewise, like the greats of all times, he did not play badly. His touches were always spot on. On a certain occasion we interviewed Pepe, that of Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe, and we asked him if Pelé had ever played badly: “Never,” he replied. The day he was not well he was the best of us ”. He himself of the geniuses.
Germany deserved to take the Cup and win that game, Codesal’s ruling stained the canvas, dulled it. What was remarkable about that final was the remarkable respect between all the actors, all very chivalrous, they didn’t hit each other. It was the last of the ten German participations as the German Federal Republic, in October of that same year the reunification of Goethe’s homeland would take place.last tango
JORGE BARRAZA
For the time
@JorgeBarrazaOK
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#Germany #infamous #penalty.. #tango