The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 150: World Cup in Italy in the Midsummer

The 1990 World Cup in Italy showed a different style of football. The Italians’ romance in art and conservatism in football, the struggle and sadness of Argentina’s superstar Maradona, the tenacity of the England team, and the strictness of the German champions’ tactics and discipline were all shown on the stage of the World Cup, which also provided Ferguson with a valuable learning opportunity.

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When the league ended, it was almost summer. In the summer of 1990, the football world welcomed the biggest event - the World Cup in Italy.

This was the 14th FIFA World Cup, held from June 1990 to July 6, 8. Italy became the second country to host two World Cups (the first was Mexico), and the preparation and organization of the tournament received widespread attention. The entire country of Italy was fully mobilized, made excellent preparations, and presented a wonderful opening ceremony to fans all over the world. This opening ceremony was the most beautiful in the history of the World Cup. The charming Italian beauties, the unique costume and stage design, and the performances at the opening ceremony made all the fans excited. The success of the opening ceremony also further stimulated the interest of the audience. This World Cup attracted nearly 7 billion television viewers, ticket revenue reached 8 million US dollars, and commercial revenue exceeded 267 billion US dollars, all of which set historical records.

Therefore, in terms of business and influence, this was an extremely successful World Cup.

There are 24 teams participating in this World Cup, divided into 6 groups. The top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed teams advance. There are 112 countries and regions participating in the qualifiers, which is less than the 121 in the previous World Cup, but the competition is still very fierce and there are many upsets. Denmark, Portugal and the last semi-final team France were all eliminated and missed the World Cup finals.

The World Cup group stage was a big upset at the beginning. The "African Lions" Cameroon shocked the world by defeating the last champion Argentina 1-0 in the opening match. They then defeated Romania 2-1 and were the first to qualify for the group. In the 1/8 finals, Cameroon defeated Colombia and advanced to the quarterfinals, creating the best result in history. In the 8/1 finals, Cameroon led its opponent England 4-2 and almost made it to the semifinals. Another African team, Egypt, was also excellent. They tied the European champion Netherlands in the group stage and advanced with their heads held high. Because of the outstanding performance of these two African teams, FIFA decided to add a seat for Africa in the next World Cup.

The most shining star of the Cameroon team is veteran Roger Milla. He is 38 years old and the oldest striker in the history of the World Cup. However, his performance surpassed that of the strikers of many powerful clubs and even stole the limelight from Maradona. Milla played for 5 minutes in 149 games and scored 4 goals, averaging a goal every 37 minutes, leading the team to the quarterfinals for the first time in history. Milla became a national hero of Cameroon, and President Biya awarded Milla the title of "Commander of the Knights of Courage". Milla once again let the world appreciate the charm of African football and fully demonstrated the flexibility, explosiveness and impact of African players.

Another team that shocked the world was the Costa Rican team composed of amateur players. They continued to play the role of dark horse in the group stage and made it to the round of 16 for the first time in history.

The Argentine team led by Maradona has cultivated a new goalkeeper, Goyechea. He was not a starter at first, but because the main goalkeeper Pompido was seriously injured, he took the last train to the World Cup. Goyechea played very well in the World Cup, and had heroic performances in the 1/8 finals against Brazil and the 1/4 finals against Yugoslavia. In the semi-final against Italy, he was even more like a god in the penalty shootout, confiscating the penalties taken by Donadoni and Serena one after another, and eliminated the Italian team.

The only player in the Argentine team who was more talked about than Goyechea was Maradona, the great soccer player of his generation. In the group stage, Maradona blocked a sure goal of the Soviet Union with his hand, which caused widespread controversy. In the 1/8 match, Maradona conquered the world with his gorgeous performance. He was still in stable control of the ball under the close supervision of Brazilian players, and then assisted his teammate Caniggia with a wonderful pass to score the winning goal and beat Brazil. This exquisite pass was later named "the pass of the century". Maradona's genius inspiration, exquisite control, and wonderful creation were fascinating.

In this World Cup, England was placed in Group F, with the Netherlands, Ireland and Egypt. The England team coached by Bobby Robson was full of talents, including the attacking genius Gascoigne and Walker who was selected into the best team, Robson, Parker and Webber from the Red Devils, as well as Pearce, Lineker, Pratt, Beardsley, Barnes and Hoddle, who are famous stars in England. England drew with the Netherlands and Ireland in the group stage, and won the last game against Egypt 1-0 to advance. In the quarter-finals, England played against the European Red Devils Belgium, and won the game in the last minute. In the quarter-finals, England played against the dark horse Cameroon. The tenacious British fell behind twice and tied twice. Lineker withstood the pressure and scored two penalties in a row. In the end, they reversed the African Lions 2-2 to advance.

In the semi-finals, England faced West Germany. West Germany had many famous players, including Matthäus, Brehmer, Klinsmann, Voller, Buchwald, Litbarski, Koller and Hasler. The "football emperor" Beckenbauer was the head coach. Even facing such a strong team, the Three Lions still bravely attacked, played the characteristics of fast attack, and played very efficient overall football. Gascoigne was not at all inferior to Matthäus, and even had an advantage in technology and flexibility. He broke through many times and contributed many wonderful passes. Although the scene was passive, the Germans were disciplined and defended tightly, without revealing any flaws. In the fierce battle, the German team won a free kick in the frontcourt. Brehmer's free kick hit Parker and deflected into the goal. The 40-year-old England goalkeeper Hilton was unable to react, and England fell behind 0-1. England counterattacked fiercely. Parker made a cross from the right midfield. Lineker got the first point in the dense double-teaming of three German defenders. He stopped the ball, turned around, and shot! This shot was a manifestation of all Lineker's skills. It was full of artistic beauty. The action was done in one go, and the ball flew straight into the blind corner of the goal!

The two teams tied after 90 minutes and went into overtime. England's Waddle took advantage of the opponent's mistake to grab the ball, directly entered the penalty area, easily got a single chance, and shot hard into the far corner of the goal. German goalkeeper Illgner had no reaction. This sure-shot goal somehow hit the far post. In the second half, German center back Buchwald shot a 30-meter long shot straight into the dead corner. England goalkeeper Hilton flew out to save the ball, and the ball finally hit the goal frame.

Neither team scored in the extra time, and the game was decided by penalty kicks. England's Pearce and Waddle missed their shots, and West Germany won 4-3 on penalties.

In this World Cup, England's Gascoigne shined. He became England's true midfield master, with unlimited imagination and inspiration, controlling the direction and rhythm of England's attack. He was so agile, better than Barnes's footwork; he was so positive, more energetic than Beardsley; his mobilization and passing had a more comprehensive sense of the overall situation than Waddle; his impact was more vigorous than Robson's, but he finally fell under the steel wall of the West German team.

Gascoigne said: "We were the more advantageous side, but unfortunately we didn't win. In the first half of extra time, I was competing with Berthold in the center circle and he was knocked down by me. The moment he fell down, I knew that trouble was coming and the referee showed a yellow card."

Gascoigne said: "At that moment I almost collapsed. This yellow card means I will miss the next game, which may be the final! I looked at the German who was pretending to be dead on the ground and wanted to slap him or kick him. But the game was not over, so I had to shake my head and walk away."

Gascoigne did not take the penalty kick when the two teams went to a penalty shootout. He said: "The coach arranged for me to take a penalty kick before the game, but I was too excited and I knew I was not suitable for taking a penalty kick. Pratt stepped forward and helped me score the goal, and I am very grateful to him. But we were still eliminated... It's a pity, I am very sad."

At the end of the game, Gascoigne cried like a helpless child. His eyes were red, and his expression was sad and confused, which broke the hearts of the fans. This scene became the most classic moment of this World Cup and touched the hearts of all fans.

Even in the third place match, England and Italy played very excitingly. Although without Gascoigne, England played very well. Italy vented all the frustration of being eliminated in the previous game in this match. Baggio's performance was very dazzling. He scored a goal in the first half and took advantage of the English goalkeeper's mistake to score from 6 yards in front of the goal. He missed two more chances later. England also attacked heavily after falling behind, and Pratt equalized with a header. At the end of the game, Italy got a penalty kick, locking the score at 2-1.

The final was held at the Olympic Stadium in Rome on July 1990, 7, with West Germany and Argentina facing off against each other - a repeat of the previous World Cup final. Four of Argentina's main players were unable to play due to two yellow cards, so Maradona faced West Germany alone.

After the final began, many fans thought that the West German team would take the initiative to attack and strengthen the offensive while the opponent was short of soldiers, but the West German team seemed extremely utilitarian. With Argentina's soul Maradona playing with an injury and Caniggia suspended, the West German team still focused on defense, deployed heavy troops in front of their own penalty area, and focused on fighting with the opponent. Argentina was obviously at a disadvantage because of the absence of many generals. Maradona was closely guarded by West German players throughout the game, and Beckenbauer specially formulated an extremely rough "horse-cutting tactics" for him. After Maradona was besieged, it was difficult for Argentina to organize an effective attack and there was no way to play the advantage of a quick assault. The game was very dull for a while, and Argentina was at a disadvantage, but the West German team did not take the initiative to attack, let alone press forward. In the second half, Monzon and Giusti of Argentina were sent off with red cards one after another, and the team quickly fell into a passive position. West Germany took the opportunity to rush into the penalty area with Voller and created a penalty kick. Bremer took the penalty kick and scored, helping West Germany to lock in the victory.

In the end, the West German team lifted the World Cup trophy.

Maradona, who encountered many rough fouls throughout the game, was extremely dissatisfied with the referee's decision after the game. He believed that these fouls should have been shown a red card, but there was not even a yellow card. When Maradona received the runner-up award, he refused to shake hands with the then FIFA President Havelange to protest the unfairness of the game.

This final was not exciting. West Germany's defense was supreme and extremely utilitarian, which made the World Cup look dull. The average number of goals in this World Cup was the lowest in history, only 2.21 per game. Cruyff sharply criticized, "The teams participating in the World Cup want to win but are afraid of losing. They are too conservative and dare not attack. They cannot really show the charm of football. It is really regrettable." It is true. Only in the group stage did everyone let go and played many exciting games. It became very dull in the knockout stage. Many games could only be decided by penalty kicks. In the final, West Germany went all out to park the bus, which made the fans very unhappy.

Lineker later said, "Football is a game played by 22 people and won by the Germans at the end of 90 minutes." This statement resonated with quite a lot of people because the football played by the Germans was really boring.

Ferguson watched the entire World Cup and felt that there were many tactical essentials to learn. Ferguson studied the defensive arrangements of the German and Italian teams, analyzing all the details from positioning to coordination, from tactical execution to on-field discipline. He also carefully watched all the games of the England team and studied the performance of each player in the Three Lions in depth.

The aftereffects of the World Cup were very serious for the Red Devils. Captain Robson was injured after playing just one group match and was not fully recovered at the start of the season. Parker and Webber also had physical problems due to participating in the World Cup. It can be said that the strength of the Red Devils was seriously weakened by the World Cup.