Mammoth Book of the World Cup

by Nick Holt

  Karina Maruyama’s goal in extra-time put paid to the hosts as a resilient Japanese defence kept them at bay. Japan’s fourth place in the Olympics in 2008 had served notice they were improving and the three years since had seen them come on still further. Two goals from Nahomi Kawasumi, one a brilliant lob from nearly forty yards out, helped Japan see off Sweden 3–1 in the semi-final.

  The final was a close match played at a furious tempo – there had been a general shift to faster more physical game throughout women’s football in the twenty-first century. In an even first half, the Americans were more direct and purposeful but the Japanese were neat and kept their shape – their captain and midfield general looked the best player in the tournament. The USA started the second half better, with more threat now that Morgan was on to partner Wambach. The whippet-like youngster had already hit the post before she put the USA in the lead, running on to Rapinoe’s through ball and drilling home. Japan equalised with ten minutes to go when Buehler and Krieger made a mess of clearing a cross and Aya Miyama accepted the easy pickings on offer.

  Just before half-time in extra-time it seemed as if Wambach had done it for the second game running; a natural poacher she was in the perfect position to convert Morgan’s cross after another great run from the young substitute. This time it was the Americans’ turn to suffer late heartbreak; there were three minutes left when Sawa, appropriately enough, made the scores level again, cleverly flicking home a corner at the near post.

  There was still drama to come. In time added on in extra-time Iwashimizu brought down the rampant Morgan on the edge of the area and was sent off. The danger was cleared and it was yet another penalty shoot-out for the USA. This time their nerves failed them. Boxx and Carli Lloyd, who both scored against Brazil, missed their kicks, and only Wambach of four US takers managed to score. Japan were the unexpected World Champions. The same two teams played out another tense final the following year at the London Olympics, but a late Japan charge was not quite enough and the USA turned the tables with a 2–1 victory to win their third consecutive Olympic title.

  It is a moot point which tournament is the pinnacle of the women’s game. For a game that isn’t just about money, unlike the men’s game, it would be nice if the Olympics could somehow become the ultimate goal of women’s soccer. Not that FIFA would ever let that happen.

  In 2011 Canada was chosen as the host country for the 2015 tournament. The only competition was from Zimbabwe, but that was withdrawn before a vote could be taken. Zimbabwe. Hmm. About as appropriate as electing, let’s see . . . Qatar, maybe, as the host for the men’s World Cup. That would just be madness, wouldn’t it? Plain daft?

  7.2 WORLD CUP 1994

  There was a lot of curmudgeonly old world whingeing about the award of the World Cup to the USA in 1994. The truth was it was the turn for a non-European host and of the three candidates the USA had by far the best infrastructure; the delegates weren’t quite ready for Morocco and the Brazilian bid was a bit of a shambles – they polled only two votes to Morocco’s seven and the United States’ ten. In return for the privilege of hosting the competition, the US promised to establish a professional league, a bargain that was kept with the launch of Major League Soccer in 1996. The stadia were excellent and the crowds plentiful and enthusiastic if occasionally ignorant of nuance; there were conspicuously more families and youngsters than would be seen at a World Cup game in Europe. The World Cup attracted average crowds way in excess of any previous tournament – the total number of spectators exceeded the total at the four subsequent tournaments, all of which had thirty-two teams in the Finals rather than the twenty-four that turned up in the US. And there was a legacy of sorts; as well as the MLS there was a significantly higher level of interest in the game amongst American youngsters. The challenge now is not to lose the best young players to other sports.

  On the downside the gimmickry and glitter that inevitably surrounded an American sporting occasion spilled over into some really bad decisions. Some of the stadia chosen were entirely inappropriate, given the availability of hundreds of high-capacity sports grounds in this vast and wealthy country. Some of the owners of those grounds weren’t above pricing themselves out of a deal or simply rejecting the notion of a soccer tournament on their hallowed turf.

  1994

  UNITED STATES

  The USA was ideally equipped to host a World Cup, with a number of vast sports arenas already in existence. With soccer not being such a big deal in the USA, however, there was a reluctance to commit capital to renovations and so some of the grounds were not as impressive as the freshly built stadia offered by other host countries.

  Pasadena, California: Rose Bowl

  A famous old California landmark, the Rose Bowl is the home of the annual College Football bowl game – American football, that is. Any complaints about its ramshackle appearance should be weighed against the 90,000-plus spectators the ground accommodated for all six of the games played there in the 1994 finals, even the irrelevant third-place play-off.

  Palo Alto, California: Stanford Stadium

  The other West Coast ground was the 85,000 capacity stadium in Stanford, Palo Alto (home of the great research university). The football stadium was adapted for the 1994 World Cup and later knocked down and rebuilt without its original athletics track.

  Michigan: Pontiac Silverdome

  The Silverdome is a multi-sports arena built in the 1970s principally for the Detroit Lions gridiron franchise. The record attendance was over 93,000, but that was for Pope John Paul II, not a sporting event.

  Chicago, Illinois: Soldier Field

  With a capacity of just over 60,000, Soldier Field is small for a US gridiron stadium, but is the oldest extant venue, and has been the home to the Chicago Bears since 1971.

  Foxborough (Boston), Massachussetts: Foxboro Stadium

  The Foxboro was built in the 1970s as home to the New England Patriots, but it was knocked down in 2002 (replaced by the Gillette Stadium) and is now an outdoor shopping mall.

  Washington DC: Robert F Kennedy Memorial Stadium

  The RFK was opened in 1961 as the home of the Washington Redskins, but they left in 1996 and the stadium is now the home of the Major League Soccer team, D.C. United. It is a frequently used venue for the US national team as support is high for soccer in the area.

  East Rutherford, New Jersey: Giants Stadium

  One of America’s most evocative sporting arenas was finally closed in 2010 and replaced with a new purpose-built ground on an adjacent site. The ground was home at times to both the New York Jets and the New York Giants, two of the big names in gridiron. The Giants Stadium was awash with colour and ex-pats for the clash between Italy and Ireland in 1994.

  Dallas, Texas: The Cotton Bowl

  Another 90,000 capacity stadium, this time in the heart of Texas, was host to the famous college bowl game that gave it the name. The bowl has no major tenant, but hosts innumerable one-off matches and annual fixtures and major events.

  Orlando, Florida: The Citrus Bowl

  Similar in usage to the Cotton Bowl, the Citrus Bowl hosted five games in the 1994 finals and was at or near capacity for all of them, even though they were unglamorous fixtures.

  Normally so good at the glitz, the United States gave us a ghastly, saccharine-tasting opening show. Jon Secada sang on like a trooper after dislocating his shoulder when a trapdoor malfunctioned, Whoopi Goldberg tripped without a defender in sight and Diana Ross missed an open goal from a few feet with a plastic football, no goalkeeper and a collapsible net, which went on ahead and collapsed anyway as the Munchkins sang in celebration of a goal that wasn’t. Kill me, kill me now, please, before I have to watch any more.

  Qualifying

  There was some sensational stuff in the qualifying competition, some more noteworthy than anything the Finals offered.

  Without the USA, who automatically qualified as hosts, Mexico had an even easier stroll than usual through to the Finals. Canada went through
to a complicated play-off scenario, where they were beaten on penalties by Australia after both sides won their home match 2–1. Australia still had a hurdle to overcome, and it was high one, taking on the fourth placed South American team, who, rather surprisingly, happened to be Argentina. Argentina had won the Copa América twice since the last World Cup Finals, but they didn’t carry that form into the qualifiers. Defeat in Colombia and a stale 0–0 draw at home to Paraguay left the team that reached three of the last four World Cup Finals needing to win their last home game against Colombia in Buenos Aires.

  WORLD CUP SHOCK No.7

  5 September 1993, Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires; 53,400

  Referee: Ernesto Filippi (Uruguay)

  Coaches: Alfio Basile (Argentina) & Francisco Maturana (Colombia)

  Argentina: Sergio Goycochea (River Plate); Julio Saldaña (Boca Juniors), Jorge Borelli (Racing Club), Oscar Ruggeri (Cpt, San Lorenzo), Ricardo Altamirano (River Plate); Gustavo Zapata (Yokohama Marinos), Fernando Redondo (Tenerife), Diego Simeone (Sevilla), Leonardo Rodriguez (Borussia Dortmund); Ramón Medina Bello (Yokohama Marinos), Gabriel Batistuta (Fiorentina). Subs: Claudio Garcia (Racing Club) 54m for Rodriguez; Alberto Acosta (Boca Juniors) 69m for Redondo

  Colombia: Óscar Córdoba (América de Cali); Luis Herrera (Atlético Nacional), Luis Perea (Atlético Junior), Alexis Mendoza (Atlético Junior), Wilson Pérez (América de Cali); Leonel Álvarez (América de Cali), Gabriel Gomez (Atlético Nacional), Carlos Valderrama (Cpt, Atlético Junior), Freddy Rincón (Palmeiras); Faustino Asprilla (Parma), Adolfo Valencia (Bayern Munich)

  Colombia had possibly their best-ever team. They had performed respectably enough at the 1990 Finals, and had the bones of the same squad with a couple of important additions. The 1990 goalkeeper, René Higuita, was serving his prison sentence, and his replacement, Córdoba, was less eccentric and marginally more reliable. Up front there was the exciting attacker Faustino Asprilla, playing with Parma in Italy. Asprilla, as Newcastle fans would attest, was a fruit nut loop but he was also a dangerous opponent, with pace to burn and brilliant close control, although his finishing was erratic.

  Argentina’s form had stood up well under Alfio Basile since defeat in 1990 and they still hadn’t lost a World Cup qualifying match at home. But there was no Maradona, he had retired from international football, and without him Argentina’s midfield was merely workmanlike. The new Golden Boy was the striker Gabriel Batistuta, who was banging in goals and generally being adored at Fiorentina; the city of Florence and Batistuta’s glamorous film-star looks and charm were an ideal union.

  The game started with the usual hail of ticker-tape, but by the end it was distraught Argentinian defenders littering the pitch. Colombia had a good mix. An experienced defence sat behind a terrific midfield, where Leonel Álvarez and Gabriel Gómez acted as runners and minders for the big-haired playmaker Valderrama and the electrifyingly quick Freddy Rincón. Asprilla and Rodolfo Valencia up front both liked to peel off into wide areas and attack the penalty area from wide. Argentina tried to use Redondo and Simeone to stifle Valderrama, but the Colombia captain was in the mood.

  The game was played at a hectic pace for a South American match; Argentina under Basile liked to get forward quickly and use the pace of Batistuta and Medina Bello. They pressed heavily in midfield, believing it would restrict Valderrama’s influence, but the result was acres of space behind the defence, and Colombia had the legs of the one-paced Argentinian defence. It was all pretty even as half-time approached. A twisting run by Asprilla had forced Goycochea into a sprawling save by his near post, and at the other end Batistuta’s touch let him down when clear. Córdoba’s defenders had to help him out on one occasion when he had a touch of the Higuita’s and came wandering out of his goal. There was little hint of the carnage to come.

  On forty-one minutes Valderrama pounced on a loose ball and sprinted away from two Argentinian players. I say sprinted, it was the merest acceleration, Valderrama didn’t do undignified things like sprint – but it was enough. Rincón was charging up on his right; the pace of Valderrama’s pass was perfection and whether Rincón’s first touch was heavy but lucky or brilliant is irrelevant. It took the ball clear of the last defender and Rincón left him and the goalkeeper for dead as he finished brilliantly.

  Just after half-time it was Asprilla’s turn. Taking a long ball down with instant control, he turned Saldana inside out before squeezing the ball under Goycochea. Argentina were in trouble and made changes but Córdoba saved well from Batistuta’s vicious shot and Argentina had shot their bolt.

  Colombia cleared their lines and Valderrama set Asprilla going down the left. And he just kept going, all the way to the byline. His initial cross was cleared but Álvarez followed up and drove the ball in again; Rincón’s shot was hit straight into the ground but the odd bounce was enough to take it past Goycochea. Saldana, the Argentinian right-back had a nightmare and was never picked again, he probably still wakes in the night with visions of Asprilla running past him. He was robbed by Asprilla for the fourth and the Colombian raced clear of the defence. Goycochea came out, did nothing wrong and watched helplessly as Asprilla checked on his shot and floated it up and over the goalkeeper. Quite brilliant – worthy of the little man watching forlornly in the stands in an Argentina shirt with No.10 on the back. It yet was another run from Asprilla that finished the scoring, as he drew the defenders and played in Valencia for a fifth; there was a hint of offside but the demoralised Argentinians could barely muster a complaint – that would not have pleased the little No.10.

  The little No.10, who was, of course, Diego Maradona, was so displeased he allowed himself to put his personal battle against cocaine addiction to one side and be talked out of retirement and put his efforts behind the World Cup campaign.

  Argentina made it, just, but only because Paraguay failed to win in Peru and allowed Argentina to sneak second place. They met Australia in a two-legged affair and won the home game 1–0 after a 1–1 draw in Sydney. Maradona looked ring-rusty and contributed only fitfully, but his presence clearly galvanised his colleagues.

  Another qualifying record disappeared alongside Argentina’s unbeaten home run. Brazil had never lost a qualifying match until now, but after a 0–0 draw in Ecuador they came a cropper against Bolivia after another unimaginative performance. The Bolivian hero was Marco Etcheverry, an attacking midfielder with the matador style and flowing mane of Mario Kempes. Etcheverry tormented the Brazilians. In the first half he won a penalty but belted it straight at the goalkeeper, who held on well. Taffarel did less well with three minutes to go; Etcheverry rampaged down the left, tricked his way to the byline and sent in a low, hard cross. The ball went straight at Taffarel with no significant power, but the Brazilian goalkeeper bent to collect and let the ball clip his heel, whence it deflected into the goal. The stadium went berserk, and had hardly calmed down ninety seconds later when Bolivia added a second, substitute Peña finishing off after Etcheverry set him clear with a delicious curled pass.

  Bolivia won all their home games and with one round to go they were level on points with Brazil and Uruguay, who met in Rio while Bolivia travelled to Ecuador knowing a draw would be enough as their goal difference was vastly superior to Uruguay’s. They got it, and made the Finals for the first time since 1950; Brazil beat Uruguay with a brace from Romário.

  Saudi Arabia and South Korea made it through the Asian qualifying; the AFC repeated their idea of playing the final group as a round robin mini tournament, this time in Doha. The pick of the games was the Saudi’s win over Iran by the odd goal in seven which sealed their debut appearance in the Finals.

  Cameroon’s heroics in 1990 meant the Africans got an extra qualifying place. Cameroon saw that justice was done by claiming one of them – two goals from one of the 1990 heroes, Omam-Biyik, sealed a crucial 3–1 win over Zimbabwe. The other places went to Morocco, who looked less accomplished than in the eighties, and an exciting young Nigeria squad, who would play in the Finals f
or the first time.

  It might have been interesting to see how the American crowds reacted to the presence of an England team but they were denied the opportunity. Not by perfidious refereeing, as Graham Taylor would have us believe, but by a mixture of ineptitude and poor selection. Taylor was in thrall to the Charles Hughes methodology of getting the ball forward in as quick a time as possible and relying on second ball possession to create opportunities. He favoured athleticism over artistry and set too little store by touch and technique. One or two of the defenders aside, the rest were short of what was required; Premier League “legends” like Les Ferdinand and Ian Wright looked much more ordinary in international company. Paul Ince was a good player, and was to have one truly great World Cup day, but he couldn’t boss sides around at this level, and David Platt was a lieutenant not a general. Carlton Palmer became a symbol of the team’s inadequacy – not poor Carlton’s fault, he didn’t pick the team but he and Geoff Thomas and Andy Sinton were symptomatic of Taylor’s breed of player. Lacking instant touch and awareness, England tried to win games on crumbs of possession.