1990_FIFA_World_Cup_knockout_stage
1990 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
Football tournament
The knockout stage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the final tournament, following the group stage. It began on 23 June with the round of 16 matches, and ended on 8 July with the final held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, in which West Germany beat the defending champions Argentina 1–0 to claim their third World Cup.
Sixteen teams advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament: The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as the best four third-placed teams. In the round of 16, the four third-placed teams played against four of the group winners from group A-D, with the remaining two group winners from group E and F taking on two of the group runners-up; the remaining four runners-up were paired off against each other. The winners of the eight round of 16 matches were then paired together in the quarter-finals, the winners of which played against each other in the semi-finals.
The ties in each round were played over a single match; in the event that scores were level after 90 minutes, the teams would play an additional 30 minutes of extra time, divided into two 15-minute halves, to determine the winner. If the scores remained level after extra time, the teams would contest a penalty shootout.
A third place match was also held on the day before the final, between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.
All times listed are local (UTC+2)
The top two placed teams from each of the six groups, plus the four best-placed third teams, qualified for the knockout stage.
| Group | Winners | Runners-up | Third-placed teams (Best four qualify) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |  Italy |
 Czechoslovakia |
— |
| B |  Cameroon |
 Romania |
 Argentina |
| C |  Brazil |
 Costa Rica |
— |
| D |  West Germany |
 Yugoslavia |
 Colombia |
| E |  Spain |
 Belgium |
 Uruguay |
| F |  England |
 Republic of Ireland |
 Netherlands |
Based on group results, the matches would be the following in Round of 16:
| Round of 16 | Teams per qualified group positions | Teams identified |
|---|---|---|
| Match 1: | C1 – A3/B3/F3 | Brazil – Argentina |
| Match 2: | E1 – D2 | Spain – Yugoslavia |
| Match 3: | B2 – F2 | Romania – Ireland |
| Match 4: | A1 – C3/D3/E3 | Italy – Uruguay |
| Match 5: | A2 – C2 | Czechoslovakia – Costa Rica |
| Match 6: | D1 – B3/E3/F3 | West Germany – Netherlands |
| Match 7: | B1 – A3/C3/D3 | Cameroon – Colombia |
| Match 8: | F1 – E2 | England – Belgium |
The pairings for matches 1, 4, 6 and 7 depend on who the best third places are that qualify for the round of 16. The following table published in Section 28 of the tournament regulations, shows the different options to define the opponents for the winners of groups A, B, C and D.
| Third teams qualify from groups: | Italy (A1) plays vs.: | Cameroon (B1) plays vs.: | Brazil (C1) plays vs.: | West Germany (D1) plays vs.: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A B C D | C3 | D3 | A3 | B3 |
| A B C E | C3 | A3 | B3 | E3 |
| A B C F | C3 | A3 | B3 | F3 |
| A B D E | D3 | A3 | B3 | E3 |
| A B D F | D3 | A3 | B3 | F3 |
| A B E F | E3 | A3 | B3 | F3 |
| A C D E | C3 | D3 | A3 | E3 |
| A C D F | C3 | D3 | A3 | F3 |
| A C E F | C3 | A3 | F3 | E3 |
| A D E F | D3 | A3 | F3 | E3 |
| B C D E | C3 | D3 | B3 | E3 |
| B C D F | C3 | D3 | B3 | F3 |
| B C E F | E3 | C3 | B3 | F3 |
| B D E F | E3 | D3 | B3 | F3 |
| C D E F | C3 | D3 | F3 | E3 |
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 24 June – Turin | ||||||||||||||
| Brazil | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 30 June – Florence | ||||||||||||||
| Argentina | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Argentina (p) | 0 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 26 June – Verona | ||||||||||||||
| Yugoslavia | 0 (2) | |||||||||||||
| Spain | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 3 July – Naples | ||||||||||||||
| Yugoslavia (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Argentina (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| 25 June – Genoa | ||||||||||||||
| Italy | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| Republic of Ireland (p) | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||
| 30 June – Rome | ||||||||||||||
| Romania | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Republic of Ireland | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 25 June – Rome | ||||||||||||||
| Italy | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Italy | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 8 July – Rome | ||||||||||||||
| Uruguay | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Argentina | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 23 June – Bari | ||||||||||||||
| West Germany | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Czechoslovakia | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 1 July – Milan | ||||||||||||||
| Costa Rica | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Czechoslovakia | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 24 June – Milan | ||||||||||||||
| West Germany | 1 | |||||||||||||
| West Germany | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 July – Turin | ||||||||||||||
| Netherlands | 1 | |||||||||||||
| West Germany (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| 23 June – Naples | ||||||||||||||
| England | 1 (3) | Third place play-off | ||||||||||||
| Cameroon (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1 July – Naples | 7 July – Bari | |||||||||||||
| Colombia | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Cameroon | 2 | Italy | 2 | |||||||||||
| 26 June – Bologna | ||||||||||||||
| England (a.e.t.) | 3 | England | 1 | |||||||||||
| England (a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Belgium | 0 | |||||||||||||
Cameroon vs Colombia
      Cameroon
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   Colombia
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Czechoslovakia vs Costa Rica
| Czechoslovakia | 4–1 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
Skuhravý  12', 63', 82'Kubík 76' |
Report | González 55' |
   Czechoslovakia
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 Costa Rica
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Brazil vs Argentina
| External videos | |
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 Brazil v Argentina (Italy 1990) Full match on YouTube |
Brazil dominated for most of the match, but Diego Maradona went on a trademark run from the halfway line to the edge of the penalty area late in the match, and found Claudio Caniggia, who rounded the onrushing Cláudio Taffarel to give Argentina a lead that they would not relinquish.[1]
   Brazil
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   Argentina
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West Germany vs Netherlands
| West Germany | 2–1 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Klinsmann 51' Brehme 85' |
Report | R. Koeman 89' (pen.) |
   West Germany
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   Netherlands
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Republic of Ireland vs Romania
| Republic of Ireland | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Romania |
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| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
Sheedy  Houghton Townsend Cascarino O'Leary |
5–4 | Hagi Lupu Rotariu Lupescu Timofte |
   Republic of Ireland
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   Romania
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Italy vs Uruguay
   Italy
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   Uruguay
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Spain vs Yugoslavia
   Spain
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 Yugoslavia
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England vs Belgium
   England
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   Belgium
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Argentina vs Yugoslavia
| Argentina | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Yugoslavia |
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| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Serrizuela Burruchaga Maradona Troglio Dezotti |
3–2 | Stojković Prosinečki Savićević Brnović Hadžibegić |
   Argentina
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Yugoslavia
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Republic of Ireland vs Italy
| Republic of Ireland | 0–1 | Italy |
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| Report | Schillaci 38' |
   Republic of Ireland
| Italy
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Czechoslovakia vs West Germany
| Czechoslovakia | 0–1 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Matthäus 25' (pen.) |
   Czechoslovakia
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West Germany
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Cameroon vs England
Apart from anything else, it was the only quarter-final to produce more than one goal. Despite Cameroon's heroics earlier in the tournament, David Platt put England ahead in the 25th minute. At half-time, Cameroon brought Milla on, and the game was turned on its head in five second-half minutes. First Cameroon were awarded a penalty, from which Emmanuel Kunde scored the equaliser. Then, in the 65th minute, Eugene Ekeke put Cameroon ahead. The African team came within eight minutes of reaching the semi-finals, but then they conceded a penalty, which Gary Lineker gratefully converted. Midway through extra time, England were awarded another penalty, which Lineker again scored from the spot. England were through to the semi-finals for the first time in 24 years.
Yet England had grossly underestimated Cameroon's threat, despite the Indomitable Lions defeating then World Champions Argentina in the tournament's opening game and easily seeing off a highly fancied Colombia in the Round of 16. Howard Wilkinson was observing Cameroon's progress for England and informed the players that this quarter-final match represented "A practical bye to the semi-finals". Chris Waddle, emerging afterwards, was reported to have told Wilkinson: "Some fucking bye that". England would not face African opposition in the knockout stage of a World Cup again until 2022's Round of 16 encounter with Senegal.[2]
| Cameroon | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | England |
|---|---|---|
| Kundé 61' (pen.) Ekéké 65' |
Report | Platt 25' Lineker 83' (pen.), 105' (pen.) |
Cameroon
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England
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Argentina vs Italy
| Argentina | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Caniggia 67' |
Report | Schillaci 17' |
| Penalties | ||
| Serrizuela Burruchaga Olarticoechea Maradona |
4–3 | Baresi Baggio De Agostini Donadoni Serena |
Argentina
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Italy
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West Germany vs England
| West Germany | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | England |
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| Brehme 60' |
Report | Lineker 80' |
| Penalties | ||
| Brehme Matthäus Riedle Thon |
4–3 | Lineker Beardsley Platt Pearce Waddle |
   West Germany
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England
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Italy
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England
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West Germany
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Argentina
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- Brewin, John. "How England 'pulled it out of the fire' against Milla's Cameroon at Italia 90". The Observer. 3 December 2022.