Twenty Years On From That 'Unforgettable' Night In Turin

Last Sunday marked the twentieth anniversary of that unforgettable night in Turin that was the 1990 World Cup semi-final between England and West Germany.  Gazza’s tears, Waddle’s horrible penalty, Lineker’s relief at scoring, then the famous gesture to the bench and the downcast look of the late Sir Bobby Robson at full-time, realising that this incredible dream, wasn’t quite going to get the happy ending that everyone was hoping for.

England went to Italia 90, on a real downer.  The game of football was a miserable mess.  Hooliganism had threatened to kill off football in this country altogether.  The fire at Bradford in 1985, the hooligans who took advantage of the dilapidated stadium at Heysel, various other troubles at Millwall and then, the disastrous stadium crush at Hillsborough.  Coupled with England’s shambolic European Championship campaign of 1988, and the trouble that fans went out to cause on every single occasion the national team went abroad to play a qualifier/friendly.  The 1980’s were very dark days in English football.

To compound that, the media made Bobby Robson’s life an utter misery.  They wanted him sacked before the tournament, and held him out to dry, when news leaked out of his agreement to take over the Dutch champions, PSV Eindhoven after the 1990 World Cup.  The FA had decided not to renew his contract, leaving Robson with little alternative, and there was talk on the grapevines, that Graham Taylor had already been appointed, behind Bobby’s back.  Naturally, the press, only seeing one eye of the story, thought Robson was dishonouring a national service to the country, by turning his back on England.  So, the FA, as ever, didn’t do themselves many favours in this saga.

England, based on the coast of Sardinia for their group games, produced the same type of football that had attracted huge criticism, from the media.  A dire 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland wasn’t the best of starts.  Despite an improved performance, thanks to a move to a ‘continental sweeper,’ a 0-0 stalemate with European Champions Holland, and another tournament-ending injury to their skipper, Bryan Robson left the team, needing a victory against the unknown Africans Egypt, to qualify for the knockout phase.

Step forward, the teen sensation, Paul Gascoigne.  Gascoigne was England’s wildcard, and he was one of the best players in the world, certainly of his generation.  His delicate chipped free-kicks were the new ticket for the fading Three Lions.  Mark Wright headed the winner against the Egyptians, then in the last minute of a gripping extra-time against Belgium in Genoa; he produced the same trick, this time with a stunning volley from David Platt.  All of a sudden, having looked in oblivion, England had reached the last eight.  Two penalties from the reliable and well-disciplined Gary Lineker overcame the brave resistance of the Indomitable Lions from Cameroon, who had been eight minutes away in Naples, from causing another stunning upset.  Now, it was onto the old enemy.      

On Wednesday 4^th July 1990, half of the UK population tuned into BBC and ITV’s coverage of the 1990 World Cup semi-final between the two biggest rivals in the international game, England and West Germany.  The West Germans, playing in their last tournament before renunciation, had breezed through the early rounds, only failing to win once, and were heavy favourites.  However, on English football’s biggest night since July 30^th 1966, it was Robson’s Lions who made the early running.  Bodo Illgner turned away a rasping Gascoigne curling effort, then was nearly beaten by Chris Waddle’s ambitious effort from the halfway line. 

Ten minutes into the second half, with the game deadlocked at 0-0, West Germany won a free-kick.  Inter Milan’s Andreas Brehme struck it, deflected wickedly off the charger in the wall, Paul Parker and looped over the head of 40-year old Peter Shilton.  A massive slice of fortune has given Franz Beckenbauer’s side the lead.  England didn’t give up, and eight minutes from time, Parker’s dangerous cross left the German defence in a real muddle.  It bounced perfectly for Lineker, and the predator he is, smashed the ball into Illgner’s bottom corner.  The relief and joy on Lineker’s face could tell what a drama this was.  For the third game running, England’s 1990 adventure was heading for extra-time.

Next, came the moment that Paul Gascoigne will want to forget, but made him a national hero.  Orchestrating the midfield, a dribble in the centre of the park saw him lost brief control.  He lunged in on Thomas Berthold, who rolled around, as if he had been shot by a sniper.  Despite Gazza’s immediate reaction of an apology and a check to see if Berthold was okay, he was shown the yellow card, which would rule him out of the final, should England get there.  His face burst into tears, he looked like his world had been finished.  Gary Lineker’s infamous pointing to the bench, to ‘watch him,’ is remembered just a fondly.  Waddle and Jurgen Klinsmann both hit the post, and despite the devastating setback, Gascoigne continued to show the passion and commitment he had shown all throughout the tournament.  This semi-final was destined for penalties.

Lineker, Peter Beardsley and Platt made no mistake.  The penalties of Brehme, Lothar Matthaus and Karl-Heinz Riedle were unstoppable.  Step up Stuart Pearce, a regular penalty taker for Nottingham Forest.  His kick was stopped by Illgner.  Olaf Thon continued the German perfection from twelve yards and with Gascoigne unable to take the final kick, due to his state of mind, Waddle went forward.  From the moment he walked up, he never looked confident and so it proved, he skied his penalty into orbit and with it, West Germany were through into the final, and England were out, in heartbreaking fashion.  However, pride and belief had been restored into our ‘Beautiful Game.’ 

From that moment on, we were in love again.  The Premier League was formed, millions of pounds from BSkyB went into the game, sponsorship became a major factor and English clubs were allowed back into European competition, after a hiatus following the Heysel disaster.  Although it is sad to see Paul Gascoigne turn out the way he has, we will never forget his genius throughout that tournament, and the togetherness that the squad showed, to win over the fans, the media and the worldwide game.

No-one will forget that unforgettable drama in Turin on July 4^th 1990, even though it was twenty years ago.  Now then Fabio and the bunch of overpaid wimps from 2010 that was an England side that gave it everything throughout.