Surprising even their most enthusiastic supporters, England reached the semi-finals for only the second time in their best World Cup showing outside their triumph at friendly Wembley Stadium in 1966.  Indeed, England's performance after the group stage was one of the few highlights as the standard of World Cup finals football sank to new depths with most of the teams bent on negative and defensive play calculated to avoid a loss rather than to win.  

While England played much better than expected, they had a great deal of good fortune along the way, and it is fair to say determination and opportunism, more than anything else, took them to the brink of the final match.  Only last-gasp efforts got them by Belgium and Cameroon in round-of-16 and quarterfinal matches which saw them largely outplayed.  Belgium hit the woodwork twice and made many more chances, although a John Barnes goal was disallowed on a plainly mistaken offside call.  David Platt's extraordinary swivelled volley from a Paul Gascoigne free kick in the last minute of extra time sent England through to the quarterfinals.  Cameroon shocked England and had them on the run, and only the African team's clumsy and naive defending prevented an upset.  Gary Lineker's penalty kick only seven minutes from the end of regulation time saved England from elimination, and his second penalty kick during extra-time put them in the semi-finals. 

England saved their best for their old rivals, West Germany, and did well to take the semi-final to penalty kicks in their third successive extra-time match.  West Germany's regulation-time goal--a crazy looping hop over stranded goalkeeper Peter Shilton after Andreas Brehme's shot from a free kick tap-on struck advancing defender Paul Parker--was lucky, while Lineker's equalizer 10 minutes from the end of regulation time was well-taken.  Both teams hit the woodwork in extra time.  Yet on the whole, the Germans enjoyed the greater part of the play, and the stronger team advanced to the final.

Still suffering from their cruel semi-final exits on penalty kicks, both England and Italy treated the third-place match rather casually, perhaps because it could furnish no consolation at all.  Although Italy deserved their 2-1 victory, England deserved the warm welcome they got on reaching home, their stock considerably higher than on their departure a month earlier.

Further Information

The results, tables and match summaries for the entire 1990 final tournament are available both on the FIFA website and in the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistical Foundation Archive.

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