1990 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

Qualified teams

The top two placed teams from each of the six groups, plus the four best-placed third teams, qualified for the knockout stage.

Based on group results, the matches would be the following in Round of 16:

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.

Bracket

|24 June – Turin||0||1 |26 June – Verona||1| |2 |25 June – Genoa|**** |0 (5)||0 (4) |25 June – Rome||2||0 |23 June – Bari||4||1 |24 June – Milan||2||1 |23 June – Naples| |2||1 |26 June – Bologna|**** |1||0 |30 June – Florence|**** |0 (3)||0 (2) |30 June – Rome||0||1 |1 July – Milan||0||1 |1 July – Naples| |2|**** |3 |3 July – Naples|**** |1 (4)||1 (3) |4 July – Turin|**** |1 (4)||1 (3) |8 July – Rome||0||1 |7 July – Bari||2||1

Round of 16

Cameroon vs Colombia

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Czechoslovakia vs Costa Rica

Kubík

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Brazil vs Argentina

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.

As of 2025, this is the last time Argentina played Brazil in a World Cup Tournament.

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West Germany vs Netherlands

Brehme

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Republic of Ireland vs Romania

Houghton Townsend Cascarino O'Leary Lupu Rotariu Lupescu Timofte

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Italy vs Uruguay

Serena

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Spain vs Yugoslavia

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England vs Belgium

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Quarter-finals

Argentina vs Yugoslavia

Burruchaga
Maradona Troglio Dezotti Prosinečki Savićević Brnović Hadžibegić

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Republic of Ireland vs Italy

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Czechoslovakia vs 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.

Ekéké Lineker

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Semi-finals

Argentina vs Italy

Burruchaga Olarticoechea Maradona Baggio De Agostini Donadoni Serena

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West Germany vs England

Matthäus Riedle Thon Beardsley Platt Pearce Waddle

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Third place play-off

Schillaci

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Final

Main article: 1990 FIFA World Cup final

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References

References

1. "'Every match was like a final' | Argentina at the 1990 World Cup".
2. Brewin, John. [https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/03/how-england-pulled-it-out-of-the-fire-against-millas-cameroon-at-italia-90 "How England 'pulled it out of the fire' against Milla's Cameroon at Italia 90"]. ''The Observer''. 3 December 2022.