martedì 26 giugno 2018

Germany - Netherlands (1990 World Cup)

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The Football World Cup goes on. For me it is the twelfth, the first (and hopefully last) without Italy: "the picture I hoped I would never see, as Davide van der Sfroos used to sing, even if it referred to something completely different. If ever I had any idea of ​​going to Russia, I abandoned it after Italy-Sweden.

I watched only one World Cup match live: Germany-Netherlands, in the 1990 World Cup round of 16, at San Siro. Messi was 3 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo 5, most of the current World Cup players were not born yey. It was a rather casual choice: Milan hosted 4 games of that tournament, 3 of the group phase and one of the round of 16. When I went to search the tickets, if I remember well at CTS in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (the Internet was yet to come...) the World Cup had already begun, and if I'm not wrong, the first match in Milan had already been played. So there were 3 chances, and the round of 16 match was the one with the greatest availability. Before me there was a Colombian who was dealing tickets for his team's match, the third in the first round.

The round of 16 match turned out to be Germany-Netherlands: we could not hope for anything better. In fact, at that time Inter lined up three Germans, Milan three Dutch, then Germany-Netherlands was a kind of indirect derby. Two years before the two teams had clashed in the European Championship, and the satyrical commentators Gialappa's Band had done all the comment citing, instead of the Germans and the Dutch, all the players respectively of Inter and Milan of the last 20 years. It was the first Gialappa's comment I listened to. Of course my father and I, as Inter fan, were for Germany.

Our seat was on the second deck, on the border between the green and orange sectors (which had become such for that event). It went well: we ended up with the German fans. Their favorite chorus was simply "Sieg" (win).

The match is remembered especially for the fight with spits between Voeller and Rijkard, ended up with a double ejection. The scene took place on the opposite side of ours: obviously, we knew about the spit only later. Germany won 2-1: I do not remember anything of the two German goals, but I remember the Dutch goal, which re-opened a mtch that seemed with no history then. It was a penalty by Van Basten, after a foul on the same player. It was his only hit in a dull World Cup for him, in which he was not employed as a striker, but more backward. I also met Van Basten (I do not remember if before or after this match) at the Torretta awards in Sesto S. Giovanni: he was very kind and available.

As you remember (directly for those who are old enough, hearsay for others), in those days (I think shortly before) Italy passed the round of 16 against Uruguay, but while Germany would make it through to the end, Italy would stop at the semi-finals. I remember tht national team as the strongest I have ever seen in a World Cup, even better than the two that won.

After that match, did I think I would not see another one of a World Championship for at least 32 years? Well, then I was traveling less, so I thought it would be a long time, but maybe not so much.
 

 

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