Already done one of these threads for Italia 90 and France 98 so only feels right that I do one for USA 94, a World Cup which England failed dismally to qualify for. Even though it may not have been as memorable as the aforementioned two World Cups, there were some great memories nonetheless.
Diego Maradona and Andres Escobar grabbed the early headlines. Maradona scored an outstanding goal against Greece before failing a dope test and being slung out of the tournament. Escobar scored an own goal for Colombia against the USA and was later shot dead in his homeland.
Roberto Baggio proved Italy's hero as it marched to the final, saving its skin against impressive Nigeria in the second round and grabbing the winner in the quarterfinals against Spain.
Two more goals saw off Bulgaria, who had earlier stunned Germany, in the semifinals, but the cruellest of twists awaited him in the final.
Brazil's progress was serene. A thrilling 3-2 quarterfinal win over Holland put it into a semifinal clash with surprise package Sweden, where Romario's expert finish nicked victory.
The final was a major letdown. No goals meant the first ever shootout to decide a World Cup final, and it was Baggio's skied miss that proved decisive.
Legends:
Romario Faria de Souza: (Brazil: born 1966) Controversial forward who mixes raw opportunism and exceptional cool in front of goal with a fiery temperament on and off the pitch - ``the night is my friend,'' he says.
Starred in Brazil's 1988 Olympic team and with PSV Eindhoven in Holland before a move to Barcelona in 1993 saw his international career take off. Provided a razor-sharp cutting edge to a largely pragmatic Brazil team at USA 94, scoring the winner against Sweden in the semifinals.
He also scored against it in the group stages, with further strikes against Cameroon, Russia and Holland taking his tally to five. Brazilian football's topscorer for past two seasons, Romario is out of favour with current coach Luis Felipe Scolari.
Hristo Stoichkov: (Bulgaria: born 1966) The single most important factor behind Bulgaria's emergence as a world football power. Dynamic forward with a vicious left-foot and searing pace. Ran straight at the heart of defences, but was equally adept from deadball situations.
Expert at drawing fouls, though his temperament often let him down. Bulgaria hadn't won a game in six World Cup tournaments but Stoichkov soon changed that with two penalties in a 4-0 thrashing of Greece. Was outstanding in 2-0 defeat of Argentina, scoring again, as he did against Mexico in the second round.
Stoichkov and Bulgaria's finest hour came in the quarterfinals, however, when world champion Germany was beaten. Stoichkov curled in a majestic free-kick in the 2-1 win. He was also on target in the semifinal defeat by Italy to finish the tournament's joint top scorer with six goals.
Roberto Baggio: (Italy: born 1967) Pony-tailed playmaker whose skill level and invention have not always been appreciated by his country. As the world's most expensive player at Italia 90 he flattered only to deceive, scoring a brilliant individual goal against Czechoslovakia but failing where it counted in the later knockout stages.
Three years later, he was voted European and World Footballer of the Year and at USA 94 was a sensation, almost single-handedly dragging Italy to the final. Saved the Azzurri against Nigeria with two late strikes, grabbed the winner against Spain in a violent quarterfinal and then both goals in the semifinal win over Bulgaria.
Ironically, it was his skied penalty in the final shootout against Brazil that condemned Italy to an unlucky defeat.
Trivia:
Despite reputedly being a non-soccer country, USA 94 saw the highest total and average attendances in World Cup history. Some 3.5 million watched the matches at an average of 69,000, compared with 2.5 million and 48,000 at Italia 90.
Several of Russia's leading players stayed at home in protest at the appointment of Pavel Sadyrin as coach.
Bulgaria's 4-0 win over Greece was its first victory in six World Cup finals. Inspired by striker Hristo Stoichkov and balding playmaker Iordan Lechkov, it went on to knockout mighty Germany and reach the semifinals.
Andres Escobar scored an own goal in Colombia's 2-1defeat by the USA. On his return home, Escobar was shot dead, allegedly because the result cost the country's drugs and betting syndicates a fortune.
Roger Milla, Cameroon's star of 1990, became the oldest player at 42 to appear in the World Cup finals. He then became the oldest player to score when he netted in the 6-1 defeat byRussia.
Cameroon's 17-year-old Rigobert Song became the youngest player to be sent off when he received his marching orders against Brazil.
The USA's hopes looked bleak right from the start when singer Diana Ross missed a penalty from two yards during the opening ceremony.
Germany's Stefan Effenberg was sent home after making a rude gesture to fans while being subsitutued against SouthKorea. The Bayern Munich midfielder has not played for the national side since then.
Mexico and Bulgaria's second round match was held up for 15 minutes after the crossbar broke and had to be replaced.
Brazil dedicated its win to Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, who was killed at Imola, Italy earlier in1994.
The winning squad: Brazil: Goalkeepers: Claudio Taffarel, Zetti, Gilmar. Defenders: Jorginho, Ricardo Gomes, Ricardo Rocha, Branco, Aldair, Cafu, Marcio Santos. Midfielders: Leonardo, Mauro Silva, Dunga, Zinho, Rai, Mazinho, Paulo Sergio. Forwards: Ronaldo, Bebeto, Romario, Muller, Viola. Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira.
