Updates and news
The aim of this website is to collect all knowledge and analyse every aspect of Italia'90. The site is a work in progress, with also published material being continuously revised. We will only begin publishing match reports from the 1990 World Cup tournament when all qualifiers have been covered. We are currently (March 2019) commencing work on UEFA qualifiers Group 5, with the group's second fixture between France and Norway currently being reviewed. To receive updates on twitter, follow @1990qual (kaltz) and @1990worldcup (domizio).
NEWEST: Cyprus 1-1 France
22 October 1988, Nicosia: The opening sequences of play are unremarkable, and the game sets off in what was pretty much an expected pattern: with France in possession. The Cypriots retreat quite deep back into their own half, where they sit and wait for the visitors' attacking play. France had been showing glimpses of imagination in the home fixture against Norway, even if they had at times been struggling with their creativity. In particular their supposedly strongest creative outlet, Toulouse's 24 year old midfield man Gérald Passi, here seen making his eleventh international appearance, had too often failed to live up to demands, and he had been substituted at a point during the second half. Read more . . .
RECENT: Scotland 1-1 Yugoslavia
19 October 1988, Glasgow: The early sequences of play indicate what is at stake. Neither side appears willing to relinquish anything in terms of initiative to the opponent, and there's some ferocious battles for possession. Both teams seem quite direct, although they opt for different means of approach: Scotland are certainly not afraid of hoisting long balls in the forward direction, where in particular Johnston among the strikers is keen on working the channels, while the Yugoslavians seem to have greater emphasis on quick breaks which involve several players. Not that any of this is rocket science; it is exactly what they're both known for. Read more...
Previously: Czechoslovakia v Switzerland (1989 qualifier)
Previously: Wales v Netherlands (1989 qualifier)
From the news archives
One of the last qualifiers covered at italia1990.com is Iceland v Soviet Union (31 August 1988) from UEFA Group 3, provided by our writer kaltz. In addition, we give you the front page of the Icelandic newspaper Tíminn on 1 September 1988: Its headline was not so much the result of the game, as the naked person who entered the field. This is allegedly the first time this phenomenon was witnessed on a sporting venue on the island. Insular innocence stolen.
(Thanks to @WC1930blogger for notifying us.)
From the archives
Greece 1-4 Yugoslavia, 5 April 1989
Group 7 Quiz
Who was Belgium's regular libero in the 1990 qualifiers? And who's the player in the middle in the picture to the right? Test your UEFA qualification group 7 knowledge with our new group 7 quiz. Difficulty level: Difficult . . .