Bizarre comparison with the 1990 World Cup
England’s rude footballers are a good omen for Germany
By Kevin Schulte
26.06.2024, 12:08
England’s rough football in European Championship Group C has a historical precedent. At the 1990 World Cup, England made it through the preliminary round with the same results. However, second and third place were decided by drawing lots – with consequences for Germany.
In the summer of 1990, something spectacular happened at the World Cup: everyone knows that Germany won the title for the third time. Some people remember that their opponents in the final, Argentina, with legend Diego Maradona, sensationally lost to Cameroon in the opening match. But hardly anyone remembers the “furious” end to the preliminary round in Group F, when the placings of Ireland and the Netherlands had to be determined by draw.
Back then, only 24 nations played for the title (in 1998 there were 32 participants for the first time, and in 2026 there will be 48). The format was the same as at the European Championships this year. That is, the four best third-placed teams in each group advanced to the round of 16. In Group F, it was clear after the preliminary round that England, the Netherlands and Ireland would all make it through. But the draw had to decide between the Oranje and Ireland. Both had three draws to their name and the same goal difference.
The final table of Group F at the 1990 World Cup is an exact replica of Group C at that year’s European Championship. England won one game and drew two. All other games in the group also ended in draws. 34 years later, history repeats itself. Even the individual match results are exactly the same, only with the Netherlands, Ireland and Egypt in the group instead of Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia. Then, as now, it is England that wins the minimalist draw group.
Draw instead of fair play scoring
Unlike today, however, the fair play ranking was not the decisive factor in separating second and third place. Ireland had received one fewer yellow card than the Netherlands, but the regulations did not stipulate the fair play table as a deciding factor for teams with the same number of points and goals.
Instead, the then FIFA Secretary General Sepp Blatter drew the rankings. On YouTube you can find a jerky video of this historic football event. Ireland came in second place, the Netherlands in third place. This meant that the “Elftal” had to play against Germany in the round of 16. Frank Rijkaard’s spitting attack on Rudi Völler was therefore only made possible by a simple draw.
The rest is history anyway. Germany defeated its neighbor, also won against Czechoslovakia, beat England on penalties and were crowned world champions thanks to Andreas Brehme in the final in Rome. The English minimalists in rough football are therefore a good omen for the German national team.