Italy 1990
Final: West Germany 1-0 Argentina
The 1990 finals in Italy were a curious mixture of good and bad games, the final fitting into the latter category.
There were also several wonderful surprises and days of woeful refereeing.
Penalty shootouts began to decide more matches and, although the fans in soccer-mad Italy were passionate about it all, the event left behind bittersweet memories.
Italy's failure to reach the final and the disappointing quality of that showpiece occasion were two of the main reasons.
Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci, who had only played twice for Italy before the finals, emerged as the competition's top scorer with six goals and became an instant national hero.
Irish fans will remember Schillaci as the player to break their hearts at the first World Cup tournament their side had qualified for.
Champions Argentina were stunned in the opening match when they lost 1-0 to Cameroon and although they recovered to reach the final, that defeat underlined their vulnerability.
West Germany won a poor final with a late penalty from Andreas Brehme, and Argentina finished the match with nine men, the first team to have a player, or even two, dismissed in the title decider.
Franz Beckenbauer became the first man to captain and later coach a side to World Cup success.
