It was one of the most earth-shaking results in football history. Colombia destroyed Argentina 5-0 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Diego Maradona was among the 75,000 who gave Oscar Cordoba, Freddy Rincon, Carlos Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla and Adolfo Valencia a standing ovation at full-time. “It’s one of the best performances I’ve ever witnessed,” he admitted after it forced Argentina into an intercontinental play-off against Australia for a USA 1994 place. “Colombia are the favourites to win the World Cup,” declared Pele.
Defeats by Romania and USA nevertheless meant that, despite an eye-catching 2-0 win over Switzerland in California, Francisco Maturana’s men fell at the first phase.
They did, however, finish the tournament with an average possession of 65 per cent – more than medallists Brazil, Italy and Sweden and every other team. It was a statistic indebted to the adidas Questra-retention of ‘El Pibe’ Valderrama, one of the most palatial passers to ever grace the World Cup.
