The highs, lows, and indifferences of the 1990 World Cup, as broadcast on the morning of Boxing Day that year. Des Lynam presents, and, to paraphrase his opening link, it was a tournament that was indeed far higher in drama than it was in quality football. In fact, with the benefit of hindsight, the majority of World Cups since then have had a better standard of football, but I don't think any has quite had that magical passionate atmosphere which only Italy could produce, or as many matches that were still in the balance right up to the very last minute. It wasn't great if judged purely by the football itself; but, if you lived through it, you'll know that Italia '90 was so much more than that.
Without spoiling anything, look out for England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland all being there and achieving various degrees of success; Cameroon and Roger Milla upsetting the apple cart and making the quarter-finals; the first sendings-off in a World Cup Final that was little short of a disgrace; Gazza's tears and Pearce and Waddle's penalty heartbreak; Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci stealing the show for the hosts; Rudi Völler getting sent off apparently for being spat on by Frank Rijkaard; Benjamin Massing's contender for Foul of the Century; and a washed-up Diego Maradona still being good enough to drag a poor side all the way to the final, practically single-handedly (pun partially intended). If you watched the tournament at the time, I guarantee that this will evoke plenty of memories, and some of the music will transport you instantly right back to that long hot summer. So enjoy!
This replaces a previous upload which gained nearly 650,000 views and over 1400 comments, but was blocked after five years online due to a 14-second clip of World in Motion - hence why I've had to blur it out. Boo-hiss to Warner Music Group. I'm also sorry to say there are some audio issues for the first five minutes or so, but they soon sort themselves out.
(Please remember that this is an off-air VHS recording, and this programme has never been available commercially anywhere in the world. Please also note that I don't monetise any of my uploads. Nevertheless, if you are a copyright holder and have an objection, please don't hesitate to contact me.)