1990 was the closest England have come to winning the competition since 1966, with only a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out coming between The Three Lions and a place in the World Cup final. Not a bad achievement for a team that were dismissed as not having a chance by most of the media and fans alike prior to the tournament - which seemed odd if you consider the star quality that ran throughout the team representing England in Italia 90. In honesty, England didnt play particularly well on their way to reaching the semi-final and could have easily lost to Cameroon in the previous round - two Gary Lineker penalties either side of extra time saving Englands blushes on that occasion in a 3-2 victory over the African side. Nevertheless, we were two games away from lifting the World Cup trophy again and a sudden overwhelming sense of national pride swept the nation. The match against West Germany had everything - blood, sweat and tears (literally). On the day, Englands performance could not be faulted, they gave it everything they had and did not deserve to lose the game. The players efforts did not go unnoticed, and the team were greeted like heroes on their return home. Here is what Peter Shilton had to say regarding the incredible support the team received post-Italia 90: "Everyone just wanted to get home but we were all blown away really by the reception we got when landing at Luton airport. There were thousands of people there to welcome us and that's when it really hit home how well we had done.
A wrestling enthusiast, currently educating the youth of Taiwan English; there are now a bunch of Asian kids running around with Yorkshire accents. Read about that trip and others at dragonstravel.com.
