The Great World Cup Goals, #6: David Platt (England) vs Belgium, 1990 (Video)

By Chris Wright

Soccer - FIFA World Cup Italia 90 - Second Round - England v Belgium - Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna

After squeaked through the group stages at Italia ’90, England came up against Belgium in the round of 16, with Enzo Scifo hitting the woodwork twice and John Barnes having a goal chalked off (wrongly, as it happens) before the game crept over into extra-time.

Having come on as a 71st-minute substitute for the knackered Steve McMahon, David Platt repaid Bobby Robson’s faith when, in the 119th minute of the game, the Aston Villa midfielder scored his very first international goal to send England through to the quarter-finals against Cameroon – swivelling to connect sweetly with a Paul Gascoigne free-kick and sending an absolutely beautiful blind, hooked volley back across Michel Preud’homme (there’s that name again) and inside the far post…

God, we miss Brian Moore.

Sadly, Platt wasn’t really allowed to enjoy his magnificent game-winner, finding himself hauled off for a random drug test immediately after the final whistle – taking nearly an hour to produce a sample due to his dehydrated state as he sat in silence alongside two completely dejected Belgian players.

“By the time I came out the other players all had their suits on and the euphoria had passed,” a deflated Platt recalled after the game.

Speaking of euphoria, just have a gander at Gary Lineker’s face during the celebrations…

Soccer - FIFA World Cup Italia 90 - Second Round - England v Belgium - Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna

Absolutely delirious!

More in the series…

#1 – Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina) vs Mexico, 2006
#2 – Saeed Al-Owairan (Saudi Arabia) vs Belgium, 1994

#3 – Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Holland) vs Uruguay, 2010
#4 – Pierre Njanka-Beyaka, (Cameroon) vs Austria, 1998
#5 – Nelinho (Brazil) vs Italy, 1978

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6 Comments

  1. Chris says:

    I remember watching this one. Belgium were all over us and you just knew we were not getting it done.
    When Gazza floats in the free kick you’re thinking its going to get headed back across. But no. a ‘stunning’ blind volley beat the goalie hands down. Platt went on to score an absolute cunt hot downwards header against Cameroon. He really was a great player.

    I know we got to the semis but we really didn’t produce anything that special to get there. I mean, we only qualified out of the group thanks to a 1-0 win over Egypt.

  2. Soccer Steve says:

    That “foul”. I see refereeing hasn’t changed over the years.

  3. Jarren says:

    Poor Platt, I didn’t know about that drug test thing.

    That would really have been a bit shit.

    You can claim expenses back but you can’t claim emotions back.

  4. Al says:

    Watching Gazza in full flow is still something to behold though isn’t it?
    This game (and world cup) are a lot of my first football memories, I remember the celebrations after and there was a Belgian guy celebratin g with all the English players, couldn’t understand it in my juvenile mind, as it turned out it was Chris Waddle and he had just swapped jerseys with a Belgian

  5. James C. Taylor says:

    Platt’s header against Italy was also a brilliant goal, but is inevitably always overlooked.

  6. […] 2010#4 – Pierre Njanka-Beyaka, (Cameroon) vs Austria, 1998#5 – Nelinho (Brazil) vs Italy, 1978#6 – David Platt (England) vs Belgium, 1990#7 – Alessandro Del Piero (Italy) vs Germany, 2006#8 – Javier Zanetti (Argentina) vs England, […]

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