It was on this day in 1990 that the 14th FIFA World Cup began in Italy.  Italy became the second nation to host the tournament for a second time, joining Mexico who held the competition in 1970, and again in 1986.

The Italians would host the reigning champions Argentina in one semi-final, while the defending runner-up German team took on England in the other semi-final.  Both matches remained tied after 120 minutes of play and needed penalty kicks to decide the winner.  Argentina prevailed over the host Italians and the Germans would reach the finals by beating the squad from England.

In the end, the Germans proved too powerful for the Argentinians, winning their third World Cup Final by a score of 1-0.  Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci scored six goals to win the Golden Boot award, and he also took home the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player.

Here are highlights from the 1990 World Cup.

Notable Birthdays

Troy Vincent, NFL – Born June 8th 1971 (age 41) in Trenton, New Jersey

Bryan McCabe, NHL – Born June 8th 1975 (age 37) in St. Catharines, Ontario

Kenji Johjima, MLB – Born June 8th 1976 (age 36) in Sasebo, Japan