Skip to main content

1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup: The Emergence of Portugal

Image
By

 


The 1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup marked the dawn of Portugal’s resurgence in world football, as a new generation delivered the nation’s first international title.

Portugal had enjoyed a golden period in the mid-1960s, when Eusébio inspired them to the World Cup semi-finals in 1966, but the national side then faded from prominence. A revival began in the 1980s at club level, with Benfica and Porto reaching European finals—Porto famously winning the European Cup in 1987. The national team also showed promise at Euro 1984, reaching the semi-finals, before suffering a humiliating collapse at the 1986 World Cup amid the “Saltillo scandal.” Failure to qualify for Euro 1988 left Portuguese football in crisis. Against that backdrop, the triumph of Carlos Queiroz’s promising young squad in Saudi Arabia offered a glimpse of a brighter future for the Seleção das Quinas.

Key Facts – 1989 Tournament

 The 1989 edition carried several notable features:

* Held from 16 February to 3 March 1989, with 16 teams divided into four groups.

* Matches were staged across Taif, Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh.

* Europe was represented by six teams: Soviet Union (winners of the 1988 UEFA U-18 Championship), Portugal (runners-up), semi-finalists East Germany and Spain, plus Czechoslovakia and Norway, who won play-offs against fellow quarter-finalists.

* The United States replaced Mexico, who had fielded four overage players at the 1988 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. As punishment, Mexico were banned from all FIFA competitions for two years, missing the 1990 World Cup.

* Unusually, the tournament featured no representative from Oceania. Australia and New Zealand were forced into a play-off against Asian sides Syria and Qatar, the runners-up and third-placed finishers at the 1988 AFC U-20 Championship. Syria emerged victorious to claim the single available slot.

The Remarkable Runs of Iraq, Nigeria and Portugal

 The 1989 tournament produced several surprise packages. Iraq topped Group D ahead of Argentina, Spain and Norway, though their journey ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of the United States.

Nigeria stunned the world with a remarkable run, eliminating heavyweights Soviet Union in the quarter-finals and the United States in the semi-finals to reach their first final.

Portugal, meanwhile, navigated a daunting knockout path. Jorge Couto and his teammates overcame Colombia and then Brazil to book their place in the decider. In the final, the Seleção clinched a 2-0 victory over Nigeria thanks to goals from Abel Silva and Couto, securing a historic triumph that signalled Portugal’s re-emergence on the global stage.

Tournament Highlights

Group Stage final standings (The one in bold advanced to the knockout stage)

Grup A

Grup B

Grup C

Grup D

Portugal

USSR

Brasil

Iraq

Nigeria

Colombia

USA

Argentina

Czechoslovakia

Syria

East Germany

Norway

Saudi Arabia

Costa Rica

Mali

Spain

** = penalties

* = extra time

 Quarterfinal:

-          Portugal vs Colombia 1-0

-          USSR vs Nigeria 4-4 (3-5)**

-          Brasil vs Argentina 1-0

-          Iraq vs AS 1-2

 

Semifinal:

-          Portugal vs Brasil 1-0

-          Nigeria vs USA 2-1 

3rd place Playoff : Brasil vs USA 2-0

Final: Portugal vs Nigeria 2-0

Top Scorer: Oleg Salenko (USSR) – 5 gol

MVP: Bismarck (Brasil)

From Youth to Stardom

The 1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup produced a number of players who went on to become stars in the 1990s and early 2000s. Among them was Diego Simeone, former Argentina captain and now manager of Atlético Madrid, as well as Fernando Couto, who shone at Parma and Lazio, and Leonardo, the Brazilian winger who would feature at the 1994 World Cup.

Norway also introduced a promising generation, including Lars Bohinen, Henning Berg and Roar Strand, while the Soviet Union squad contained several figures who later became key players for Russia after the collapse of communism. They included Viktor Onopko, Yuri Nikiforov and Oleg Salenko, the striker who famously finished as top scorer at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Here are some of the players from the 1989 tournament in Saudi Arabia who went on to establish themselves at senior level.

Players

World Cup editions (senior)

Mutiu Adepoju (Nigeria)

1994, 1998, 2002

Joao Pinto (Portugal)

2002

Fernando Couto (Portugal)

2002

Fahad Al Mehalel (Saudi)

1994, 1998

Ahmed Madani (Saudi)

1994, 1998

Abdullah Al-Dosari (Saudi)

1994

Bismarck (Brasil)

1990

Leonardo (Brasil)

1994, 1998

Steffan Freund (Germany)

1998

Kasey Keller (USA )

1990, 1998, 2002, 2006

Diego Simeone (Argentina)

1994, 1998, 2002

Henning Berg (Norway)

1994, 1998

Lars Bohinen (Norway)

1994

Stig Inge Bjornebye (Norway)

1994, 1998

Roar Strand (Norway)

1994, 1998

Ovyind Leonhardsen (Norway)

1998

Santiago Canizares (Spain)

1998, 2006

Albert Ferrer (Spain)

1994, 1998

Giovanis Cassiani (Colombia)

1990

Jorge Bermundez (Colombia)

1998

Jose Santa (Colombia)

1998

Oscar Cordoba (Colombia)

1994

Ivan Valenciano (Colombia)

1994

Oleg Salenko (Russia)

1994

Omar Tetradze (Russia)

1994

Viktor Onopko (Russia)

1994, 2002

Yuri Nikiforov (Russia)

1994, 2002

Ronald Gonzalez (Costa Rica)

1990

Jose Porras (Costa Rica)

2006

 

 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The European Elite Teams’ Banter Era in Modern Football

By
  Each of Europe's elite teams has their own 'banter era' in modern football, during which they failed to win any prestigious titles. The 'Banter Era' is defined as a period in which a football team goes through difficult years without winning a notable top title, such as a league title or a continental top flight championship. In this era, teams consistently underperform, producing disappointing results and campaigns. In Europe, almost all elite sides and the powerhouses in the top five league, have experienced such a ‘dark age’, except perhaps Bayern Munich. Some clubs managed to end it before deteriorating , whereas others had to struggle for years before finally putting an end to their misery. Recently, more than one elite clubs have found themselves in the midst of such an unwanted era. Italian giant, Juventus, French side, Olympique Marseille, the Dutch powerhouse, Ajax Amsterdam and last but not least, the once great side, Manchester United. Among those...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Managers Taking Charge of the Rival Sides in International Football

By
  Only a few managers who have been up to the rare challenge in taking charge of the rival side of their own nations in international football. Being the manager of your own national team would undoubtedly be an incredible experience for a coach. The pride of leading one's own country to an international major tournament is irreplaceable. However, fate can be cruel at times, and the opportunity to lead a rival nation arises before your own. Such is difficult, but for someone who is unattached, it is simply too good to pass up. This is what happens to Thomas Tuchel. The former Chelsea, Bayern Munich, PSG, and Dortmund manager was recently appointed by the FA as Gareth Southgate 's successor. He is the best available candidate and a proven winner for his team, which matches the desired profile. The only flaw in him is that he is German, England's long-time rival on and off the pitch . Fortunately, such rivalry is no longer an issue in modern era, despite their conflict in...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Champions League Debutant Teams from European Top Five

By
  Only a small number of debutante sides from the European major league managed to progress to the latter stage in the UCL history. Competing in the Champions League has always been the target for all teams in the continent. Let alone the top sides, which is a definite aim for each and every season. No wonder that it is never easy for the elite clubs in the top major leagues to secure one berth in UCL.  However, such is not impossible. This season, three unlikely teams are making their Champions League debut. Bologna, Stade Brestois, and Girona are set to make one of the biggest steps in their history this week. They have eight games to prove whether they deserve to be in this most prestigious continental tournament.  In UCL history, only three teams have been able to reach further stages in the competition in their first appearance. One of them was even able to progress to the final four. Here are those three notable debutantes in UEFA’s number one club championshi...
Post a Comment
Read more