This story originally appeared on VICE Sports UK.Remember that night in Turin? July 4th, 1990, the buzz of a World Cup semi-final against West Germany. Brehme's opener, Lineker's equaliser, Gazza's tears, and a pair of missed penalties that sent England out and the Germans into a final they would go on to win.In fact, a lot of people won't remember it, because that game is now 25 years past. A quarter of a century has slipped by since England's men reached the last four of the World Cup. Italia 90 is now further removed than the players that night were from England's most recent World Cup triumph in 1966. Let that one sink in.
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It does not need pointing out that '66 is still the most recent triumph. Jules Rimet still gleaming, 49 years of hurt. The semi-final defeat to West Germany remains the zenith of England's post-66 international footballing history. Defeat to the same country at the same stage in Euro 96 came close, but it was not the World Cup.Nothing else is.25 years on from Italia 90, England's record at the tournament is not a pretty one. There was the abject failure of 1994, for which they did not even qualify. In 1998 they crashed out in the second round to Argentina. But hey, at least that gave us David Beckham's dismissal for kicking Diego Simione, and manager Glenn Hoddle's use of the faith healer Eileen Drewery. Those are still memories, right?Led by Sven-Goran Eriksson, 2002 and '06 brought the sort of uninspiring improvement you see when it stops drizzling and the weather is just cold and grey (all very English). Quarter-final defeats to Brazil and Portugal respectively — both better sides, managed by 'Big Phil' Scolari — were as far as teams that contained the likes of Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry and Ferdinand could go.And yet, depressingly, Sven's showing remains the best England have achieved since 1990. In 2010 Fabio Capello's boys were routed 4-2 by a far superior German team in the second round — no need for penalties here — after they had made heavy work of an unspectacular group.
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And in 2014… do we need to go over 2014 again? Out in the group stage, bottom of the pile, scoring only one point thanks to a draw with a Costa Rica side who'd already secured qualification. For an England supporter, there was nothing fun about 2014. And you get the feeling that the next few tournaments will be similar. England are locked in a maddening cycle of excellent qualifying campaigns, intense pre-tournament hype, and failure when the football begins. That is not fun.Italia 90 ended in defeat, but it was fun. And today, it provides England fans with something to look back on and say, "yeah, that was actually pretty great." It was a good team with a couple of great players and a likeable manager. It came at a time when English football was at a horrible low, just over a year after the Hillsborough disaster, and with its clubs still banned from European competiion following Heysel.It wasn't perfect, and it didn't put a medal around anyone's neck. But it was a bit of fun —even if you don't remember it.
