WORLD CUP ’90 : Romania Surprises Soviets, 2-0 : Soccer: Lacatus scores both goals in second major upset of the tournament, both in the same group.

Marius Lacatus scored both goals and Romania controlled the second half to upset the Soviet Union, 2-0, Saturday in the World Cup opener for both.

Lacatus, the leader of his team’s attack, scored the first goal in the 41st minute on a blistering shot from eight yards out to the right side of the goal.

His second came on a penalty kick in the 54th minute after Soviet defender Vagiz Khidyatulin was ruled to have handled the ball in the penalty area.

It was the second upset in what has become a wide-open Group B. On Friday, defending champion Argentina was stunned by Cameroon, 1-0, in the World Cup opener.

Romania and the Soviets began cautiously Saturday, playing tight defense before a crowd of about 20,000.

The game’s first chance came early, when Soviet striker Oleg Protassov failed to beat Romanian goalie Silviu Lung from five yards. Lung later made two dazzling saves that kept the match scoreless and perhaps instilled confidence in his teammates.

In the 35th minute, Protasov and Alexander Zavarov combined on a give-and-go that left Zavarov alone 12 yards from the goal. But Lung rushed out to punch the shot away. Two minutes later, Zavarov set up Sergei Aleinikov in the penalty area, and Lung again turned aside the shot.

In the 41st minute, Lacatus scored for Romania. Midfielder Ioan Sabau fed him the ball deep in the Soviet defense. He dribbled past one defender and drilled the ball past goalie Rinat Dassaev.

Dassaev said he was trying to anticipate the shot.

“If I hadn’t thought so much about where the ball was going, perhaps I would have been able to punch it out,” he said.