WORLD CUP ’90 : Milla, 38, Roars for Cameroon : Soccer: The oldest Lion scores twice in overtime as Colombia is eliminated, 2-1.

The first 105 minutes of the World Cup’s second-round game Saturday between Cameroon and Colombia produced only sporadic action and derisive whistles from most of the 50,076 spectators, who are accustomed to seeing more creative soccer on Diego Maradona’s home field.

But those who remained at San Paolo Stadium through 90 regulation minutes and a 15-minute overtime period of scoreless play were rewarded with a 2-1 Cameroon victory and a dramatic finish featuring two of the most intriguing players of this or any other World Cup.

Within three minutes of the start of the second 15-minute overtime, Roger Milla, at 38 the oldest and most indomitable of the Indomitable Lions, twice got the best of Colombia’s “El Loco” goalkeeper, Rene Higuita, for goals.

As a result, Cameroon became the first African team in 60 years of World Cup history to advance to the quarterfinals, in a game that took 120 minutes to resolve.

If Cameroon’s success seems improbable considering it entered the tournament as a 500-1 longshot, how about that of Milla?

Two years since his second retirement, Milla has four goals in four games and was tied with Spain’s Jose Miguel Gonzalez--Michel--as the tournament’s leading scorer until Czechoslovakia’s Tomas Skuhravy scored three times Saturday against Costa Rica to total five.

Performing in his fourth decade after turning professional at 16, Milla, twice voted Africa’s player of the year, rediscovered his zest for the game--and seemingly his youth--last season while playing for an amateur team, Saint Pierroise, on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

But when Milla asked this spring to return to the national team, Cameroon’s sports minister said the old lion was too long in the tooth.

Milla looked 16 again to the minister when he heard the angry outcry from Cameroon’s soccer fans. As if it were his idea all along, the minister demanded that Coach Valery Nepomnyachy add Milla to the roster.

“Hang up my boots? You must be joking,” Milla said before the opening game against defending champion Argentina. “I’m a youngster, curious and fascinated by the World Cup, and I will show it.”

He has proved to be a man of his word. Entering the second game with 32 minutes remaining, he scored two goals in a 2-1 victory over Romania that assured Cameroon of a second-round berth in only its second World Cup appearance.

In the first, eight years ago in Spain, Cameroon finished with three first-round ties--including one against eventual champion Italy--but did not advance because it did not score enough goals. Milla appeared to score one against Peru that would have sent Cameroon through, but it was nullified because he was off-sides.

It seems now he can do no wrong.

Soccer fans here still have not forgiven Cameroon for its stunning 1-0 upset victory over Argentina and Maradona, who stars for Naples in the Italian league. But they are familiar with Milla’s story, as is everyone in the country who can read an Italian newspaper, and applaud him when he entered the game Saturday nine minutes into the second half.

Milla was not immediately accepted back onto the team this spring by some players, but he since has become their spiritual leader.

“Every time he comes onto the field, he infuses the belief of victory into the team,” Nepomnyachy said.

After playing a defensive first half to hold off the charging but luckless Colombians, Cameroon temporarily showed signs of life on offense with Milla on the field.

But time after time the Colombians caught the Cameroonians in an off-sides trap that left them frustrated, spent and all too willing to sit back on their heels. Instead of resuming their attack, the Colombians settled into the same tedious pace.

Not until the end did it become clear that either team wanted to win.

Less than a minute had elapsed in the second 15-minute overtime, when Cameroon forward Francois Onam Biyick eluded defender Luis Carlo Perea with a pass outside the penalty area to Milla, who dribbled past sweeper Andres Escobar.

Higuita came out to meet Milla but could not throw his body in front of the left-footed shot.

It was a rare failure for Higuita. No goalkeeper is as controversial. Few are as accomplished.

Voted South America’s best goalkeeper last year, he also has received worldwide attention for his unorthodox style. He does not remain planted in the goal box, preferring to roam with the other defenders as a so-called keeper-sweeper.

With his team down 1-0, Higuita roamed even farther afield than usual in an attempt to free his defenders to join the attack.

Milla caught Higuita with the ball far from the goal, stole it with ease and, two minutes after scoring his first goal, loped toward an empty net to give Cameroon a 2-0 lead.

Colombia’s Valverde Bernardo Redin scored in the 115th minute, five minutes from the finish, but Higuita had already sealed his team’s doom.

“People will talk about it, and they will be right in talking about it,” Higuita said. “It was a mistake and everyone saw it. It was as big as a house.”

Higuita, 23, said he apologized to his teammates but will not change his tactics.

“No, never,” he said. “I’ve always managed to get away with it. On other occasions, I did my job well and was praised. Sooner or later, I had to make a mistake. Unfortunately, it happened this afternoon.”

Colombia had temporarily suspended soccer operations in February because of death threats against players and coaches related to the country’s drug war. Also playing in only its second World Cup, it assured itself of a place in the second round with a 1-1 tie against potent West Germany.

Cameroon will play its quarterfinal game here July 1 against the winner of Tuesday’s second-round game between England and Belgium.

Until 15 days ago, no one would have given Cameroon much chance against either. Now, who knows?

“We hoped the Cameroonians will reach important goals,” Colombia Coach Francisco Maturana said.

They already have.