Fans Roar as West Germany Triumphs : World Cup: Cheers filled the Phoenix Club as their team scored the winning goal. But gloom rolled through the Argentine social club.

The tension had been as strong as the beer and sauerkraut in the Phoenix Club on Sunday morning.

But 84 minutes of nail-biting frustration turned to ecstasy when West Germany’s national soccer team scored the only goal of the 1990 World Cup championship game with just six minutes remaining on the clock.

“This is a victorious time for us,” said Phoenix Club secretary Jurgen Maerz as about 350 members of the German social club toasted each other with beer and champagne and strained their voices singing rowdy German drinking ditties.

“First we have unification (of East and West Germany),” Maerz said seconds after West Germany put away Argentina by a 1-0 score. “Now we have the World Cup. It’s great.”

As beer flowed freely among joyous Phoenix Club members, bitter tears were shed unabashedly for the Argentine national soccer team at El Club Union Argentina de Orange County, located one-half mile away.

For Phoenix Club members, the victory was sweet revenge. In 1986, the last time the World Cup was played, the Argentines made a surprise visit to the Phoenix CLub and gloated after their national team beat West Germany 3-2 for the championship. West Germany lost the previous World Cup final to Italy in 1982.

This year, the Phoenix Club fans exuded confidence. “If you’re a gambling man, it’s going to have to come up sooner or later,” Maerz predicted before the start of Sunday’s match. “It’s the law of averages that we will eventually win.”

As 150 fans of Argentina began filtering into the Argentina club in Orange, hopes were as high as those at the Phoenix Club.

A group of Argentine soccer players founded El Club Union Argentina de Orange County about 7 1/2 years ago so that they could have a regular venue for barbecues and parties after soccer games. Now more than 500 Argentine-American families belong to the club.

“I think we were lucky to get to the final,” said Mission Viejo resident George Diegmuller, whose grandparents migrated to Argentina from Germany two generations ago. “Now that we made it, we will come out with a win. Diego (Maradona) and the boys will do it for us.” As Argentina’s national anthem blared over the loudspeakers, a few fans unfurled that country’s blue-and-white flag. The room then erupted in cheers as three women held one of the flags aloft and trotted around the rows of chairs.

Nationalism also ran rampant at the Phoenix Club, as the crowd sang along during the national anthem and applauded West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl when he was shown on the wide-screen television.

“People here will get so excited they will blow the roof off at every goal,” predicted Justin Harven. “This is a real big thing. You don’t see this kind of excitement with American games.”

As the game neared halftime, however, fans started to worry.

“I can’t believe it,” groaned Helmut Klopsch, who sat at a long table sipping Bitburger beer and trading comments with his longtime friends. “Everything they are doing is good. But when they get into position they lose the chance.”

Tension was also high in Union Argentina, as the Germans made unrelenting assaults on the Argentine goal. Club president Tony Seri, 47, took a last long draw of his cigarette, crushed the butt under his feet, and then lit another.

“This does not look good,” Seri said as the first half ended. “The Germans are dominating the game.”

With six minutes remaining in the game, the West German team’s chance came during a hotly contested call by a referee that resulted in a penalty kick for the Germans.

“Nooooooooo!” cried the fans at Union Argentina when the referee pointed to the penalty spot near Argentina’s goal.

As the white soccer ball whooshed past the Argentine goalie and landed in the net, the ballroom in the Phoenix club exploded into cheers, stomps and loud music.

“This is it,” cried Joseph Selcho as the crowd broke into song.

Nearby, members of a semi-professional West German soccer team began loudly chanting, “ auf Wiedersehen , auf Wiedersehen, “ meaning goodby, to the Argentine team.

At the Union Argentina, a hush. A few people immediately headed for the door.

As the final whistle blew, stony silence. Then, almost in unison, the Argentine fans headed for the parking lot. A few lingered behind to see their team receive its second-place medals.

As Argentina’s national idol Diego Maradona cried while he received his medal for his team’s second-place finish, a teen-ager in the front row in Union Argentina brushed a tear from his cheek.

“I feel sad,” said Susanna Copa who left Argentina for Buena Park 10 years ago. “I thought Argentina was going to win.”

At the Phoenix Club, members were preparing for a long-awaited night of festivities.

“We’re going to celebrate into the night, “ Phoenix Club president Hans Klein yelled as a line of revelers snaked past him in a victory dance.

Game wrap-up. C1