WORLD CUP ’90 : ANALYSIS : Argentina Got the Reward It Deserved for Lack of Class

In the end, Argentina paid the penalty.

Not merely for Roberto Sensini’s clumsy upending of Rudi Voeller in the penalty area, but for its entire approach to this World Cup.

Argentina came into the tournament as the defending world champion, the team that had been proved clearly best in Mexico four years earlier. It had Diego Maradona, the world’s finest player despite an unfortunate tendency to use his hands on occasion.

What the world expected from Argentina was class. Everyone knew Maradona had lost a step or two and was hampered by injury. Everyone knew that Carlos Bilardo, the team’s coach, had had difficulty in putting together as strong a side as he fielded in 1986.

But still, if Argentina were to yield its world championship, the world wanted to see it do so with grace and dignity, in a match that could be savored long after the final whistle.

What was wanted in Rome’s Olympic Stadium Sunday night was a match to remember. What was seen was a game to forget.

The negative, cynical approach that Argentina had displayed in reaching the World Cup Final again was evident from the opening kickoff against West Germany.

Coming into the game, no team in the tournament had commited more fouls than Argentina. No team in the tournament had played as negative a brand of soccer. No team in history had ever had a player sent off in a World Cup final.

Within 90 minutes Sunday night, Argentina commited another 25 fouls, saw two of its players yellow-carded and, even worse, two ejected by referee Edgardo Codesal Mendez.

Defender Pedro Monzon’s calculated foul on Juergen Klinsmann, when he sent the West German striker flying midway through the second half, was bad enough. The red card was fully deserved. Worse was Argentine forward Gustavo Dezotti’s wrestling match with Juergen Kohler in the game’s final minutes. Again, the red card was earned.

Argentine supporters will argue that the referee was biased, that being a native of Uruguay, Argentina’s most bitter soccer rival, he was a poor choice for a final involving Argentina. But that would be misleading.

True, the penalty kick awarded to West Germany for the foul on Voeller was a bit harsh. Sensini did upend Voeller, but there did not appear to be a deliberate attempt to foul, and worse incidents have gone unpunished in this World Cup.

But Argentina could have responded by playing soccer instead of the negative approach it chose. It was clear from the outset that Bilardo and the players wanted nothing more than a scoreless tie and the chance to steal the game on penalty kicks as they had done against both Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals and Italy in the semifinals.

As Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany’s coach, said: “It’s too bad Argentina didn’t participate, (but) it’s not up to us to choose our adversary on the field.”

It was an ugly match throughout, made uglier by Argentina’s refusal to play. Had the West Germans been able to score early on, perhaps that might have spurred Maradona and company into action, but the Germans were having an off night, too, and they could not find the back of the net.

The West Germans attacked down both wings, areas where Beckenbauer correctly said he thought Argentina was weak. But the finishing touch was not there, and Voeller, Klinsmann, Andreas Brehme and several others were stopped time after time.

No player on either side managed to stamp his authority on the match. No player could be said to have stood out for a particular move or exhibition of skill. The West Germans were efficient, hard-working and talented, but lacked both flair and luck.

“If we had had a bit more luck, we could have scored earlier,” said West German captain Lothar Matthaeus. “And if we had scored earlier, it would have been easier for us.”

As for Argentina’s team, it left on a 4:30 a.m. flight for Buenos Aires knowing that it had done nothing to enhance its reputation.

After Italy had lost to Argentina in the semifinals, Giuseppe Bergomi, the Italian captain, stayed up late examining a videotape of the defeat.

“I watched it over and over during the night to look for all the mistakes we might have made,” Bergomi said.

Maradona, playing what he said was his last game as captain of the national team, will not have to look that far to find Argentina’s mistakes.

Even Beckenbauer said as much: “We had all prepared mentally for a final with Italy. Germany and Italy would have been more interesting and a better match.”