WORLD CUP USA '94: ROUND OF 16 : Mexico Pays Penalty Against Bulgaria : Soccer: Missed penalty kicks prove costly after teams play to 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime.

By BILL PLASCHKE

July 6, 1994 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —

The oles were silenced Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of them, from Los Angeles to Mexico City to midfield at Giants Stadium, went unsaid.

The cry that for a month has carried a hopeful nation and its former citizens living in this country was rendered as silent as goalkeeper Jorge Campos’ muffled cries into the thick grass. As silent as Alberto Garcia Aspe as he buried his face in his hands.

As silent as the Mexican soccer team in the final 100 minutes of its World Cup second-round soccer game against Bulgaria.

The Mexicans had more stars, more skill, even more players at one point . . . yet the Bulgarians had two more successful penalty kicks, giving them a 3-1 shootout victory in a game that had ended 1-all after overtime.

Bulgaria, a nation roughly the size of Ohio, with no victories in 16 World Cup games before this year, finds itself in a quarterfinal match Sunday against defending champion Germany.

Mexico finds itself with a lot of explaining to do.

After celebrating on the field with a giant game of piling-on, the Bulgarians walked off as if dazed.

“I don’t think it has sunk in yet what we have done,” forward Petar Alexandrov said. “I think, right now, it is unbelievable.”

The Mexicans needed to be helped off by their coaches and trainers, Campos remaining face down and motionless on the ground in front of the goal for several minutes.

A crowd of 1,030 mostly Mexican fans watched without a word.

“There is a lot of pain,” said forward Luis Roberto (Zague) Alves. “It is the wrong ending.”

It was an ending, in fact, that was more difficult for the Mexicans to handle than the 120 minutes of bump-and-grind soccer forced on them by the Bulgarians in 80-degree temperatures.

“I do not have the courage to face what has happened right now,” said Aspe, who in one afternoon experienced the gamut of emotions felt by Mexican fans during their giddy ride through this tournament.

In the 18th minute, Garcia Aspe was a hero, tying the score with a penalty kick after Bulgarian star Hristo Stoitchkov had scored on a 15-yard shot 11 minutes earlier.

But as the first shooter in the five-goal shootout, Garcia Aspe was a failure. With nothing but 12 yards of grass between him and Bulgarian goalkeeper Borislav Mihaylov, with Mihaylov required to stand still until the ball was touched, Garcia Aspe still missed.

Worried at the last second about his decision to kick the ball to the left side of the goal, as he had done on his previous penalty kick, Aspe hesitated for a second.

The ball left his foot and soared high over the goal. A flat-out miss.

He looked toward the sky and covered his face with his hands, as if he knew what was coming. And it was.

Even though Campos made a brilliant save of Bulgaria’s first penalty kick, Mihaylov stopped Mexico’s next two kicks.

Bulgaria then connected on its next three kicks and won the shootout, 3-1, clinching the victory without needing a final kick.

“I am very sad,” Garcia Aspe said. “I am very angry.”

Mihaylov, who had given up three goals in one game against Nigeria in the first round, was so happy he wanted to kiss somebody. Actually, a lot of somebodies.

“I want to kiss my entire nation,” he said.

If Mexico Coach Miguel Mejia Baron tries that with his countrymen today, he’s going to get smacked.

He could not devise a strategy to lead his team to victory over a Bulgarian squad that began the game minus three starters because of yellow card suspensions.

He could not take advantage of a fourth Bulgarian loss, when Emil Kremenliev was sent out of the game with a second yellow card in the 50th minute.

And he would not take advantage of two fresh stars on his bench--legendary veteran Hugo Sanchez and top playmaker Carlos Hermosillo.

Even with his team obviously exhausted during the overtime period, Baron refused to make any substitutions while his Bulgarian counterpart, Dimitar Penev, made the allowed two.

One of those substitutes, Boncho Guentchev, converted one of Bulgaria’s penalty kicks.

“We gave everything we had,” Garcia Aspe said. “We were exhausted. What happened after that was up to the coach.”

Sanchez, who watched the game while listening to intermittent crowd chants of, “Hu-go! Hu-go!” was not so diplomatic.

“I felt very, very impotent,” he said. “I was very angry. I do not understand.”

Also difficult to understand was Mexico’s apparent willingness to join Bulgaria in playing for a tie.

This happened not only after Luis Garcia had been forced out of the game with a second yellow card at the 58th minute, evening the sides at 10 each. This happened even during the eight minutes when the Mexicans had a one-man advantage.

When asked why he had played for a tie, Baron said, “Are you asking me or telling me? Mexico never plays for a tie but for a win.”

But then, why did Mexico take 10 shots in the first 45 minutes and only nine in the last 75?

Why, in 120 minutes against a team missing three strong defenders, did Mexico take only three shots within the penalty area?

Look for the answer to these questions, and more, in discussions that will occur south of the border over the next, oh, four years.

The Quarterfinals

Saturday At Foxboro, Mass.

* Spain vs. Italy

* Time: 9 a.m.

* TV: Channel 7

Sunday At E. Rutherford, N.J.

* Germany vs. Bulgaria

* Time: 9 a.m.