WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FINALS : Spotlight : THE WOMAN’S VIEW

Despite the moaning of soccer widows, football can be a relationship saver. During the last World Cup, I was living in Italy and on the verge of breaking up with my boyfriend. We were sitting in a restaurant, with the Italy-Ireland quarterfinal playing in the background. “It’s over then,” I had just said, when (Salvatore) Schillaci scored the only goal. In the excitement our conversation was forgotten and we stayed together for another year.

We were truly reconciled, however, a few days after the restaurant when we were sitting in the stands at the England-Cameroon match in Naples. My boyfriend said something hurtful to me, my eyes filled with tears.

Just then Cameroon was awarded a penalty. Turning to me for a reaction, he saw me weeping and concluded that it was out of trepidation at England’s prospects. “She really cares,” he boasted to friends for months to come. “You should have seen her face when she thought England was going to lose.” I never told him what the real problem was.