RICHARD TANNER looks back to the last time England met Belgium at the World Cup
IT was not only one of the most memorable and important goals in England’s World Cup history but one that changed David Platt’s life.
Twenty-eight years ago this week, Platt’s last-gasp volley in extra-time against Belgium put Bobby Robson’s team into the quarter-finals of Italia 90.
It gave the then-Aston Villa midfielder a platform to forge a successful and lucrative career in Italy.
There was some irony in the way things panned out for Chadderton-born Platt, who had been discarded as a youngster by Manchester United.
He ended up becoming something of a goalscoring talisman for his country as a replacement for the injured Bryan Robson.
‘Captain Marvel’ had been injured in the group stages.
Platt was on the bench for the last-16 clash with the Belgians in Bologna, the last time the two sides met in a tournament, but his big moment arrived when he was sent on for Steve McMahon in the 71st minute with the game goalless.
Platt has recalled the balmy June night many times.
“I can remember little snatches of the game: John Barnes having a volleyed goal harshly disallowed, Belgium hitting the woodwork twice, and I can still see Enzo Scifo hitting the post with a tremendous strike from 25 yards,” he said.
“I was at the other end of the bench from Bobby Robson and didn’t have much contact with him.
“Having since been a manager, I now know that the emotions he must have been going through were far more intense than mine.
“In the last minute of extra-time there was a freekick in the centre. Gazza was on it.
“I was in the box trying to get a yard or half of space. I was spinning, the ball dropped over my shoulder and I just tried to get something on it.
“There wasn’t a great deal of power. It was all technique. I saw it going in and fell to my knees.
“Everything was intuitive, the way I met and hit the ball and then dropping to my knees. Instinct just took over. I’d never ever dropped to my knees after scoring before, I don’t know why I did. But when you score a goal like that you just go outside of yourself for a bit, everything is surreal.
“The adrenaline surge is so great, it really was as if I was in a different place, a different world.
“Don’t get me wrong, the goal wasn’t a fluke. I had an eye for getting on the end of that sort of ball and the technical ability to finish those chances off. I worked hard on practising overhead kicks and volleys in training at Aston Villa but, even so, if I had re-enacted that chance against Belgium 10 times in training the next day there’s a very good chance I wouldn’t have scored once from it.
“It was just one of life’s rare, perfect moments.”
Unfortunately, Platt could not share the euphoria with his team-mates after the final whistle because he was nabbed by the dope testers.
But he had earned his place in the starting line-up and went on to score another goal with a header in the quarter-final victory over Cameroon and convert a penalty in the losing shoot-out against West Germany in the semi-final before heading another goal in the thirdplace play-off defeat by Italy in Bari.
His performances put him on the radar of several Serie A clubs and it was Bari who bought him for £5.5million the following summer.
Platt also had spells with Juventus and Sampdoria, where he forged a life-long friendship with Roberto Mancini, who appointed him as his No2 during his spell as Manchester City manager between 2010 and 2013.
As Platt has said: “If I hadn’t scored that goal, I might still have ended up in Italy but, realistically, I’m sure it was the catalyst.
“Italian clubs were looking for international names and, before that goal, I was only really known as a club player with Aston Villa.”
This evening, Gareth Southgate’s England will be hoping for a similar moment of inspiration.