Paul Gascoigne of England bursts into tears after losing the FIFA World Cup Finals 1990 Semi-Final match between West Germany and England played at the Stadio Delle Alpi, in Turin, Italy on July 4, 1990.
Hopes weren’t exactly high for the England soccer team heading into the 1990 World Cup in Italy. But while the team struggled to make it out of the group stage of the tournament, it caught fire in the later rounds, largely thanks to the brilliance of midfielder Paul Gascoigne. His emergence helped carry England to a semi-final against West Germany, but during the match Gazza picking up a second yellow card — meaning that he would have been ineligible to play in the final had England won. As that grim reality dawned on him, Gascoigne broke down, which led to his teammate Gary Lineker famously pointing to his own eye and mouthing to management that they should “have a word.” By the end of the night, Gazza wouldn’t be the only one in tears: England lost in a penalty-kick shootout, and West Germany went on to lift the World Cup.
