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Brehme scored the winning penalty in the 1990 final. David Cannon/Allsport |
In a World Cup dominated by penalties, it was appropriate that one of the masters of the spotkick should score the winning goal in the final from 12 yards.
With just five minutes left in the 1990 final in Rome, Brehme stroked the ball home to secure victory for West Germany against a cynical Argentine side that had advanced through both quarterfinals and semifinals on penalties and seemed determined to retain its title by the same method.
A left-sided defender who was just as comfortable shooting with his right foot as crossing with his left, Brehme was one of West Germany's most reliable performers at both the 1986 and 1990 finals as well as a scorer of valuable goals.
In Mexico he scored the opening goal in a 2-0 semifinal win over France and it was his corners that helped West Germany battle back from 2-0 down before succumbing 3-2 to Argentina.
Four years later, it was Brehme's freekick that looped into the England net to give West Germany the lead in another semifinal, eventually won on penalties. Brehme was back in 1994, but Bulgaria's stunning 2-1 win over the defending champion in the quarterfinals marked the end of his international career.
