1994 FIFA World Cup Group A#United States vs Colombia

Group A of the 1994 FIFA World Cup was one of six groups of four teams competing at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. The first matches were played June 18, 1994, and the final games took place simultaneously on June 26, 1994.

The group consisted of one CONCACAF team, the host United States; two UEFA teams, Switzerland and Romania; and one CONMEBOL team, Colombia. Romania won the group, Switzerland finished second and also the United States advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams. Colombia finished last with only three points.

Standings

{{#invoke:Sports table|main|style=WDL

|update=complete

|source=[https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/usa1994/groups/index.html FIFA]

|teamwidth=200

|team1=ROU

|team2=SUI

|team3=USA

|team4=COL

|result1=KO

|result2=KO

|result3=KO

|name_ROU={{fb|ROU}}

|name_SUI={{fb|SUI|civil}}

|name_USA={{fb|USA}}

|name_COL={{fb|COL}}

|res_col_header=Q

|col_KO=green1 |text_KO=Advance to knockout stage

}}

Matches

All times listed are local time.

=United States vs Switzerland=

{{football box

|date = June 18, 1994

|time = 11:30 a.m. EDT (UTC–4)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|USA}}

|score = 1–1

|report = [https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/usa1994/matches/match/3051 Report]

|team2 = {{fb|SUI}}

|goals1 = Wynalda {{goal|45}}

|goals2 = Bregy {{goal|39}}

|stadium = Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac

|attendance = 73,425

|referee = Francisco Oscar Lamolina (Argentina)

}}

width=92%

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width="25"\|	width="25"\|
width="100%" \|valign="top" width="50%"\| {\| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
GK	1	Tony Meola (c)
SW	17	Marcelo Balboa
RB	4	Cle Kooiman
CB	22	Alexi Lalas
LB	20	Paul Caligiuri
RM	9	Tab Ramos
CM	16	Mike Sorber
CM	5	Thomas Dooley
LM	6	John Harkes	{{yel\|89}}
CF	8	Earnie Stewart		{{suboff\|81}}
CF	11	Eric Wynalda		{{suboff\|58}}
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
FW	10	Roy Wegerle		{{subon\|58}}
FW	13	Cobi Jones		{{subon\|81}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|{{flagicon\|FR Yugoslavia}} Bora Milutinović

|valign="top"|

|valign="top" width="50%"|

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
GK	1	Marco Pascolo
SW	5	Alain Geiger (c)
RB	2	Marc Hottiger
CB	4	Dominique Herr	{{yel\|26}}
LB	3	Yvan Quentin
CM	6	Georges Bregy
CM	10	Ciriaco Sforza		{{suboff\|77}}
RW	8	Christophe Ohrel
AM	16	Thomas Bickel		{{suboff\|72}}
LW	7	Alain Sutter
CF	11	Stéphane Chapuisat
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
FW	14	Nestor Subiat	{{yel\|82}}	{{subon\|72}}
MF	21	Thomas Wyss		{{subon\|77}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|{{flagicon\|ENG}} Roy Hodgson

width=100% style="font-size: 90%"

Assistant referees:

Ernesto Taibi (Argentina)

Venancio Zarate (Paraguay)

Fourth official:

Ernesto Filippi (Uruguay)

=Colombia vs Romania=

{{football box

|date = June 18, 1994

|time = 4:30 p.m. PDT (UTC–7)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|COL}}

|score = 1–3

|report = [https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/usa1994/matches/match/3053 Report]

|team2 = {{fb|ROU}}

|goals1 = Valencia {{goal|43}}

|goals2 = Răducioiu {{goal|16||89}}
Hagi {{goal|34}}

|stadium = Rose Bowl, Pasadena

|attendance = 91,856

|referee = Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)

}}

width=92%

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| leftarm = 0065BD

| body = 0065BD

| rightarm = 0065BD

| shorts = FF0000

| socks = CD0000

| title = Colombia

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| pattern_so = _adidas_thick_stripes_romania_home

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| title = Romania

}}

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
width="100%" \|valign="top" width="50%"\| {\| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
GK	1	Óscar Córdoba
RB	4	Luis Herrera	{{yel\|36}}
CB	2	Andrés Escobar
CB	15	Luis Carlos Perea
LB	20	Wilson Pérez
CM	6	Gabriel Gómez
CM	14	Leonel Álvarez	{{yel\|70}}
AM	10	Carlos Valderrama (c)	{{yel\|53}}
AM	19	Freddy Rincón
CF	11	Adolfo Valencia
CF	21	Faustino Asprilla
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|Francisco Maturana

|valign="top"|

|valign="top" width="50%"|

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
GK	12	Bogdan Stelea
SW	4	Miodrag Belodedici
CB	3	Daniel Prodan
CB	14	Gheorghe Mihali
RM	2	Dan Petrescu
CM	6	Gheorghe Popescu
CM	5	Ioan Lupescu
CM	7	Dorinel Munteanu
LM	10	Gheorghe Hagi (c)
CF	9	Florin Răducioiu	{{yel\|39}}	{{suboff\|90}}
SS	11	Ilie Dumitrescu		{{suboff\|68}}
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
DF	13	Tibor Selymes		{{subon\|68}}
DF	19	Corneliu Papură		{{subon\|90}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|Anghel Iordănescu

width=100% style="font-size: 90%"

Assistant referees:

Yousif Abdullah Al Ghattan (Bahrain)

Douglas Micael James (Trinidad and Tobago)

Fourth official:

Alberto Tejada Noriega (Peru)

=Romania vs Switzerland=

{{football box

|date = June 22, 1994

|time = 4:00 p.m. EDT (UTC–4)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|ROU}}

|score = 1–4

|report = [https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/usa1994/matches/match/3062 Report]

|team2 = {{fb|SUI}}

|goals1 = Hagi {{goal|35}}

|goals2 = Sutter {{goal|16}}
Chapuisat {{goal|52}}
Knup {{goal|65||72}}

|stadium = Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac

|attendance = 61,428

|referee = Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

}}

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| body = FFFF00

| rightarm = FFFF00

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| socks = FFE601

| title = Romania

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| leftarm = FF0000

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| socks = FF0000

| title = Switzerland

}}

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
width="100%" \|valign="top" width="50%"\| {\| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
GK	12	Bogdan Stelea
SW	4	Miodrag Belodedici	{{yel\|47}}
CB	3	Daniel Prodan
CB	14	Gheorghe Mihali	{{yel\|32}}
RM	2	Dan Petrescu
CM	5	Ioan Lupescu	{{yel\|40}}	{{suboff\|85}}
CM	6	Gheorghe Popescu
LM	7	Dorinel Munteanu
AM	10	Gheorghe Hagi (c)
CF	9	Florin Răducioiu
SS	11	Ilie Dumitrescu		{{suboff\|70}}
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
MF	15	Basarab Panduru		{{subon\|85}}
FW	16	Ion Vlădoiu	{{sent off\|0\|73}}	{{subon\|70}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|Anghel Iordănescu

|valign="top"|

|valign="top" width="50%"|

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
GK	1	Marco Pascolo
RB	2	Marc Hottiger
CB	4	Dominique Herr
CB	5	Alain Geiger (c)
LB	3	Yvan Quentin
RM	8	Christophe Ohrel	{{suboff\|83}}
CM	6	Georges Bregy
CM	10	Ciriaco Sforza
LM	7	Alain Sutter	{{suboff\|71}}
CF	9	Adrian Knup
CF	11	Stéphane Chapuisat
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
MF	16	Thomas Bickel	{{subon\|71}}
MF	20	Patrick Sylvestre	{{subon\|83}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|{{flagicon\|ENG}} Roy Hodgson

width=100% style="font-size: 90%"

Assistant referees:

Abdel-Magid Hassan (Egypt)

Davoud Fanaei (Iran)

Fourth official:

Joël Quiniou (France)

Note: Switzerland's fourth goal is also credited to Georges Bregy.

=United States vs Colombia=

The match between the United States and Colombia saw the United States go ahead with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half, when Colombia defender Andrés Escobar turned a United States cross into his own net. The United States extended their lead early in the second half through Earnie Stewart, while Colombia could only manage a last-minute consolation goal and ended up losing 2–1. The result was the first United States's win in a FIFA World Cup match since the historic United States vs. England in 1950 and meant Colombia's chances of qualifying were no longer in their own hands; they would need to beat Switzerland and hope the United States would beat Romania to stand any chance of qualifying as one of the four best third-placed teams. Escobar was blamed for the result by Colombians and was murdered shortly after returning to the country.{{Cite web|url = https://www.90min.com/posts/6059408-andres-escobar-the-world-cup-own-goal-that-killed-the-colombia-defender|title = Andres Escobar: The World Cup Own Goal That Killed the Colombia Defender|date = 13 May 2018|access-date = 12 August 2020|archive-date = 31 August 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200831074619/https://www.90min.com/posts/6059408-andres-escobar-the-world-cup-own-goal-that-killed-the-colombia-defender|url-status = dead}}

{{football box

|date = June 22, 1994

|time = 4:30 p.m. PDT (UTC–7)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|USA}}

|score = 2–1

|report = [https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/usa1994/matches/match/3063 Report]

|team2 = {{fb|COL}}

|goals1 = Escobar {{goal|34|o.g.}}
Stewart {{goal|52}}

|goals2 = Valencia {{goal|90}}

|stadium = Rose Bowl, Pasadena

|attendance = 93,869

|referee = Fabio Baldas (Italy)

}}

width=92%

{{Football kit

| pattern_la = _usa94a1

| pattern_b = _usa94a1

| pattern_ra = _usa94a1

| leftarm = 37789F

| body = 37789F

| rightarm = 37789F

| shorts = A50021

| socks = FFFFFF

| title = United States

}}

|{{Football kit

| pattern_la = _colombia_91_97_H

| pattern_b = _colombia_91_97_H

| pattern_ra = _colombia_91_97_H

| pattern_sh = _Colombia1993-1997h

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}}

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
width="100%" \|valign="top" width="50%"\| {\| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
GK	1	Tony Meola (c)
RB	21	Fernando Clavijo
CB	17	Marcelo Balboa
CB	22	Alexi Lalas	{{yel\|48}}
LB	20	Paul Caligiuri
RM	9	Tab Ramos
CM	16	Mike Sorber
CM	5	Thomas Dooley
LM	6	John Harkes
CF	11	Eric Wynalda		{{suboff\|61}}
CF	8	Earnie Stewart		{{suboff\|66}}
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
FW	10	Roy Wegerle		{{subon\|61}}
MF	13	Cobi Jones		{{subon\|66}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|{{flagicon\|FR Yugoslavia}} Bora Milutinović

|valign="top"|

|valign="top" width="50%"|

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
GK	1	Óscar Córdoba
RB	4	Luis Herrera
CB	2	Andrés Escobar
CB	15	Luis Carlos Perea
LB	20	Wilson Pérez
RM	19	Freddy Rincón
CM	14	Leonel Álvarez
CM	5	Hernán Gaviria
LM	10	Carlos Valderrama (c)
CF	21	Faustino Asprilla		{{suboff\|45}}
CF	7	Antony de Ávila	{{yel\|24}}	{{suboff\|45}}
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
FW	9	Iván Valenciano		{{subon\|45}}
FW	11	Adolfo Valencia		{{subon\|45}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|Francisco Maturana

width=100% style="font-size: 90%"

Assistant referees:

Domenico Ramicone (Italy)

El Jilali Rharib (Morocco)

Fourth official:

Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)

=Switzerland vs Colombia=

To have any hope of finishing in third place and a potential spot in the round of 16, Colombia needed a victory against already-qualified Switzerland and also needed Romania to lose to the United States in the match played simultaneously. They took the lead through Hernán Gaviria just before half-time. Gaviria was substituted late in the second half, and his replacement, Harold Lozano, doubled Colombia's lead in the last minute of the game. Colombia had managed the win they needed, but were eliminated anyways because the United States lost 1-0 to Romania.

{{football box

|date = June 26, 1994

|time = 1:00 p.m. PDT (UTC–7)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|SUI}}

|score = 0–2

|report = [https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/usa1994/matches/match/3074 Report]

|team2 = {{fb|COL}}

|goals2 = Gaviria {{goal|44}}
Lozano {{goal|90}}

|stadium = Stanford Stadium, Stanford

|attendance = 83,401

|referee = Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)

}}

width=92%

{{Football kit

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| pattern_b = _sui94h

| pattern_ra = _whiteborder

| pattern_so = _whitetop

| leftarm = FF0000

| body = FF0000

| rightarm = FF0000

| shorts = FFFFFF

| socks = FF0000

| title = Switzerland

}}

|{{Football kit

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| pattern_b = _colombia_91_97_H

| pattern_ra = _colombia_91_97_H

| pattern_sh = _Colombia1993-1997h

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| socks = EED202

| title = Colombia

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width="25"\|	width="25"\|
width="100%" \|valign="top" width="50%"\| {\| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
GK	1	Marco Pascolo
RB	2	Marc Hottiger
CB	4	Dominique Herr
CB	5	Alain Geiger (c)
LB	3	Yvan Quentin
RM	8	Christophe Ohrel
CM	6	Georges Bregy	{{yel\|85}}
CM	10	Ciriaco Sforza
LM	7	Alain Sutter		{{suboff\|82}}
CF	9	Adrian Knup	{{yel\|39}}	{{suboff\|82}}
CF	11	Stéphane Chapuisat
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
FW	14	Nestor Subiat		{{subon\|82}}
FW	15	Marco Grassi		{{subon\|82}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|{{flagicon\|ENG}} Roy Hodgson

|valign="top"|

|valign="top" width="50%"|

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
GK	1	Óscar Córdoba
RB	4	Luis Herrera
CB	2	Andrés Escobar
CB	3	Alexis Mendoza
LB	20	Wilson Pérez
RM	14	Leonel Álvarez	{{yel\|80}}
CM	5	Hernán Gaviria	{{yel\|58}}	{{suboff\|79}}
CM	10	Carlos Valderrama (c)	{{yel\|62}}
LM	19	Freddy Rincón
CF	11	Adolfo Valencia		{{suboff\|64}}
CF	21	Faustino Asprilla
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
FW	7	Antony de Ávila		{{subon\|64}}
MF	8	Harold Lozano		{{subon\|79}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|Francisco Maturana

width=100% style="font-size: 90%"

Assistant referees:

Carl-Johan Meyer Christensen (Denmark)

Douglas Micael James (Trinidad and Tobago)

Fourth official:

Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico)

=United States vs Romania=

Starting the day in third place, Romania needed a win to guarantee progress to the knockout phase. The United States' qualification was already practically assured, but a win for the host nation would open the door for Colombia to qualify ahead of Romania with victory over Switzerland. That prospect was ended in the 18th minute, when Dan Petrescu scored the only goal of the game for Romania, giving them a 1–0 win. Combined with Switzerland's loss to Colombia, that meant Romania finished top of the group, followed by Switzerland, with the United States in third. The United States ultimately qualified as one of the four best third-placed teams.

{{football box

|date = June 26, 1994

|time = 1:00 p.m. PDT (UTC–7)

|team1 = {{fb-rt|USA}}

|score = 0–1

|report = [https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/usa1994/matches/match/3073 Report]

|team2 = {{fb|ROU}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Petrescu {{goal|18}}

|stadium = Rose Bowl, Pasadena

|attendance = 93,869

|referee = Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)

}}

width=92%

{{Football kit

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| pattern_b = _usa94a1

| pattern_ra = _usa94a1

| pattern_so = _3_stripes_white

| leftarm = 37789F

| body = 37789F

| rightarm = 37789F

| shorts = A50021

| socks = 001050

| title = United States

}}

|{{Football kit

| pattern_la = _rom94h

| pattern_b = _rom94h

| pattern_ra = _rom94h

| pattern_sh = _rom94h

| pattern_so = _adidas_thick_stripes_romania_home

| leftarm = FFFF00

| body = FFFF00

| rightarm = FFFF00

| shorts = FFFF00

| socks = FFE601

| title = Romania

}}

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
width="100%" \|valign="top" width="50%"\| {\| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
GK	1	Tony Meola (c)
RB	21	Fernando Clavijo	{{yel\|48}}
CB	22	Alexi Lalas
CB	17	Marcelo Balboa
LB	20	Paul Caligiuri
CM	5	Thomas Dooley
CM	6	John Harkes	{{yel\|41}}
RM	16	Mike Sorber		{{suboff\|75}}
LM	9	Tab Ramos		{{suboff\|64}}
CF	8	Earnie Stewart
CF	11	Eric Wynalda
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
FW	10	Roy Wegerle		{{subon\|75}}
MF	13	Cobi Jones		{{subon\|64}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|{{flagicon\|FR Yugoslavia}} Bora Milutinović

|valign="top"|

|valign="top" width="50%"|

width="25"\|	width="25"\|
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
GK	1	Florin Prunea
SW	4	Miodrag Belodedici		{{suboff\|89}}
CB	3	Daniel Prodan
CB	13	Tibor Selymes
RM	2	Dan Petrescu	{{yel\|73}}
CM	5	Ioan Lupescu
CM	6	Gheorghe Popescu
LM	7	Dorinel Munteanu
AM	10	Gheorghe Hagi (c)
CF	9	Florin Răducioiu	{{yel\|62}}	{{suboff\|84}}
SS	11	Ilie Dumitrescu
colspan=3\|Substitutions:
DF	14	Gheorghe Mihali		{{subon\|89}}
MF	18	Constantin Gâlcă		{{subon\|84}}
colspan=3\|Manager:
colspan="4"\|Anghel Iordănescu

width=100% style="font-size: 90%"

Assistant referees:

Jan Dolstra (Netherlands)

Gordon Dunster (Australia)

Fourth official:

Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)

References

{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/usa1994/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220184449/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/usa1994/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 December 2013|title=1994 FIFA World Cup USA|publisher=fifa.com|accessdate=31 July 2014}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/94full.html|title=World Cup 1994|website=RSSSF|accessdate=31 July 2014}}

Group A 1994 FIFA World Cup

Group

Group A

Group

1994 FIFA World Cup Group A#United States vs Colombia

Standings

Matches

=United States vs Switzerland=

=Colombia vs Romania=

=Romania vs Switzerland=

=United States vs Colombia=

=Switzerland vs Colombia=

=United States vs Romania=

See also

References