Colombia Advances at the Last Second With a 1-1 Tie

MILAN, Italy —  Colombia, which has never been to the second round of the World Cup, got there Tuesday. Barely.

Needing at least a tie against powerful West Germany, the Colombians seemed set through 87 scoreless minutes. But then West Germany’s Rudi Voeller fed Pierre Littbarski on the left side, and Littbarski’s hard left-footed drive soared over the hand of goalkeeper Rene Higuita and into the net.

“I never doubted a possible comeback,” Colombia Coach Francisco Maturana said. “I knew that my players were going to attack until the very last second of play. They did it and achieved a sensational result.”

That sensational result came in the final seconds.

Carlos Valderrama, whistled at for most of the game by German fans after he made several hard tackles, passed on the right wing to Freddy Rincon, who had broken free. With the clock about to expire, his shot slid between the legs of goalie Bodo Illgner into the net, producing the 1-1 tie Colombia needed.

“We did not deserve to lose,” Maturana said.

The tie lifted the Colombians into third place in Group D behind West Germany and Yugoslavia. But their plus-1 goal differential guarantees them a spot among the four best third-place teams and sends the Colombians into the next round.

Colombia slowed the vaunted West German offensive machine, which produced nine goals in its first two games.

West German Coach Franz Beckenbauer admitted his players weren’t mentally sharp.

“Having certainly qualified before this match reduced the concentration of my team,” he said. “Colombia played very well in the first half and perhaps deserved more than what they got.”

Voeller, Lothar Matthaeus and Juergen Klinsmann, who accounted for eight goals in two matches, seldom were able to approach the Colombian net. The German forwards often had to run back toward midfield to avoid Colombia’s offsides trap and defensive tactics.