Wednesday 21 March 2018, 08:27

85 days to go: Brehme on the spot  

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is getting closer – 85 days to go!

In less than three months' time – on 14 June, to be precise – the 21st FIFA World Cup™ kicks off at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, as the hosts take on Saudi Arabia.

That leaves us plenty of time to enjoy a countdown. Between now and the start of the World Cup, we will take a closer look at a different statistic from the history of the tournament each day.

85 - There were 85 minutes on the clock in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico when Andreas Brehme scored the only goal of the 1990 Final, slotting home from the penalty spot to seal victory for West Germany against holders Argentina.​​

"I immediately realised that I would have to take the penalty," Brehme later recalled. "There were always three designated kick-takers in a game. There was Rudi Voller – but he had been fouled, and the fouled player never took the resulting penalty – and there was Lothar Matthaus, but he didn’t feel good. It was important to us that whoever stepped up was full of confidence and able to convert the spot-kick, so up I went. Voller came up to me and said: 'Stick it in now and we’re world champions.' 'Alright, thanks very much,' I replied. 'I’ll bear that in mind.'" It was the first World Cup Final decided by a penalty kick.