New Delhi: A brief history of the World Cup finals covering the tournaments from 1982 to 1994.
1982 Spain
Final: Italy 3 West Germany 1
Top Scorer: Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 6 goals
Brazil brought their most talented side to the tournament since 1970, with Zico and Socrates lighting up the tournament in the early stages, but Brazil's defensive frailties were exposed in the second round as Italy sent them crashing out in a 3-2 thriller that included a Paolo Rossi hat-trick.
The match was the making of Rossi, only just back in the Azzurri squad after serving a match-fixing ban, who would go on to score twice against Poland in the semifinals and the first goal in Italy's 3-1 win over West Germany as they lifted the cup for the first time since 1938.
The West Germans had reached the final in controversial fashion, overcoming the French on penalties in match marked by German goalkeepers horror foul on Patrick Battiston which left the French striker in a neck brace.
Hosts Spain failed to shine, losing to Northern Ireland in the first round, while Hungary set a World Cup finals record with their 10-1 win over El Salvador.
1986 Mexico
Final: Argentina 3 West Germany 2
Top Scorer: Gary Lineker (England) - 6 goals
Football may be a team sport but the 1986 World Cup belonged to one man alone: Diego Maradona.
The Argentine No. 10 lived up to his billing as the greatest player since Pele, transforming his journeymen teammates into world champions.
Maradona scored spectacular goals against Belgium in the semifinals and gave a memorable performance in the quarterfinals against England that included the greatest World Cup goal ever - a solo, waltzing effort that carried him through the entire England team.
The infamous ‘Hand of God’ effort when he punched the ball into the net.
In the final Argentina shot into a two-goal lead, only to be pegged back by a second half West German revival.
But Maradona laid on the winning pass for Jorge Burrachaga to fire the winner. The rest of the tournament was a sideshow compared with Maradona.
As four years earlier, West German power overcame French flair in the semis.
Denmark and the Soviet Union fizzled promisingly in the first round before crashing out in the second.
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1990 Italy
Final: West Germany 1 Argentina 0
Top Scorer: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) - 6 goals
The tournament opened in stunning fashion with Cameroon producing a bludgeoning performance to beat champions Argentina 1-0 despite finishing the match with nine men.
The Indomitable Lions would go to become the first African side to reach the quarterfinals, with 38-year-old semi-retired striker Roger Milla making a name for himself with some crucial goals before their run was ended in a seesaw 3-2 defeat by England.
Argentina, with a petulant Maradona unable to re-capture his form of four years earlier, picked themselves up and battled through to the knockout stages in a tournament marred by defensive, negative football.
Hosts Italy, with Salvatore Schillaci their unlikely hero, provided some respite, only for their dreams to be cruelly dashed on penalties by Argentine cynicism in the semifinals.
Driven by Lothar Matthaeus in midfield, West Germany also impressed in a series of powerful performances, although old rivals England gave them a tough time in the semifinals before bowing out on penalties.
In a repeat of the 1986 final, Andreas Brehme scored the only goal from the penalty spot in a dismal, bad-tempered match as the West Germans became champions for the third time.
1994 United States
Final: Brazil 0 Italy 0 (Brazil win 3-2 on penalties)
Top Scorer: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Oleg Salenko (Russia) - 6 goals
For the first time since 1970, Brazil were crowned champions, but only thanks to a ballooned missed penalty from the tournament's outstanding player, Roberto Baggio, in an otherwise dull final.
With a new tougher style of play encapsulated by their captain Dunga in midfield, the South Americans sweated rather than samba'd their way to the title, relying on goals from Romario and Bebeto to get them past the hosts, the Netherlands and semi-finalists Sweden.
Italy had started badly with defeat by Ireland, but a series of match-winning performances from Baggio, including a last-minute strike to eliminate Nigeria, carried them to the final.
Bulgaria, led by the charismatic Hristo Stoichkov caused the shock of the tournament by knocking out champions Germany en route to the semis.
Argentina's hopes were dashed when talisman Diego Maradona was dramatically sent home for failing a drugs test following a highly-charged performance against Greece.
The tournament was also touched by tragedy when Colombian defender Andres Escobar, having scored an own goal that sent the highly-fancied South Americans home early, was shot dead outside a nightclub in his hometown of Medellin.
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