USA 1994: Brazil emerge victorious as US serves up World Cup full of glitz and glamour

'Soccer' went Stateside in 1994, even if England didn't, and thankfully served up some decent football that most fans had been deprived of in Italy four years previously.

It was predictably full of glitz and glamour and crowds were huge, but even before holders Germany kicked off the tournament with a 1-0 win over Bolivia, the hosts were causing a stir.

With TV dominating sport in the country, organisers wanted games split into four quarters rather than two halves. Fifa soon laughed that off.

Another of my enduring memories also came before a ball had been kicked.

At the opening ceremony at Soldier Field, Chicago, Diana Ross was on hand to 'do the honours' but woefully failed to find the net from six yards.

Fortunately, the real players were a little more lethal in front of the target - none more so than Russian Oleg Salenko. He netted a Cup record five goals in one first-round game against Cameroon. He would finish as the joint winner of the Golden Boot with six alongside Bulgaria's Hristo Stoichkov.

That game was one for the statisticians. It also featured a goal from Roger Milla.

Such a success at Italia '90, Milla was unable to recreate that magic but did manage to become the oldest player (officially 42 although it is thought he was older) to score in the finals.

Those were the only stats that really mattered from that 6-1 Russian win as both sides had already made their exit from Group B from which eventual winners Brazil plus Sweden emerged.

With Fifa sticking with their questionable qualification system of eliminating only eight teams at the first stage, three teams made it through from Group A - Romania, Switzerland and the hosts.

But the games would be overshadowed by an event in another country, miles from the action.

Colombia had entered the tournament as many people's dark horses but failed miserably.

And when Andres Escobar netted a disastrous own goal against USA, he effectively signed his own death warrant. On his return to Colombia, Escobar was shot dead outside a restaurant, supposedly as he had cost local drug barons money in lost bets.

Predictably, the Germans and Spain emerged from Group C, although there were plenty in Britain cheering on South Korea when they fought back from 3-0 down to 3-2 against Berti Vogts' men.

Group D threw up plenty of memories. Gabriel Batistuta netted a hat-trick against whipping boys Greece but that was not the image to live in the mind. That was to be Diego Maradona's bizarre antics as the celebrating striker snorted his distorted expression into a TV camera.

Days later the world found out he'd taken the banned stimulant ephedrine and was sent home in disgrace.

Stoichkov got his tally moving with two penalties against the woeful Greeks who remain the only side to qualify and never score a goal at the finals. They also let in 10.

But it was Nigeria and the net-shaking Daniel Amokachi who topped the table after a surprise defeat for the Argentines in their final game against Bulgaria left them in third and with a tough second-round encounter with Romania.

The Irish were the side everyone in Britain was following and they didn't disappoint as they stunned Italy with a Ray Houghton goal in the Group E opener.

It proved to be the tightest group with a turgid Norway proving hard to beat, and Mexico revelling in their underdog role.

The Mexicans got the better of Ireland in Orlando as boss Jack Charlton whinged about water as his side wilted in the heat.

Rant

John Aldridge's swearing rant