<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> ← 1986 1994 → </Td> </Tr> <P> The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament . It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice (the first being Mexico in 1986). Teams representing 116 national football associations entered and qualification began in April 1988 . 22 teams qualified from this process, along with host nation Italy and defending champions Argentina . </P> <P> The tournament was won by West Germany, their third World Cup title . They beat Argentina 1--0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, a rematch of the previous final four years earlier . Italy finished third and England fourth, after both lost their semi-finals in penalty shootouts . This was the last tournament to feature a team from West Germany, with the country being reunified with East Germany a few months later in October, as well as teams from the Eastern Bloc prior to the end of the Cold War in 1991, as the Soviet Union, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia teams made appearances . Costa Rica, Ireland and the UAE made their first appearances in the finals . As of 2018, this was the last time the UAE qualified for a FIFA World Cup finals . The official match ball was the Adidas Etrusco Unico . </P> <P> The 1990 World Cup is widely regarded as one of the poorest World Cups . It generated an average 2.2 goals per game--a record low that still stands--and a then - record 16 red cards, including the first ever dismissal in a final . This World Cup saw the introduction of the pre-match Fair Play Flag (then inscribed with "Fair Play Please") to encourage fair play . Defensive tactics led to the introduction of the back - pass rule in 1992 and three points for a win instead of two at future World Cups . </P>

Who did england play in 1990 semi finals