June 22, 1994. A total of 93,689 fans were watching Colombia take on World Cup hosts the USA in their second group game of the tournament, packed inside the enormous Rose Bowl in LA. Unbeaten in a qualifying campaign that culminated in a stunning 5-0 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires, Colombia had their fans dreaming of becoming world champions, but a 3-1 defeat to Romania had already badly dented hopes of reaching the second phase. The pressure was on.
Colombia began well enough, Carlos Valderrama dictating play as Faustino Asprilla and Freddy Rincon searched for the goals to get them back in contention. Then, with 35 minutes gone, the USA's John Harkes crossed towards striker Ernie Stewart. Attempting to cut out the danger, 26-year-old centre-half Andres Escobar only managed to direct the ball past the stunned Oscar Cordoba for a demoralising own goal.
