Football Dynasty-Chapter 51: The Roar of African Football

Since this was the first major event after joining Paddy Power, Fay, now the operational manager of the company, immediately contacted Richard to ensure they made a splash.

Richard had already spent £50,000,000 on two buildings in Mayfair. Additionally, he invested £10,000,000 in WWF and another £10,000,000 for family use, including his brother's tuition for Oxford.

After all of these expenses, the total cash Richard had left to work with was £29,000,000, following his generous contributions to the storm victims.

"How about this, Richard? Let's place bets on which teams will progress from each group. What do you think? Let's start with something safe," Fay suggested.

Fay, who had been aggressive at the start, now seemed much more cautious as the World Cup arrived.

Of course, this was his first big event, and his role as the operational manager was relatively stress-free, so by the time D-Day came, he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.

He then pulled Richard aside to discuss which teams would advance from each group. With twenty-four teams, two from each group, plus the four best third-place teams, would progress, totaling sixteen teams for the knockout stages.

Italy were one of the favourites to win the tournament, along with Argentina, England and West Germany. Costa Rica, the Republic of Ireland and the United Arab Emirates made their debut, while Egypt and the United States made their return after a long absence. Previous finalists France failed to qualify.

To be honest, Richard could barely recall the details of the group matches, except for the knowledge of the shocking results that would later unfold.

Group B: Argentina, Cameroon, Soviet Union, Romania

And his pick?

"Cameroon," Richard said, making Fay look at him like he was insane.

"Monster, monster," Eric muttered under his breath, still in disbelief.

Of course, it wouldn't be fun if Richard didn't pull in his connections for some betting action. So, Eric Hall joined him and Fay, heading to Paddy Power together.

"You're off your rocker, mate," Eric muttered under his breath. "Cameroon? Are you having a laugh? You might as well pick Argentina—they're a dead cert to get through. If you're gonna roll the dice, at least take Romania—they've got a far better shot than Cameroon. What are you thinking?

It was Eric's first time joining Richard in a bet. Initially, he was reluctant, but the whole thing intrigued him.

They'd said this guy was skilled and crazy when it came to betting. Now, he was witnessing it with his own eyes—this guy was on an insane rollercoaster ride.

Eric also joined and placed his bet, but he stuck with the safe choice—England. The only real challenge in their group, he thought, would be the Netherlands.

Richard clicked his tongue at his choice. 'Hadn't he learned from the Euros last time?' But he didn't remind him.

The D-Day of the World Cup, In a casual setting inside a Paddy Power betting shop, a giant sign is raised high.

Richard stands at the center with a huge grin, holding a giant stack of cash, saying, "I told you Cameroon would shock the world."

Below it, in italic and with an arrow pointing directly at Richard's face: Bet on the unexpected. When everyone says 'No,' he says 'Surely.' Now, what's your choice? The odds: 1:10'

'Crazy!' people screamed in their minds.

This is Argentina we're talking about!

As the Argentina vs. Cameroon match kicked off, the lounge at Paddy Power was packed to the brim. It got so crowded inside that they had to set up another television outside the shop, just to accommodate the growing crowd.

"Cameroon over Argentina, yeah? What's going on there, then?"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Eric finally asked the question he was most curious about. Even Fay perked up, eager to hear the answer.

The villain of the day, of course, was Richard, with his £10,000,000 bet on Cameroon, causing an uproar all over London.

Richard clearly prepared for the question. "Although Argentina had a luxury squad, they lacked competitive action and were overconfident going into this match."

He then pointed toward the screen, where Diego Maradona was juggling the ball around the center circle after exchanging handshakes with rival captain Stephan Tataw. Such a show of arrogance would be La Albiceleste's undoing.

"See? How could they show that kind of arrogance toward a team that beat Tunisia in the playoffs with a 3-0 aggregate victory? Cameroon will catch them off guard," he said, challenging the crowd.

"Shouldn't it be normal? They're facing Cameroon, right?" someone in the crowd muttered, shaking their head.

"African football? Come on, mate, no one takes that seriously." One man near the back scoffed.

"I think this is the start of him losing his ten million, I guess."

"He clearly forgot which team crashed out in the group stage, behind Zambia and Senegal, at the AFCON," another football die-hard chimed in, dropping the facts.

Richard shook his head, not wanting to comment. What mattered was that he had already fulfilled his deal with Paddy Power—to provoke the crowd into betting. Sure enough, people flocked toward the green counter, making the cashier happy.

One team was overconfident, while the other had to treat this match as a do-or-die situation. Let's see how things unfold.

The tournament kicked off at the iconic Stadio San Siro in Milan, setting the stage for what would become one of the most memorable World Cups in history.

Diego Maradona, widely regarded as the best player of all time, was the focal point of everyone's attention as he took center stage at the start of the 1990 World Cup, a month-long global tournament.

'If everything goes as expected,' Richard thought to himself, 'this match will likely be remembered as the greatest upset in World Cup history, and one that put African football on the map.'

Cameroon arrived in Italy with a squad mostly composed of journeymen from France's lower leagues. No one expected them to do anything other than be overpowered, especially by the reigning champions. But on a warm Milan evening, Cameroon torched the odds.

It was not a great game.

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

The first half was mostly about Argentina asserting their dominance with attack after attack. A goal then might have settled the holders. As it was, but they became unsettled by Cameroon's close marking and hard tackling, and never got their act together thereafter.

From the start, Omam-Biyik's willingness to run at a retreating defense looked like it would cause Argentina problems. Not only that, Cameroon unbelievably had more skill on the ball than their supposedly superior opponents.

There was little hint of a shock at the start, which was an anticlimax after all the hype.

A couple of touches from Maradona might have given Argentina two goals, had N'Kono, keeping goal instead of the more experienced Bell, not somehow blocked the danger.

Midway through the first half, Burruchaga was just able to flick the ball away from an empty Argentina net after Omam-Biyik had caught them square with an early through ball.

Seven minutes before half-time, the same player produced a sudden shot from a narrow angle that nearly went in under Argentinian goalkeeper, Pumpido's body.

In the first half, things were still calm before the storm, with neither team making significant progress, just back-and-forth attacks. However, in the second half, especially in the 61st minute, everything changed.

André Kana-Biyik's trip on Caniggia was initially thought to be just a yellow card.

Even the television commentator said, "That is definitely a 100 per cent yellow card... oh, he's gone red!"

Upon hearing the red card decision, people in the crowd were stunned, standing still as they carefully observed the situation.

"The Argentinians have been getting kicked, and maybe he was looking for an opportunity to send a message, but he's chosen the wrong one. It's just cynical – he allows the legs to tangle," the commentator explained after the replay.

Michel Vautrot might have been harsh in giving his verdict on the red card, but he had little choice but to follow FIFA's newly implemented guidelines for ultra-strict arbitration.

Everyone looked in Richard's direction, gloating. Now it's 10 vs 11—how could Cameroon win? They began to imagine the wild scenario of Richard losing his ten million pounds.

Argentine footballers are known for their strong bonds, built on trust and understanding, which leads to excellent coordination and chemistry on the pitch. This unity means that when one player is attacked, the others are quick to step in and retaliate.

When things aren't going well, the entire team stands together in defense. Just like when Messi was attacked—every Argentine player, from striker to goalkeeper, stepped forward to defend him.

But Cameroon wasn't a pushover either.

"What is this? Is this how Africans play football?" people shouted as they watched a Cameroon player kick Maradona's calves.

Indeed, Cameroon neutralized Maradona mainly by kicking him.

Even Richard couldn't help but give them a thumbs-up. Not only Maradona, but even his 10 teammates seemed too stunned to cause any trouble because they were kicked as well.

Pweeeehh!

Vautrot raised his hand and showed a yellow card to Victor N'Dip.

Richard scanned his surroundings, watching people curse the Cameroon player and show their support for Argentina.

He shook his head. Argentina was destined to lose today.

From what he saw, everything was under control, until Cameroon went down to 10 men. Even Richard didn't know how to describe it, but Argentina right now was very disorganized. And the evidence came six minutes after Cameroon went down to ten men on the pitch.

Cameroon scooped a free-kick into the penalty area. Cyrille Makanaky flicked it on, and Omam-Biyik rose unfeasibly high, while his nominal marker, Nestor Sensini, hesitated.

Time seemed to slow down at that moment.

His header flew low towards goal, though neither very hard nor very far from the goalkeeper, but Nery Pumpido, the Argentine number one goalkeeper, seemed very heavy and had a hard time reaching the ball. Unavoidably, the ball went into the net.

"GOOOOAAAALLLLL!!! François Omam-Biyik with a header!!! Argentina is trailing by one goal!!!"

People were stunned before roaring, "How is it possible?!"

67th minute: Argentina 0–1 Cameroon.

Time passed, reaching the 77th, then the 87th minute, and at exactly the 88th minute, another incident occurred.

It was something of a festival of simulation, during which neither Caniggia nor Benjamin Massing became known for their refusal to go to ground under any challenge. However, with his side trailing and time running out, Caniggia stayed on his feet only to face a brutal, imprecise tackle that came flying in, emphatically delivered by Benjamin Massing.

The assault sent the tackler's right boot—and possibly a few body parts—flying across the pitch, earning Cameroon their second red card of the day.

"Second red card!" the commentator exclaimed as he watched the replay, describing it as "a full-pelt, waist-high, horizontal flying bodycheck."

This is why people love football—the unpredictability of the game.

You never know what will happen next, and the thrill of the unexpected keeps fans on the edge of their seats, making each match a unique and unforgettable experience.

"CAMEROON! CAMEROON!! CAMEROON!!!" The whole stadium was shouting for Cameroon

"Wasn't that nice?" the commentator said, before falling silent, allowing the television speaker to echo "CAMEEROON!!!"

People love stories where the weak beat the strong because they are inherently inspiring and offer a sense of hope and empowerment.

At some point, Cameroon felt like they were up against tough challenges or larger forces, and seeing the "weak" triumph gave people hope that they too could prevail.

In the lounge, everyone looked at Richard with complicated expressions. He had won again.

How much was it? A hundred?

Even Eric gasped, his cigar still in his hand, probably forgotten, as he kept muttering, "Monster, monster."

After the match, as expected, the commentary on both the winners and losers poured in.

"No one thought we could do anything here against Maradona, but we knew what we were capable of," said goalscorer François Omam-Biyik. "We hate it when European reporters ask if we eat monkeys or have a witch doctor. We are real football players, and we proved that tonight."

On the other side, Maradona took the defeat with grace. "I don't think they intended to beat us up just to win the game," he admitted. "I cannot argue, and I cannot make excuses. If Cameroon won, it was because they were the better team."

That day, The Guardian's David Lacey summed it up in his column: "This was no fluke. The better team won. They won, moreover, after finishing with nine men on the field ... Such was their superiority that the Africans still finished looking as if they had more men on the pitch than their hapless opponents."