The news of that day has passed, but its meaning remains with us today. "That Day, Today" reads the present through the records of the past.
"Each time the assailant fired a shot, he shouted 'Goal!'"
On July 2, 1994, 32 years ago, Andres Escobar, a Colombian national team defender who scored an own goal at the U.S. World Cup, was shot and killed by an assailant in his hometown.
◇A Title Contender Brought Down by a Single Mistake=In the South American qualifiers ahead of the 1994 U.S. World Cup, Colombia was rated as having the "strongest squad." At the time, Colombia won decisively against "traditional powerhouse" Argentina, 2-1 at home and 5-0 away, passing through the qualifiers undefeated.
With world-class players such as Carlos Valderrama and Faustino Asprilla leading Colombia, even "football emperor" Pele said before the tournament opened, "Colombia is a title contender. Brazil doesn't even deserve to go to the World Cup."
But in the first match of the finals, Colombia suffered a heavy 1-3 defeat to Romania and had to face host nation the United States in a must-win second match.
In the 34th minute of the first half, with the score locked at 0-0, a cross sent in by U.S. player Harkes struck Escobar's foot as he tried to clear it, changing direction and rolling straight into the Colombian goal. Undone by this own goal, Colombia lost 1-2 and was ultimately eliminated in the group stage.
◇Five Days After Elimination, Tragedy Unfolds at a Hometown Bar=As news of the qualifying-stage exit spread, Colombian public opinion sharply deteriorated, and the anger fell upon Escobar, who had scored the own goal. The Colombian drug organization Medellin Cartel threatened the national team, saying, "We will kill the players as soon as they return home," and head coach Francisco Maturana fled to Ecuador out of fear.
While the entire squad hesitated to return home, Escobar reportedly could not overcome his guilt and returned alone to his home country. And in the early hours of July 2, 1994, five days after the elimination, Escobar visited a bar in his hometown of Medellin and was struck down by bullets fired by an assailant.
His girlfriend, who was with him at the time, testified that "the assailant picked a fight with Escobar over the own goal, and each time he fired a shot, he shouted 'Goal.'" Escobar was taken to a hospital and died 45 minutes after being transported, at the age of 27.
◇From "Suicide Goal" to "Own Goal"…Advances to Round of 32 in North America=The perpetrator was identified as Humberto Castro Munoz, the driver and bodyguard of drug cartel boss Santiago Gallon.
While a theory emerged suggesting that his employer Gallon had grown enraged after betting a large sum on the match result and losing, Colombian prosecutors reportedly indicted only Castro instead of Gallon, citing insufficient evidence. Castro was sentenced to 43 years in prison in 1995, but was released for good behavior in 2005 after just 10 years, leaving controversy behind.
At the time, FIFA President Sepp Blatter expressed his condolences, saying it "will be remembered as the saddest day in World Cup history." According to records, more than 120,000 mourners gathered at Escobar's funeral, and a moment of silence was held before the Germany-Belgium and Spain-Switzerland matches held immediately after the incident. Some interpretations hold that this incident led the term "suicide goal" to give way to "own goal."
After Escobar's death, Colombian football went through a long slump. Following its group-stage elimination at the 1998 France World Cup, it failed to reach the finals until it re-emerged 16 years later at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Now, 32 years later, in the group qualifiers for the 2026 North American World Cup being held today, Colombia was placed in Group K, defeating Uzbekistan 3-1 and the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1-0, and drawing 0-0 with Portugal, successfully advancing to the round of 32.
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