King Fahd Cup 1992

King Fahd Cup 1992
King Fahd Cup 1992
Number of nations	4th
winner	Argentina (1st title)
venue	Saudi Arabia
Opening game	October 15, 1992
Endgame	October 20, 1992
Games	4th
Gates	18  (⌀: 4.5 per game)
spectator	169,500  (⌀: 42,375 per game)
Top scorer	Gabriel Batistuta , Bruce Murray (2 goals each)
yellow cards	11  (⌀: 2.75 per game)
Red cards	2  (⌀: 0.5 per game)

The King Fahd Cup 1992 ( English King Fahd Cup 1992 ) was the first intercontinental soccer competition for national teams with more than two participants and took place in Saudi Arabia from October 15th to 20th . The first attempts at an intercontinental competition for national teams were the Artemio Franchi Cup with exclusively European and South American participation and the Afro-Asian Cup for national teams . The tournament is considered to be the forerunner of the FIFA Confederations Cup, which was first held in 1997 .

South American champions Argentina won the tournament in the final against host and Asian champions Saudi Arabia.

Venue

All matches in the competition took place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, in the King Fahd Stadium.

Riad	Riad 1997 venue in Saudi Arabia
King Fahd Stadium
Capacity: 67,000
Opening: 1987

Attendees

The four participants

Only three continental champions accepted the invitation of King Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz and played in the continental cup:

• Argentina - 1991 Copa America winner
• the Ivory Coast - winner of the African Cup of Nations 1992
• the USA - 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup winner .

There was also the host team from Saudi Arabia , Asian champions from 1988 .

Final round

Semifinals

15th October
United States	-	Saudi Arabia	0: 3 (0: 0)

The 3-0 win of hosts Saudi Arabia against the USA under coach Bora Milutinović was a surprise at the height.

October, 16th
Argentina	-	Ivory Coast	4: 0 (2: 0)

With two goals from Gabriel Batistuta , Argentina decided the game in the first ten minutes. Ricardo Altamirano and Alberto Acosta increased after the break, then Alfio Basile's team shifted down a gear, otherwise the result would have been even clearer.

3rd place match

October 19th
United States	-	Ivory Coast	5: 2 (2: 1)

After the big defeat in the first game, the US national team won the game for third place against Ivory Coast. The goals for the USA were scored by Marcelo Balboa (12th minute of the game), Cobi Jones (31st), Eric Wynalda (56th) and Bruce Murray (67th and 83rd minutes). To equalize the Ivory Coast in the meantime, Abdoulaye Traoré (16th) scored, Donald-Olivier Sié (76th) scored the 2: 4 .

final

the 20th of October
Argentina	-	Saudi Arabia	3: 1 (2: 0)

The 1990 runners-up won in front of 75,000 spectators in the König-Fahd-Stadion against the hosts Saudi Arabia 3-1 with goals from Leonardo Rodríguez (18th minute), Claudio Caniggia (24th) and Diego Simeone (64th). Said al-Uwairan scored the consolation goal for Saudi Arabia in the 65th minute. With the final victory, the team was unbeaten in 20 games.

List of goalscorers

rank	player	Gates
1	Gabriel Batistuta	2
	Bruce Murray	2
3	Beto Acosta	1
	Ricardo Altamirano	1
	Claudio Caniggia	1
	Leonardo Rodríguez	1
	Diego Simeone	1
	Donald-Olivier Sié	1
	Abdoulaye Traoré	1
	Fahd al-Harifi al-Bischi	1
	Khalid Al-Muwallid	1
	Said al-Uwairan	1
	Yousuf Al-Thunayan	1
	Marcelo Balboa	1
	Cobi Jones	1
	Eric Wynalda	1

→ Main article : List of FIFA Confederations Cup Top Scorers

Conclusion

The Argentine national soccer team won confidently and used the tournament to prepare for the Copa América 1993 in Ecuador and the 1994 World Cup in the USA. National coach Alfio Basile had one of the top scorer of the tournament in his own ranks, Gabriel Batistuta . In addition, most of his players played in European football clubs, e. B. Fernando Redondo ( CD Tenerife ), Claudio Caniggia ( AS Roma ), Diego Simeone ( FC Sevilla ) and Sergio Goycochea ( Stade Brest ).

The tournament was a success in Saudi Arabia. 169,500 spectators, that is an average of 42,375 visitors per game, saw the four games.

Web links

• Details of the 1992 King Fahd Cup on FIFA.com