In the port city of Limon on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, everyone knows the name Juan Cayasso. The president of the local third division side, Limon United, is a popular figure anyway. But on the eve of a World Cup, Cayasso is regularly reminded of THAT goal. The goal that changed his life forever.
It's almost 36 years ago to the day. Monday 11 June, 1990. Costa Rica 1-0 Scotland. It's a date and scoreline etched in the memory of every Tartan Army foot soldier, for all the wrong reasons. And for Cayasso and his country, it will simply never be forgotten. When Record Sport tracks him down at his home in Limon, the 64-year-old is surprised by the WhatsApp call. But not as stunned as he was when he scored Costa Rica's winner against Andy Roxburgh's side in Genoa that day.
If anything, it just hit home to Cayasso the magnitude of it all over again. Scotland were heavy odds-on favourites to win the opening match of their Italia 90 campaign against a team at its first-ever World Cup. But Cayasso's strike ended any hope the Scots had of advancing from a group that also included Brazil and Sweden. When he returns to his local village, Saludos, the people still mention it. When a World Cup comes around, Costa Rica's first-ever goal at the tournament is the talk of town again.
Now, a Scottish newspaper journalist wants to get Cayasso's recollections of it. And he's only too happy to oblige. In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, he said: "I can't believe it was 36 years ago. After that goal, wherever I go in Costa Rica, in every village, people always remember that moment. And now, as we get closer to another World Cup, it always comes up more. I can never forget it. I remember after the game, it was like I was in a trance, asking myself - has this really happened?"
"People from our background always dreamed of one day being at a World Cup. But I never thought I'd score a goal at the World Cup - and it happened. It didn't sink in right away. There was just so much emotion at the time. In fact, it was probably only years after that I realised how big an achievement it was. It was only then that I really believed I had scored that goal."
Having qualified for a World Cup for the first time, no-one fancied Costa Rica to cause any kind of upset. Scotland, with top players like Alex McLeish, Paul McStay and Mo Johnston were expected to get the job done and set Roxburgh's men on their way to qualification. But in the 50th minute, an audacious back-heel from Claudio Jara teed up Cayasso inside the box. His finish wasn't the cleanest as keeper Jim Leighton got a touch on it. But it nestled in the back of the net, sending the whole of Costa Rica into a state of ecstasy.
Cayasso said: "When the first half finished 0-0, we were quite confident. The goal I scored was just four minutes in the second half and we had so long to wait. There were too many minutes still to go! Scotland had a lot of chances to tie the game and even win it. Maybe you can say we were lucky, if you want to call it that. But I think it was our destiny that we were going to win that game. We got there and after the game, I couldn't believe it."
"But it was so interesting because the night before the game, we had a team meeting. This was our first time at the World Cup. Some of us were so nervous and some weren't sleeping. But at that meeting, everyone decided to stand up and say something. And I just remember we walked out of it with confidence. You can't say you're going to win a game until you play it. But we just had a feeling that night that something good was going to happen the next day. And everyone knows what happened. Sometimes with a group of people, you just get that spiritual feeling."
"We knew if we were fully concentrated on the field, we could do something. I wouldn't say we thought that we'd win. But we were confident that it COULD happen. And finally, it happened."
It's a cliche to call Cayasso's goal at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris life-changing. But for a kid growing up in Saludos and - at the time - playing for Costa Rican side Saprissa, it genuinely was. This prompted the German side Stuttgarter Kickers to offer him a deal he couldn't refuse. Cayasso said: "My life changed totally after that goal against Scotland. Remember, I managed to get a contract for two years because of it. When I was in Italy, the president of the club came to see me in a private jet for a meeting."
"It was a problem because I was there for the World Cup. But I got permission from the trainer to speak to him. They really wanted me, they had a good feeling about me. But what they offered first wasn't enough to go to Germany. I told them I'd wait but one or two days after, I got a call with a really good offer. I called my wife in Costa Rica and told her she had to pack up everything because we were going to Germany. I couldn't turn it down. So from an economical part, the goal against Scotland DID change my life."
"In Costa Rica, things weren't so professional and there wasn't a lot of money. Now, 36 years on I'm taking a call from someone in Scotland to talk about it. So of course, it changed my life. The people in Costa Rica always want to congratulate me, they still cry about it now. That was one year after it, two years, five years, now 36 years after - it's still the same."
