Relief for Italy, humiliation for Britain and France.
The results of Wednesday's final night of qualifying for the 1994 World Cup were as notable for the teams that made it as for those that didn't.After nearly two years and 497 qualifying matches, the world now knows which 24 nations will be arriving in the United States next June for soccer's biggest show.
Eight of the nine remaining berths were filled by European teams: powerhouses Italy and the Netherlands, along with Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania and Bulgaria.
Argentina claimed the ninth and final spot by beating Australia 1-0 at Buenos Aires.
Teams that missed out included England, France and European champion Denmark.
Italy, which has a large ethnic following in the United States, qualified for the ninth straight time with a 1-0 victory over Portugal at Milan.
The most dramatic finish came at Paris, where France was eliminated by Bulgaria on a goal by Emil Kostadinov with 10 seconds remaining. French players were in tears after the game.
France, which needed only a tie, also was close to qualifying on Oct. 13 but gave up two goals in the final seven minutes and lost 3-2 to Israel.
No one was more embarrassed than the Brits. For the first time since World War II, none of the four British teams - England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - managed to qualify.
England failed for the first time since the 1978 tournament, falling short when its 7-1 victory over San Marino at Bologna, Italy, was coupled with the Netherlands's 3-1 victory at Poland.
In order for England to qualify, it had to beat San Marino by seven goals and the Netherlands had to lose.
The English were stunned - and their chances dented - when San Marino's Davide Gualtieri scored after just 10 seconds. It was one of the fastest goals ever in international play and only the second ever scored by San Marino.
"I believe I let the boys down tonight," said England captain Stuart Pearce, who set up San Marino's goal with a sloppy back pass.