THEY carried Bulgarian goalkeeper Borislav Mihaylov shoulder high from the pitch as Mexico's flamboyant Jorge Campos lay prostrate for minutes in the opposite Giants Stadium goalmouth.
It was all the passion, tension, joy and despair of the World Cup captured in a few minutes of high drama - the penalty kick shootout.
With Mihaylov saving two and Mexico missing three straight, this second-phase game went to Bulgaria, who kept their nerve, to win 3-1.
The two sides had battled to a 1-1 stand-off in regulation and extra time in a game that began brightly, blossomed most promisingly and was then blighted largely by officialdom.
Both sides ended with 10 men and there were eight cautions as totally inadequate Syrian referee Al-Sharif went overboard in implementing FIFA's increasingly disruptive new rules.
Al-Sharif also awarded Mexico a penalty that never was to level the score following a great Hristo Stoichkov strike after six minutes.
