They will forever be a team frozen in time. In part because of what they achieved, but more so because of what they did not.

Yugoslavia were quarter-finalists at Italia 90, beaten on penalties by eventual runners-up Argentina and departing one stage shy of England, a side whose bittersweet story has been much revisited in recent days ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final against Croatia.

But the triumph and tragedy of Bobby Robson’s team is nothing compared to that of Yugoslavia, a generation of sublimely-talented players who were broken up short of their prime as their warring country tore itself apart.

A talented Yugoslavia outfit pose for a team photo during the 1990 World Cup in Italy

Midfielder Dragan Stojkovic was the star of a team who qualified as the strongest in Europe

YUGOSLAVIA SQUAD AT ITALIA 90 Goalkeepers: Tomislav Ivkovic, Fahrudin Omerovic, Dragoje Lekovic Defenders: Vujadin Stanojkovic, Predrag Spasic, Zoran Vulic, Faruk Hadzibegic, Davor Jozic, Srecko Katanec, Robert Jarni, Mirsad Baljic, Andrej Panadic Midfielders: Dragoljub Brnovic, Safet Susic, Dragan Stojkovic, Robert Prosinecki, Refik Sabanadzovic Forwards: Darko Pancev, Zlatko Vujovic, Davor Suker, Dejan Savicevic Coach: Ivica Osim Advertisement

The beauty of their football was to be devastated by the brutality of a bloody and barbaric conflict.

From those wars of independence came the birth of Croatia, but not before the death of a united Yugoslavia and the dissolution of a national team often referred to as ‘The Brazilians of Europe’.

Perhaps that moniker is too unkind to the Yugoslavs, for there is a valid argument to be made that they were in fact better than Brazil in 1990.

Indeed, three years earlier at the World Under-20 Championships in Chile, Yugoslavia beat Brazil in the quarter-final thanks to a Robert Prosinecki free-kick which was later voted goal of the tournament.

East and West Germany were then dispatched in the semis and final respectively as an unlikely victory opened the eyes of the world to this emerging band of Balkan brothers, including Predrag Mijatovic and future Croatia stars Prosinecki, Robert Jarni, Igor Stimac, Zvonimir Boban and Davor Suker, all of whom were part of the team which finished third at the World Cup in 1998.

Also part of the same generation - but not at the tournament on the insistence of their clubs - were Sinisa Mihajlovic, Vladimir Jugovic and Alen Boksic.

By the time Italia 90 came around most of them had graduated to a squad led by star player Dragan Stojkovic of Red Star Belgrade, who were to lift the European Cup in 1991.

Yugoslavia recovered from a heavy 4-1 opening defeat to Germany in a Group D clash in Milan

They beat Carlos Valderrama and Colombia before also seeing off the United Arab Emirates

Davor Jozic scores the winning goal against Colombia at Bologna's Stadio Renato Dall'Ara

YUGOSLAVIA RESULTS Group D West Germany 4-1 Yugoslavia (Matthaus 2, Klinsmann, Voller; Jozic) Yugoslavia 1-0 Colombia (Jozic) Yugoslavia 4-1 United Arab Emirates (Susic, Pancev 2, Prosinecki; Jumaa) Round of 16 Spain 1-2 Yugoslavia AET (Salinas; Stojkovic 2) Quarter-finals Argentina 0-0 Yugoslavia (Argentina won 3-2 on penalties) Advertisement

Yugoslavia had qualified as the strongest European team and recovered from a 4-1 defeat to West Germany in their opening group game to beat Colombia and the UAE and advance to the last 16.

It was there, under the Veronese sun against Spain, that Stojkovic produced a performance to rank alongside those of Paul Gascoigne and Lothar Matthaus and forever etch his place in World Cup folklore.

With 12 minutes remaining and the game goalless, a cross dropped invitingly towards the No 10’s right boot on the angle of the six-yard area.

Rather than accept the invitation to shoot and being aware of a sliding red jersey, Stojkovic cushioned the ball with his instep, took one more touch to draw the goalkeeper and swept across the closing custodian for the lead.

Spain levelled soon after and so to a period of extra-time which was just three minutes old when Yugoslavia won a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Stojkovic took responsibility and bent right-footed around the wall and into the bottom corner to set up the last-eight tie with Argentina.

Yugoslavia beat Spain in extra-time in the round of 16 to secure a last-eight tie with Argentina

Yugoslavia's Darko Pancev battles for possession with Spain's Martin Vazquez in Verona

Stojkovic, however, was to hit the crossbar during a penalty shootout in which Diego Maradona also missed. But so, too, did two other Yugoslavs and the defending champions scraped through.

It was the last we would see of Yugoslavia as we knew at it at a major tournament. They qualified for Euro 92, of course, but were expelled because of the civil war, being replaced by eventual winners Denmark.

Croatia were finally recognised by FIFA and UEFA in 1993 and reached the quarter-finals of Euro 96 before the success of 1998 - on both occasions they were beaten by the subsequent champions, Germany and France respectively.

They will be aiming to go one better against England in Moscow. Maybe then this team will be remembered for what they have achieved and not, like the Yugoslavia of the early Nineties, for what they might have done.