Italy Gets the Boot by France : Winner of ’82 Cup Is Eliminated, 2-0, in a Historic Turn

When it was all over, when the world championship had slipped away from his team and his country, Enzo Bearzot once again demonstrated his class.

Rising from the Italian team’s bench at the Olympic Stadium here, he crossed the few yards of grass to where French captain Michel Platini was standing, smiled warmly and put his arms around Platini’s neck.

The distant scoreboard told the reason: France 2, Italy 0.

After almost four years as world champions, the Italians’ reign was over. The World Cup will not be going back to Rome. Bearzot’s coaching triumph of 1982 will not be repeated in 1986.

That it should have been the French who brought about the Italians’ downfall was, although not unexpected, certainly historic.

Before Tuesday, France had not beaten Italy on the soccer field since 1920--or, as one French journalist put it, “an interminable 66 years.”

The strains of “Les Marseillaise” had hardly died away before Platini and the rest of the French team showed that Italy’s domination was about to end.

Allez les Bleus , read the banner in the crowd, and go the Blues certainly did, attacking from the opening whistle.

With the incomparable Platini orchestrating affairs from a deep-lying midfield position, France took immediate charge of the match.

French Coach Henri Michel, who led his country to the Olympic soccer gold medal in Los Angeles two years ago, elected to use Dominique Rocheteau and Yannick Stopyra as his twin strikers, playing in front of the finest midfield in international soccer--Platini, Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse and Luis Fernandez.

Behind them was a defensive wall as solid as anything Italy has run into since its victory in Spain four years ago--Manuel Amaros, William Ayache, Patrick Battiston and Maxime Bossis.

Finally, in goal, Michel chose veteran Joel Bats over his Olympic ‘keeper, Albert Rust, even though Bats was coming off an injury and played with his right knee strapped.

Individually, the French players are the equal of anyone. Collectively, they are better. Bearzot said as much during a chaotic multilingual press conference afterward in the bowels of the Olympic Stadium.

“I must admit that France was stronger and much more positive in its actions,” he said. “This was not a very good day for our team. Each section of our team performed below its capability.

“France was far superior in all sectors, without exception. It turned out to be very difficult for us.”

After giving Italian goalie Giovanni Galli one or two early scares, France finally struck in the 14th minute. Stopyra began the move in midfield, setting Rocheteau free for a run down the middle.

As the Italian defense converged on him, Rocheteau flicked the ball to Platini, closing in on his right, and Platini made the task of beating Galli look simple.

Apparently, it was not as simple as it looked, however, because the French could not duplicate the feat until much later in the match. But they did try:

--In the 22nd minute, Fernandez sent a long-range shot just wide of the left post.

--In the 25th minute, a free kick by Platini forced Galli to tip the ball over the crossbar.

--In the 28th minute, another rocket from Fernandez thundered against the crossbar and rebounded clear.

Meanwhile, the only Italian chance occurred in the 17th minute when, after a corner kick, the French defense found itself momentarily at sea and was only saved by Fernandez, who kicked Pietro Vierchowod’s shot off the goal line.

The second half was not much different for the Italians, who constantly found themselves trying to plug leaks in their defense and unable to mount any effective attacking move of their own.

France scored its second goal just 12 minutes into the half when Tigana and Rocheteau broke through and, at the last moment, slipped the ball to Stopyra, whose shot beat Galli from the right.

There wasn’t much left for the Italians. It was clear to everyone in the stadium that the champions were existing on borrowed time.

As the minutes ticked by, Bearzot hunched forward on the bench, tamped down the tobacco in his pipe, glanced up at the clock and silently urged his team on.

But there was nothing he could do. With fewer than five minutes to play, Henri Michel brought Platini off, signaling that he knew his team had won.

Said Bearzot afterward: “In sports, you win some and you lose some. This is part of the game. If I make a balance of my long sports life over 40 years, I think I can feel satisfied. I am ready to congratulate the winning team.”

But, in keeping with his character, he would not say anything against his own players.

“I refuse to criticize the team or to say that maybe its heart was missing,” he said. “Everybody played excellently, everybody performed as expected. They were always trying. If there is somebody you want to blame, put the blame on me.”

No one who understands or appreciates what Bearzot has contributed to the sport over the last 40 years and might well contribute in the future, was willing to do that.

Instead, as he left the room, many sportswriters, including those from France, offered their applause.

It was a token of esteem, which Bearzot acknowledged as he left the room. Then, suddenly, the door closed and he was gone.

Just like Italy’s World Cup.