WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : Italy Sees Light After Seeing Red : Group E: They lose goalkeeper to infraction, bench Baggio and, playing a man down for three-quarters of the game, defeat Norway, 1-0, to keep hopes alive.

They had talked about this game as if the soul of the team were at stake. They had used words like character and heart and conscience.

Who knows about the soul? As for the stakes, they were altogether clear for Italy: the prospect of a humiliating early exit from the World Cup.

And Thursday, before a Giants Stadium crowd of 74,624, the Italians delivered, a 1-0 victory over Norway that will go a long way to restoring faith in this team.

“It was a game that we will certainly remember for some years,” Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi said.

The Italians were coming off an opening loss to Ireland, bringing cries of betrayal and disgrace back home. There will be no such talk now. Italy showed what guts and smarts and stamina can do.

The Italians played three-quarters of the game with 10 men after their goalkeeper was ejected. They called on their substitute goalie and sent their big scoring threat, Roberto Baggio, to the bench.

The maneuvering yielded a beautiful payoff -- a 69th-minute goal from Dino Baggio.

Maybe it had to do with the team wearing its customary blue shirts (it wore white against Ireland). Or maybe it had to do with Sacchi saying the team has to examine its conscience. Whatever the reason, Italy did what it had to.

“At one moment we thought, either we make history or return home,” said defender Alessandro Costacurta.

The result left Italy and Norway with three points in Group E. The Norwegians, having beaten Mexico in their opener, seemingly were content to sit back and play for a draw that never materialized.

“I am incredibly disappointed,” Norway goalie Erik Thorstvedt said. “This was a unique chance. We should have at least had a draw. It was almost embarrassing to lose a game like this.”

Italy, bidding for an unprecedented fourth World Cup title, played the last 68 minutes without goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca. The critical play came in the 22nd minute, when Oyvind Leonhardsen was coming in alone on goal just outside the penalty area.

Pagliuca charged out and touched the ball outside the penalty area when Leonhardsen shot, tripping the Norwegian in the process. Under new FIFA rules, the handling merited an expulsion, and referee Hellmut Krug of Germany did not hesitate to make the call.

Pagliuca will now miss the next game against Mexico, Italy’s closing one in the first round.

“I realized I was out of the penalty area, but I had no choice,” the goalkeeper said. “It was important to avoid Norway scoring.”

Norway coach Egil Olsen said he was not pleased with the red card.

“I would have rather had the goal,” he said. “We are not a team that can take the match into our own hands, even when we are 11 against 10. That doesn’t suit us very well.”

Sacchi faced a critical decision: How to realign his team with his main goalkeeper gone and Italy desperate for points.

In came substitute goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani, and out came Roberto Baggio, the team’s main scoring threat and the 1993 world player of the year. Baggio has been slowed by an inflamed Achilles tendon, but even at full strength he is the team’s weakest defensive player.

“The substitution of Roberto Baggio was a difficult decision to take,” Sacchi said. “But it was good for him and the team, because I needed nine players who could run a lot. And I did not want to tire him too much. He can be decisive against Mexico.”

Essentially, Italy conceded hopes of winning a game it needed and would settle for a draw and one point. Then it would take its chances against Mexico in its last first-round game.

Maybe Italy could squeeze out a goal, but the unspoken strategy was to get the crucial draw. The tactics held up nicely in the first half. In the 69th minute they bore the look of genius.

Giuseppe Signori sent a left-footed free kick into the penalty box and Dino Baggio struck a header from the middle of the area that went over goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt and into the net.

For several minutes late in the game, Italy was reduced to eight men, with two players off the field with injuries and no more substitutes to use.

The defense, however, persevered. Norway appeared to score in the 83rd minute, but a handball disallowed the goal. Marchegiani also came up big in the 87th minute, stopping Jahn Jakobsen in close.

In their last game at Giants Stadium, the Italians were miffed at the overwhelmingly Irish crowd and the steambox conditions. On Thursday, their fans, bearing the red, white and green colors, were out in full force. There were a few clouds in the sky and even a welcome breeze in the 89-degree heat.

And the heart of the team never looked stronger.