WORLD CUP USA ‘94: ROUND OF 16 : TODAY’S GAMES AT A GLANCE
At Foxboro Stadium Foxboro, Mass.
Nigeria vs. Italy
* TIME: 10 a.m. PDT
* TV: ESPN, Univision
* KEY MATCHUPS: Traditional European power Italy takes on African newcomer Nigeria in an intriguing game that could further shake up the once-predictable order of soccer. Nigeria enters today’s game trying to duplicate Cameroon’s feat in 1990--reaching the quarterfinals as African champion. The sheer power of Nigeria is frightening to any World Cup team, but Italy hopes to neutralize it with superior tactical play. The Italians have been the tournament’s great underachievers but should get a boost from the return of goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca, who was suspended for a game. “In the three first-round games, I saw three different games, three different Italys,” Coach Arrigo Sacchi said. So, the question is which one will Nigeria see today. That might prove the difference between a disappointing end or an inspiring restart for Italy.
* OUTLOOK: The Nigerians came to the United States as young innocents abroad, but after winning Group D, they are sounding more like a veteran World Cup team. Coach Clemens Westerhof and his players were feuding last week over money and access to players’ wives and girlfriends. The players have accused Westerhof, their Dutch coach, of playing favorites in order to sabotage their efforts to receive a $5,000 bonus for winning today’s match. Further inciting the players was Westerhof’s order that the team leave the hotel where their wives and girlfriends were staying. Italy could face problems of its own if it is eliminated. The players wanted to meet Argentina, a respected power, instead of a dangerous unknown. But when Argentina fell to Bulgaria, 2-0, Nigeria won Group D and the Argentines finished third. “Losing to Argentina might have been acceptable, but if we lose to Nigeria, there will be people waiting for us in Italy,” forward Giuseppe Signori said.
* OUTCOME: Midfielder Roberto Donadoni says the second round will mark a change, Italian style. “We are like bombs set to go off,” he said. “We have to explode.” Whether that means they will fall flat or advance to the quarterfinals is anyone’s guess. Italy needs star Roberto Baggio to take control if Nigeria is to be denied. Baggio has been suffering from an injured Achilles’ tendon, but Sacchi believes he will be a presence today. The Nigerians said they had too much respect for Argentina in a 2-1 loss. If they learned from that defeat, they might overwhelm Italy with a lightning attack. If Italy can control the midfield and play a more deliberate pace, it will advance with a close victory, but it will be difficult to slow the Nigerian attack. Rashidi Yekini and company are simply too fast. Nigeria, 3-2.
