WORLD CUP USA 1994 : Italy
The 52-game, 24-team World Cup has down come to this: Italy and Brazil have earned the right to play today at the Rose Bowl.
Gianluca Pagliuca Caps: 22 Up close: Pagliuca was ejected during group play and did not return until the second round. He built his reputation in the Italian league’s First Division. In 1993, Pagliuca suffered a broken collerbone and other injuries in a car crash, but did not miss any World Cup qualifying matches.
Luigi Apolloni Caps: 3 Up close: He will replace Alessandro Costacurte, who will miss today’s game because he received two yellow cards after the first round. He plays alongside Benarrivo for Parma, but has limited international experience.
Antonio Benarrivo Caps: 13 Up close: Benarrivo likes to move forward with the ball because he has the speed to return to his defensive position. Teammates have nicknamed him Pollicino or Tom Thumb because he is 5 feet 7, 144 pounds.
Paolo Maldini Caps: 57 Up close: Maldini is considered to be one of the world’s best left fullbacks, and he is the anchor of Italy’s defense. Although 26, he has played in the Italian First Division for a decade.
Roberto Mussi Caps: 4 Up close: As coach of AC Milan, Arrigo Sacchi, Italy’s national team coach, once told club owner Silvio Berlusconi Mussi would become an outstanding player. Berlusconi, Italy’s new prime minster, did not listen. He sold Mussi to Turin, where he developed into a national team defender.
Roberto Baggio Caps: 42 Up close: The world’s most acclaimed player, Baggio has shown his greatness in the last two weeks. He was the 1993 FIFA player of the year and European Footballer of the Year, finishing ahead of Dennis Bergkamp of the Netherlands and Romario of Brazil.
Demetrio Albertini Caps: 21 Up close: Italy’s playmaking midfielder is the man who makes it happen for Roberto Baggio. Albertini gets the masterful striker the ball.
Dino Baggio Caps: 19 Up close: He could use a new name. Baggio, not related to Roberto, is the backbone of the Italian midfield. Most think he will develop into one of the great ones.
Nicola Berti Caps: 32 Up close: Berti caused a scene in Fiorentina when he left the club for Inter. The fans said they were betrayed. Berti said he was abandoned by his one-time supporters. His aggressive play makes him a fan target from rival clubs.
Roberto Donadoni Caps: 56 Up close: Donadoni has enjoyed the success of AC Milan where he has gained invaluable experience on the world’s leading club. He is best used as a deep-wing on the right side.
Pierluigi Casiraghi Caps: 19 Up close: After toiling four years in the second and third divisions, Casiraghi joined Juventus in 1989. Playing for Juventus helped him reach the national team in 1991. But since then, he has been in and out of the lineup. He was traded to Lazio in 1993.
Giuseppe Signori Caps: 22 Up close: The left foot of Signori has not had the impact during the World Cup that it did during the past two seasons with Lazio of Rome. He won consecutive scoring titles with 49 goals in two years.
Daniele Massaro Caps: 14 Up close: Massaro rejoined the national team for the first time since 1986. Despite his age, 1994 was his finest season for AC Milan as he scored 11 goals in helping the club win the scudetto, or league championship.
COACH: Arrigo Sacchi Age: 48 World Cup experience: This is his forst World Cup World Cup Record: 4-1-1 Up close: Sacchi, 48, led AC Milan to successive club championships in 1989-90 before taking over the national team with the intent of bringing home a World Cup title. Sacchi’s career began in 1977 as a youth manager of Cesena. He never played professionally, and before coaching, Sacchi was a traveling shoes salesman.
ROSTER
KEY GK: Goal keeper D: Defender MF: Midfielder F: Forward
No. Player Position Age Height Weight Club 1 Gianluca Pagliuca GK 27 6-2 192 Sampdoria 2 Luigi Apolloni D 27 6-0 168 Parma 3 Antonio Benarrivo D 25 5-7 144 Parma 4 Alessandro Costacurta D 28 5-10 163 AC Milan 5 Paolo Maldini D 25 6-1 170 AC Milan 6 Franco Baresi D 34 5-9 155 AC Milan 7 Lorenzo Minotti D 27 6-1 165 Parma 8 Roberto Mussi D 30 5-11 161 Torino 9 Mauro Tassotti D 34 5-10 163 AC Milan 10 Roberto Baggio F 27 5-9 159 Juventus 11 Demetrio Albertini MF 2? 5-9 159 AC Milan 12 Luca Marchegiani GK 28 6-2 170 Lazio 13 Dino Baggio MF 2? 6-1 159 Juventus 14 Nicola Berti MF 27 6-1 174 Internazionale 15 Antonio Conte MF 24 5-9 157 Juventus 16 Roberto Donadoni MF 30 5-8 150 AC Milan 17 Alberigo Evani MF 31 5-9 161 Sampdoria 18 Pierluigi Casiraghi F 25 6-0 173 Lazio 19 Daniele Massaro F 33 5-10 163 AC Milan 20 Giuseppe Signori F 26 5-7 150 Lazio 21 Gianfranco Zola MF 28 5-6 143 Parma 22 Luca Bucci GK 25 5-11 176 Parma
NOTABLE STATISTICS
GOALS AND ASSISTS
Name GP G A P R. Baggio 6 5 0 10 D. Baggio 6 2 0 4 Albertini 6 0 2 2 Massaro 6 1 0 2 Signori 6 0 2 2 Mussi 6 0 1 1
Key: GP, games played; GA, goals against; AVG, goals-against average; S, saves.
GOALKEEPERS
Name GP GA AVG. S Marchegiani 3 2 0.6 15 Pagliuca 4 3 0.8 27
ROAD TO THE FINAL
Overall record: (4-1-1)
Date Site Result June 18 East Rutherford, N.J. Lost to Ireland, 1-0 June 23 East Rutherford, N.J. Defeated Norway, 1-0 June 28 Washington Tied Mexico, 1-1 July 5 East Rutherford, N.J. Defeated Nigeria, 2-1 (OT) July 9 Foxboro, Mass. Defeated Spain, 2-1 July 13 East Rutherford, N.J. Defeated Bulgaria, 2-1
