NOTES

Parents named their newborn babies after him, newspapers hailed him as a soccer saint and his critics ate their words in Rio de Janeiro after goalie Taffarel’s two penalty saves put Brazil into the World Cup finals.

“Saint Taffarel” said the banner headline on leading sports newspaper Lance, showing a halo above the veteran player.

Many Brazilians had criticized Coach Mario Zagallo’s choice of Taffarel, 32, as goalkeeper for his third World Cup, feeling he was over-the-hill and would be a liability because of several recent blunders.

But there were only prayers of thanks for him Wednesday. One news broadcast had a solo female voice singing “Hallelujah, Hallelujah” over slow-motion footage of Taffarel diving for the ball.

A baby born in Brasilia at the moment Taffarel made his first save was named Bruna Taffarel de Carvalho and another born in Belo Horizonte at the moment of the second, match-winning save was named Igor Taffarel Marques.