Baggio Reaches One of His Goals
Roberto Baggio’s last penalty kick in a World Cup match went over the crossbar, ending Italy’s championship hopes and giving Brazil the 1994 championship in a shootout.
Nothing is likely to make up for that missed opportunity. But Baggio’s successful penalty kick against Chile on Thursday in their tournament opener after a controversial call at least spared him and his teammates the disappointment of another crushing World Cup defeat.
Baggio, who was exiled by Italy’s previous coach, Arrigo Sacchi, and had played only one game for the national team in three years before being repatriated by Cesare Maldini, converted a penalty kick in the 85th minute Thursday to give Italy a 2-2 tie in Group B play before a lively crowd of 31,800 at rain-drenched Parc Lescure.
The penalty kick was awarded after Baggio’s cross into the box had hit the right hand of Chilean defender Ronaldo Fuentes. Although contact was clearly inadvertent and Fuentes appeared to be moving his hand out of the way rather than trying to deflect the ball, referee Lucian Bouchardeau of Nigeria was firm in his decision.
And Baggio was equally decisive, coolly booting the ball under the outstretched right arm of goalkeeper Nelson Tapia.
“Certainly I thought of four years ago,” said Baggio, who otherwise had a superb tournament in 1994. “But then I told myself I was going to put the ball into the net this time.
“Luckily, I did,” he added, smiling.
Chile’s coach, Nelson Acosta, wasn’t smiling about a tie that by all rights should have been a victory for his team.
“Was it a penalty? This is difficult to say, from my point of view,” said Acosta, whose team gave up an early goal to Christian Vieri but rallied to take a 2-1 lead on a pair of goals by Marcelo Salas.
“I didn’t see how Ronaldo Fuentes touched the ball with his hand, or even whether it was deliberate or not. But once the whistle has gone, there is nothing you can do about it. It might be regrettable, but that’s just the way it is. One must accept these things.”
One of the pre-tournament favorites, Italy accepted the draw gladly. Depleted by illness and injury, especially up front, Italy had to create new offensive combinations to complement the old magic performed by Baggio.
Vieri, who plays for Atletico Madrid in Spain, had never played with Baggio, but the two were perfectly synchronized on Italy’s first goal. Team captain Paolo Maldini began the play with a long lead pass to Baggio, who dribbled twice and slid a short pass to his right to Vieri, who left-footed it past Tapia in the 10th minute.
Chile, which in the early minutes could barely keep possession of the ball, began to get organized and penetrate Italy’s defense as the first half wore on. Its persistence paid off when Salas scored his first goal, in injury time. Unmarked in the box after a Chilean corner kick, Salas--who recently was transferred from the Argentine team River Plate to the Italian team Lazio in a deal reportedly worth $23 million--used his left foot to beat goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca to the short side.
“We started off well, then slacked off in the 48th minute, and what’s more, we were punished for it,” said Cesare Maldini, Italy’s coach and father of defender Paolo Maldini.
Their problems continued in the second half, when Salas leaped high above Italian defender Alessandro Nesta to head home a cross from Pedro Reyes in the 50th minute and give Chile a 2-1 lead. “Salas was fantastic, a natural goal scorer. He was in the right place when we needed a goal,” Acosta said. “Not only did he score both goals, but he also made good use of the ball.
“I would have liked to have been able to celebrate the beginning of the World Cup and my birthday with a victory, but the most important thing is that the team played well.”
Italy, which sent striker Fabrizio Ravanelli home Wednesday when he developed bronchitis and Thursday lacked striker Alessandro Del Piero (pulled leg muscle) and defender Moreno Torricelli (injured ankle), didn’t develop much offensive rhythm. However, Baggio’s penalty kick enabled the Italians to get a result their coach felt was merited. The red-clad Chilean fans, deflated by the late goal and hoarse from chanting for their heroes through an afternoon of intermittent rain, would certainly have disagreed.
“We deserved the draw,” said Maldini, whose team faces Cameroon next Wednesday at Montpellier, the same day Chile resumes play against Austria at Saint-Etienne. “We did make some mistakes, especially in defense, but I believe it was a fair result. Mistakes happen--the effect of playing in the World Cup is very telling.
“I’m happy with the team’s performance, especially with the changes we’ve had to make. They carried it off very well.”
For those looking for omens, Italy lost its 1994 World Cup opener, 1-0, to Ireland, but went to the finals. “This World Cup and the last have nothing whatsoever to do with each other,” Maldini said.
As Baggio knows very well.
