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GROUP B: Italy vs. Cameroon

By HELENE ELLIOTT
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Montpellier

TIME: Noon. TV: ESPN, Ch. 34. RADIO: KWKW (1330 Spanish).

* ABOUT ITALY: Striker Alessandro Del Piero is ready to play after missing Italy’s 2-2 draw with Chile because of a pulled thigh muscle. But defender Alessandro Costacurta might be idled by a calf injury. Veteran Giuseppe Bergomi, who played for Italy in the 1982 World Cup, is the likely replacement. Coach Cesare Maldini said he might give playing time to forwards Filippo Inzaghi and Enrico Chiesa, who came into the Chile game as substitutes.

* ABOUT CAMEROON: A 1-1 draw with Austria in its opener was considered a good result for a team that’s on the rebound after some bad years. Coach Claude LeRoy has discovered some great talent and has developed it well.

* OUTLOOK: Italy was lucky to get its draw with Chile, thanks to a controversial penalty call and a penalty kick converted by Roberto Baggio. It can’t afford to relax against Cameroon. Its depth is its biggest advantage but it must be more cohesive defensively and create more chances.

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GROUP B: Chile vs. Austria

SITE: Saint-Etienne.

TIME: 8:30 a.m. TV: ESPN, Ch. 34. RADIO: KWKW (1330 Spanish).

* ABOUT CHILE: Marcelo Salas, who scored both goals in his team’s 2-2 draw with Italy in its opener, has been hampered by muscle cramps in his calf but is expected to play. He and Ivan Zamorano are a dynamic duo up front.

* ABOUT AUSTRIA: Forward Anton Polster, who scored the only goal in his team’s 1-1 draw with Cameroon in its first game, will tie a national record today with his 93rd international appearance. Austria is a disciplined team but lacks finishing skills.

* OUTLOOK: Chile plays with a lot of exuberance and the flair that’s considered typical of South American teams. It has the speed and skills to dissect defenses, as it did for most of its game against Italy. Austria probably will play a cautious style; Chile can use that to its advantage by being patient and jumping on mistakes. Salas and Zamorano, already widely talked about, can become stars of the tournament with good games today.
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Helene Elliott

Helene Elliott was with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department from 1989 to 2024, first as a staff writer and then, starting in 2006, as a columnist. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 18 Olympics.

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