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Scoring up after just two days
Baggio's penalty kick one of numerous goals
Posted: Thursday June 11, 1998 08:52 PM
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Baggio's penalty kick was low and left this time (AP) |
ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- What FIFA wants, FIFA gets. After talking tough about cutting down on vicious tackles and promoting more offense, the governing body of soccer has to be excited about the early returns. Four games into the World Cup, it's looking like this might be the most offensive finals ever. There have already been 13 goals, five more than the previous best after four matches in any World Cup. But scoring is only a by-product of the excitement generated by the new FIFA edict. Other than the night game Thursday, all the contests have featured teams willing to push defenders forward and take risks to score. As a result, attacks have led to counterattacks, and fans have been forced to the edge of their seats. Thursday's best game was the feature one: Italy vs. Chile. In a game played in all sorts of conditions -- driving rain, brilliant sun and gusty winds -- both teams had their moments. None were bigger, though, than the vindication goal scored by Italy's Roberto Baggio. His penalty kick in the 85th minute salvaged a 2-2 draw for Italy, and allowed Baggio to partially erase the memories of '94 when his missed attempt from the penalty spot clinched Brazil's victory in the final. But more importantly for this tournament, it kept the Italians from falling three points behind Chile in the all-important race to not finish second in Group B. That lucky team will in all probability face Brazil in the second round. Still, Chile did not deserve a draw. It played inspired soccer for much of the match, rallying after falling behind early. Striker Marcello Salas was sensational in scoring two goals. His first came off a corner kick right before halftime. From his knees, he was able to direct the ball into the net from five yards out with his left foot after the kick deflected off an Italian defender. Then five minutes into the second stanza, the small Salas launched himself high into the air to head a cross into the left corner of the goal from 15 yards out. Two great goals for Salas, but the controversy was yet to come. With Italy pushing forward late in the game in an attempt to tie the score, Baggio attempted a cross from the right side that Chile's Ronald Fuentes could not avoid before it hit his right arm. The referee did not hesitate in pointing to the penalty spot for the kick. But the pro-Chilean crowd protested loudly that the hand ball was unintentional, and should not have resulted in a penalty. Before anyone could catch their breath, Baggio had scored and the game had ended in a draw.
Baggio consoles Salas, who scored both goals for Chile (AP) | |
As exciting as Italy-Chile was, though, the Cameroon-Austria game was nearly as bad. For 75 minutes, neither team attacked the goal with any vigor. Both teams played tentatively with neither generating a serious chance at all. Then, just when it looked like the Austrians might waltz all night without a shot and the "Indomitable Lions" were done putting you to sleep, Cameroon's Pierre Njanka took off an amazing 40-yard slalom run through the Austrian defense that he finished off with a 15-yard blast from the left side into the net. Surely Cameroon, which had played fairly solid defense all game, would hold off the Austrians for 15 more minutes, right? Wrong again. The Austrians got a corner kick in injury time and Cameroon managed to mark neither of the Austrians inside the goal box. Still, Austria's Toni Polster almost knocked the ball over the crossbar from point-blank range. He didn't, though, and the Austrians salvaged a 1-1 draw in game that pitted a boring team, Austria, against an inconsistent one, Cameroon. If the two squads play like this in their remaining first-round games. They can count on leaving France before the elimination rounds begin. Away from the pitch, the U.S. team has apparently picked the weapon it will use against Germany on Monday, and it has nothing to do with their starting lineup. Head coach Steve Sampson became the second team member in as many days to sound off about the lack of respect the Americans are getting from Germany and the rest of Europe. Apparently, Sampson was not pleased when German coach Berti Vogts left the U.S.-Belgium match early in February, a match that Belgium won 3-0. But one could hardly blame Vogts for not sticking around to the end. Take a look at what the U.S. has done against European squads. Overall, the U.S. is a mere 10-29-5 against European teams when playing them in Europe and has been outscored 123-42 in those contests. It's even worse of late, as the Americans have just two wins and a draw against Europe in the last 10 matches. One of those wins came in 1993 against Iceland, and the other? Well, it was a 3-0 thumping of the same Austrian team that played so poorly Thursday. Perhaps Sampson should have tried to sneak up on the normally slow-starting Germans. Instead, he and his team have provided plenty of bulletin-board material for the perennial power.
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Njanka takes off on his thrilling run to the goal (AP) |
Player of the day: Roberto Baggio. Yes, Salas was extremely impressive with a two-goal performance. On any other day, he would take the honor. But not on a day when Baggio was able to exorcise the ghosts of '94. This is a man who was not even going to be on the Italian team. But he forced coach Cesar Maldini's hand with 22 goals in Italy's Serie A this year. Then he was just supposed to sit on the bench, but an injury to Alessandro Del Piero put him in the starting lineup and he responded brilliantly. He showed great vision in setting up Christian Vieri for Italy's first goal, and he generated offensive chances all game. But his largest moment came when he showed no fear in stepping forward and taking the equalizing penalty kick. Many Italians feel Baggio lost the '94 World Cup with his missed penalty kick in the finals. If he had missed Thursday's shot, he might have put the Italians on a collision course for another exit. This one via a meeting with Brazil in the second round. Goal of the day: Pierre Njanka. The youngster from Cameroon scored his country's only goal of the game in just his third international appearance. Collecting the ball on the left side near midfield, Njanka made like a skier on a run to the penalty area, zigging and zagging around the Austrian defenders as if they were gates on a slalom course. Upon reaching the box, Njanka collected himself, cut back to his right and launched a right-footed shot over the charging goalie. Too bad the rest of the game was so boring. Quote of the day: "Certainly I thought of four years ago, but then I told myself I was going to put the ball into the net this time. Luckily, I did." -- Roberto Baggio, discussing his penalty kick goal Outlook for Thursday: The match of the day appears to be the host French taking on the newcomers South Africa. There is quite a bit of pressure on the French, who made it to semifinals in '82 and '86. But they were not even in the World Cup four years ago, and have struggled to score in many of their recent friendlies. South Africa, meanwhile, is making its very first appearance in the World Cup. It was previously banished because of its policy of apartheid.
The two squads last met in October in a friendly that was anything but. If France struggles on offense Friday, the offensive-minded South Africans could steal away with a 1-0 win.
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