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Parma coach thanks goalkeeper Buffon's play helps Italian club into UEFA Cup final
Posted: Wednesday April 21, 1999 11:57 AM
PARMA, Italy (Reuters) -- Coach Alberto Malesani wore the look of a relieved man after his goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made several outstanding saves to help Parma into the UEFA Cup final. Parma squeezed out a 2-1 semifinal, second leg win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, winning 5-2 on aggregate and clinching a place in the final against Olympique Marseille. "This was not an easy game for us to finish and both teams had a lot of chances," said Malesani. "We were often saved by our goalkeeper. But we played well enough, even though we were below our best. The final will be a different matter." Parma's success story continues at a pace. Ten years ago it was still struggling in Serie B to find the momentum to match owner Calisto Tanzi's ambitions. Tanzi, owner of the Parmalat dairy foods empire, took over in 1988. In 1990 it gained promotion. Two years later it won the Italian Cup and sparked a series of successes. The European Cup Winners' Cup (in 1993), the European SuperCup (1994) and the UEFA Cup (1995) followed. Now, with Tanzi's 30-year-old son Stefano in the president's office and Malesani in his first season as coach, the club is mounting a bid for a second wave of success. "We are capable of winning any games," said Parma defender Lilian Thuram, the World Cup-winning Frenchman whose strength and athleticism is such a key to the team's success. "We can go anywhere and play well. Against Atletico we were just a little too tired and it was an awkward match." Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Parma had difficulty in finding the same level of bright, attacking play that had destroyed Atletico in Madrid two weeks earlier and allowed the club to dictate long passages of the game. The excellent Buffon made several good saves to prevent an early away goal. But the result was never in serious doubt once Abel Balbo had latched on to a through ball from fellow Argentine Juan Veron to slide Parma in front and give it a cushion of three goals. Roberto's headed equalizer from an Oscar Mena corner was just reward for injury-hit Atletico's attempts. Enrico Chiesa struck the winner eight minutes from time. "We were unlucky," said Atletico coach Raddy Antic. "We came with a changed team because of injuries and suspensions. We had a lot of chances and shots but Buffon is a great goalkeeper." Atletico missed the injured Jose Mari and the banned Vladimir Jugovic but their influence could not have changed the outcome as the Spaniards struggled to turn enthusiasm and possession into goals. "We had a lot of the ball and were out of luck tonight," said Juninho. "I felt we played very well, particularly in the first half. But Buffon is a top-class goalkeeper and Parma have a great defence."
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