* r e c. Sport. Soccer ' s

won 2-0 at home against the other. On the strength of a 6-1 thrashing of the

Finns in Turin, Italy squeaked through on goal difference, 18-4 against 15-4

for England. Their misfortune seemed to continue when they were paired up with

Argentina, France, and Hungary in Group 1 of the Final Tournament. A string of

poor performances before the World Cup had turned the press against Bearzot who

was bringing two new faces to the Azzurri, a handsome left fullback by the name

of Cabrini and a small striker by the name of Paolo Rossi. The Azzurri seemed

to be heading for another early exit when France took a 1-0 lead in the first

few seconds of play of the first game, but a gutsy Italian performance produced

the 2-1 victory with the tying goal scored by Paolo Rossi. Rossi continued his

magic against Hungary as Italy won 3-1. Since both Italy and Argentina had

qualified, their last game in the group was considered academic except that the

loser would end up in the second round in the same group as Brazil.. a fate to

be avoided at all costs. Despite this incentive, and playing in front of a

fanatical crowd in Buenos Aires, Argentina went down to defeat 1-0 by a

brilliant goal from Bettega off a pass from Rossi. Italy would go into the

second round in a "European" group with Germany, Holland, and Austria while

Argentina would have to confront its destiny with Brasil, Poland, and Peru.

Italy opened with a tactical 0-0 draw with Germany with each side preferring

to avoid exposing themselves. A 1-0 victory over Austria with a goal by Rossi

(his third of the campaign) placed Italy in the uncomfortable position of

having to beat Holland to reach the finals. A tie would put the Dutch through.

The game began with a score for Italy as a desperate Brandts slid a ball away

from Bettega, but unfortunately for the former, into his own net. This was the

halftime score. The Italian coach, Enzo Bearzot, then committed a colossal

blunder. The Italian playmaker, Franco Causio, was replaced by Claudio Sala

(ostensibly to rest Causio for the final...). Such arrogance is often punished

and the wrath of the gods was made clear: First by Brandts in the 50' with a

shot from outside the box and then by an impossible shot by Haan from almost

40 metres...The brilliant italian team found itself playing only for third

place against Brasil. This game would also be lost by a 2-1 score with both

goals again coming from outside the Italian goal area. The unexpected

performance and brilliant play shown by Italy for once caught the fancy of

their fans who welcomed the fourth-place Italians home (something which had

been denied to the finalists of 1970).
The 1982 World Cup in Spain started a bit inauspiciously for the Italian squad

which was a virtual carbon copy of the 1978 team except that Bettega was

injured and replaced by Graziani, and the great Italian midfielder, Antognoni

could play (he had been injured in 1978). The qualification had been rather

difficult since Italy were in a group with Yugoslavia, Denmark, Greece, and

Luxembourg with the top two qualifying. Italy started strongly with 4 straight

2-0 victories and then limped to a second place finish behind Yugoslavia. The

pre-World Cup exhibitions were much worse. Italy lost to France, East Germany,

and drew with Switzerland. Some members of the Italian press even suggested

that Italy should stay at home and save themselves from embarrassment. These

naysayers seemed to be right as Italy qualified for the second round on goal

difference over Cameroon (the other two teams in the group were Peru and Poland,

with the latter qualifying in first place). When Italy found themselves in the

second round in a group with Argentina and the favourites, Brasil, a quick exit

seemed certain. In the first game against Argentina, a continuous barrage of

fouls by the not-so-gentle Gentile stopped Maradona and Italy scraped by in a

nasty game by a 2-1 margin. Since Brasil had beaten Argentina 3-1, the last

game between Italy and Brasil would decide a place in the semifinals with

the Brasilians needing only a tie. This game would mark the awakening of

"Pablito", Paolo Rossi, who with a memorable hat trick sunk the mighty

Brasilians 3-2. Italy would play Poland for a place in the final. Once again, a

surging Rossi scored two goals for a 2-0 victory and a showdown in the final

against West Germany who had eliminated France on penalties in their semi final.

The game began poorly with the Italians playing very defensively and actually

missing an early penalty kick. With the score 0-0 at halftime, the outcome

seemed wide-open. Early in the second half with Italy gaining confidence, Paolo

Rossi struck again with his sixth consecutive Italian goal, and the final

turned Italy's way. A score by Tardelli in the 68' and a late goal by Altobelli

at the 81' sealed Germany's fate with a late goal by Breitner only a consolation

for the Germans. Italy had won its third World Cup, equalling Brasil's total,

with a 3-1 victory over the Germans. The heroes for Italy, in addition to the

leading goal scorer of the finals, Rossi, were Antognioni (who did not play in

the final because of injury), Cabrini, Zoff, Tardelli, and Paolo Conti who many

considered the best player of the tournament.

Italy's glory was to be shortlived. In the very first game after they had won

the World Cup, a friendly against Switzerland in Rome, Italy lost 1-0. They

failed to qualify for the 1984 European Championship and coach Bearzot's

insistence on relying on his trusty veterans would prove to be his undoing at

the 1986 World Cup. As titleholders, Italy qualified automatically along with

the hosts Mexico. Their first group consisting of Argentina, Bulgaria, and

South Korea was not difficult since two teams would qualify and, as expected,

both Italy and Argentina went to the second round. While Maradona would lead

Argentina to the final, Italy's dreams of repeating were dashed in the first

game of the second round as France soundly beat them 2-0. The Mexican adventure

was over and Bearzot would be replaced by Vicini and a new Italian team would

attempt to win the 1990 World Cup which was to be held in their own homeland.

Qualifying automatically as hosts, the Italian team featured star players like

Zenga in goal, Franco Baresi as sweeper, and other stars such as Maldini,

Giannini, Roberto Baggio, and the great hope, striker Luca Vialli. It was not

to be Vialli's World Cup, however, as a relatively unknown forward by the name

of Toto Schillaci would steal the limelight from the Sampdoria forward. Since

Italy had a strong team and were playing at home, a victory in the World Cup

final was the only result which would be acceptable. Italy's group was very

easy, consisting of Austria, the United States and Czechoslovakia. Despite a

few problems against both Austria and the U.S., Italy went into the second

round with 3 victories, 4 goals for and 0 against. The first opponent in the

second round was Uruguay, but goals by Schillaci and Serena eliminated the

South Americans and brought Italy to the quarterfinals against Eire. A difficult

game was resolved again by a goal from Schillaci and Italy would meet a

lacklustre Argentina in Naples in one of the two semifinals. Italy started out

well with another goal by Schillaci, but in the second half the team started

to disintegrate. Maradona was looking ever more dangerous and finally in the 67'

Caniggia would end Zenga's unbeaten streak and tie the game at 1-1. A tired

Italy lost the iniative to a growing Argentina in extra time and when the game

went to penalty kicks, the dream ended. Missed kicks by Donadoni and Serena

(both experts in the practice) doomed Italy to elimination and relegated them

to the third place game with England who had also been eliminated by the Germans

on penalty kicks. The meaningless 2-1 victory over the English was no

consolation to the Italians. Although there was no rotten fruit this time

(perhaps the fans were finally maturing) the third place finish was not enough.

The 1990 World Cup was yet another Italian failure.

And so, to 1994, Italy qualified in first place (they were the seeded team)

from a Group which included Scotland (second seeds), Portugal (third seeds),

Switzerland (fourth seeds), and Malta and Estonia.

The final table looked like this:
World Cup Elimination Round - Group 1 - Europe

Games Won Lost Tied Pts. GF GA GD

1. Italy 10 7 1 2 16 22 7 +15

2. Switzerland 10 6 1 3 15 23 6 +17

2. Portugal 10 6 2 2 14 18 5 +13

4. Scotland 10 4 3 3 11 14 13 +1

5. Malta 10 1 8 1 3 3 23 -20

6. Estonia 10 0 9 1 1 1 27 -26

Although they finished first, the qualification was bitterly difficult for

Sacchi and the Azzurri with the issue in doubt even on the final day. The

Swiss caused the most problems for the Italians getting off to a strong start

by destroying Estonia in Tallin by 6-0 and beating Scotland in Switzerland by

3-1. Despite this, Italy was very confident as they faced the Swiss in Cagliari

in late 1992. Two quick goals by the Swiss forward Chapuisat after two hideous

breakdowns in the Italian defence shattered that confidence. A late goal by

Baggio brought Italy back in the game at 2-1 and a miraculous shot by Eranio in

injury time brought Italy level. But the 2-2 draw at home meant that the

qualification would be a bit more difficult than Sacchi and the Italian press

had anticipated. An away trip to Scotland brought a 0-0 deadlock to the general

satisfaction of everyone and the upcoming visit to Malta would surely provide

the necessary goals to adjust the goal difference which had begun to tilt

heavily in Switzerland's favour. In arguably the worst performance under Sacchi,

Italy only managed a 2-1 victory in Malta, and Pagliuca had to save it by

stopping a penalty kick! The criticism arising in Italy was becoming

threatening and Sacchi was reacting poorly to it. In this atmosphere of crisis

the impending match in Lisbon against the dangerous Portuguese loomed

terrifyingly for the Azzurri. However, a wonderful performance by Casiraghi and

the two Baggios gave Italy a rather unexpected 1-3 win away from home. The

cloud which had formed around Sacchi seemed to dispel after a 6-1 trouncing of

Malta in Italy and a very easy 2-0 victory over Estonia where the Estonian

goalie prevented a repeat of the hammering given to Malta. The upcoming May 1,

1993 meeting against the Swiss was viewed as an opportunity to avenge the

embarrassing tie in Sardinia. It was not to be. Italy played a marvellous first

half and seemed on the verge of scoring several times. However, the Swiss held

on and at the end of the half a harsh decision by the Spanish referee to red-

card Dino Baggio for a nasty foul in midfield left Italy facing the second half

with 10 men. An early Swiss goal could not be answered and Italy went down to

their first defeat in the group. With the games against the other two contenders,

Scotland and Portugal at home, Italy's situation was tense but not desperate

especially since the Swiss had to visit both Scotland and Portugal. In the fall

of 1993 an easy victory against Estonia coincided with a problematic 1-1 draw

between Scotland and Switzerland. That result all but eliminated the Scots but

it projected the Swiss into a very favourable position to obtain one of the two

slots for America. Italy was placed in a situation of having to win its last

two games against Scotland and Portugal to ensure its qualification. The game

against the Scots was a very good Italian performance with a victory for the

Azzurri by a score of 3-1. However, the surprising 1-0 victory by the Portuguese

over the group leaders, Switzerland, complicated matters terribly for Italy.

The situation at this point was the following: The Swiss could assure themselves

of a berth by beating Estonia at home in their last game. The Italians could

assure themselves of a berth by beating Portugal in Italy in their last game...

but the Portuguese had a game in hand againt Estonia. Given the goal difference,

a 4 goal or greater margin of victory by Portugal over Estonia would allow the

former to TIE their last game in Italy and advance on superior goal difference.

Italy and Sacchi were sweating because while very few people envisioned a

Portuguese victory in Italy, a tie was another matter entirely. When the

crucial game against Estonia arrived, in Lisbon, Portugal failed to get the

necessary 4 goal margin, winning "only" by 3-0. A draw in the final game would

put the Italians through... On Nov. 17th, Portugal met Italy in a packed San

Siro stadium. Italy played well and managed a 1-0 victory and qualification with

a late goal by Dino Baggio. Up until that goal (in the 83') the spectre of a

late Portuguese goal kept Italian fans sweating. However, finally, the

qualification had been confimred and despite the difficulty, Italy had finished

first as predicted. The real problem, however, was that the various

unconvincing Italian performances against the Swiss and Malta had turned the

difficult Italian press against Sacchi. The exhibition games in the spring of

1994 only exacerbated this trend: a home loss to France 0-1, a defeat by

Germany in Stuttgart (2-1), and an amazing loss to Pontedera, a semipro team

in the Italian fourth division have convinced most of Italy that Sacchi is

leading the Azzurri to yet another World Cup humiliation. Whether this is so,

or not, will be seen in the next month.
The Italian team contains some outstanding individuals, but the key players

are the following:

GIANLUCA PAGLIUCA (Goalkeeper, Sampdoria):

Italy's starting goalkeeper. An excellent goalie who is very good in playing

with a zone defense in front of him. Has some trouble with high balls and with

set pieces but can be spectacular at times. A bit more inconsistent than Zenga

and Zoff, he is nevertheless the best goalie in Italy at the moment.
FRANCO BARESI (Sweeper, AC Milan):

The backbone of the Italian defense and one of the greatest sweepers ever. Not

quite at the level of a Beckenbauer or a Scirea even at his prime, he was

certainly on the next level with people like Krol, Passarella, etc.

Unfortunately, age has taken its toll on Baresi (he's 34!) and he has lost a

few steps. He makes up for his diminished speed by his tremendous experience

which manifests itself as an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the

right time. He is prone to fouling since he is a rather rough player and may

have to sit out a game for accumulation of yellows or even a red card. He will

command the Italian offside trap which will be sprung often. He has won

practically every trophy imaginable and was part of the 1982 Italian World Cup

squad though he did not play. He will be the Captain of the Azzurri.

PAOLO MALDINI (Defender, AC Milan):

The starting left fullback and one of the true talents of Italian soccer.

Certainly one of the top three left fullbacks in the world. Can do it all,

dribble, defend, score, set up goals. When the occasion presents itself he will

push down the left side and create opportunities for the attack. Has tremendous

international experience (50+ caps and still only 26) and should be one of the

stars of the 1994 World Cup.
DEMETRIO ALBERTINI (Midfield, AC Milan):

Counted on to play in front of the back four and act as a first line of defense

and start up the distribution of ball to the midfield and forwards. Although he

has a lot of experience despite his young age, he is prone to inconsistency and

will sometimes have truly bad games (such as the recent friendly against

Germany). He is one of the keys to the Azzurri's success and he will have to be

at the top of his form if they are to advance. Has a potent long-range shot.
NICOLA BERTI (Midfield, Inter):

A wonderful addition to the Italian midfield. Has recovered recently from a

nasty injury and seems to be in fine form. An attacking midfielder who is known

for his courage and intensity. Could provide the emotional and physical spark

that Italy needs in the midfield (sort of like Tardelli used to). If he has a

good World Cup, Italy should go far.

ROBERTO BAGGIO (Forward, Juventus):

Not much to say. The FIFA and the European Player of the Year. Has enough

talent to make the 1994 World Cup "His", just like Maradona in 1986 and Pele

in 1970...Although his talent is unquestionable, his drive and intensity have

been often questioned and are the only Achilles' heel for Baggio. He can be

marked out of a game either physically or psychologically. He is not a leader

the way Maradona or Pele were and it may cost him (and Italy) dearly.

Everything else he has. If he catches fire, there is no-one like him in the

World today...

Sacchi will manage to blend the talent into a real team and Italy will be in

the final four. Once you reach the semis you need a bit of luck to win it all

and so I won't guess any further, but I do expect to see Italy anywhere in the

first four slots.

Preparation:

16 Feb 94 H France 0-1

23 Mar 94 A Germany 1-2

27 May 94 H Finland 2-0

3 Jun 94 H Switzerland 1-0

10 Jun 94 USA Costa Rica 1-0
===============================================================================
M E X I C O
Arturo Tena Colunga
===============================================================================
COACH: Miguel Mejia-Baron
GOALKEEPERS: Age Caps Goals

1. Jorge Campos Universidad de Mexico 27 41 0

12. Felix Fernandez Atlante 27 5 0

22. Adrian Chavez America 27 1 0

DEFENDERS:

2. Claudio Suarez Universidad de Mexico 25 33 2

3. Juan Ramirez Perales Universidad de Mexico 25 36 0

4. Ignacio Ambriz Necaxa 29 41 5

5. Jesus Ramon Ramirez Santos Laguna 24 32 6

18. Jose Luis Salgado Autonoma Guadalajara 28 1 0

21. Raul Gutierrez Atlante 27 18 0
MIDFIELD:

6. Marcelino Bernal Toluca 32 12 0

8. Alberto Garcia Aspe Necaxa 27 26 9

13. Juan Carlos Chavez Atlas 27 3 1

14. Joaquin del Olmo Veracruz 25 16 1

15. Michael Espinoza Guadalajara 29 13 0

16. Luis Valdez Leon 28 0 0

17. Benjamin Galindo Guadalajara 33 27 8

20. Jorge Rodriguez Toluca 26 21 3
FORWARDS:

7. Carlos Hermosillo Cruz Azul 29 6 2

9. Hugo Sanchez Rayo Vallecano (Spa) 35 18 6

10. Luis Garcia Atletico Madrid (Spa) 25 12 2

11. Luis Alves 'ZAGUE' America 27 21 15

19. Luis Miguel Salvador Atlante 26 22 9

Miguel Mejia-Baron was happily selected as the National Coach. He has the

school of UNAM coaches, who are very aggressive and like to play a controlled

but offensive game.
Mejia-Baron has done a terrific job so far. He put together a very competitive

team in less than 3 months. In the last round of Concacaf, Mexico clearly

outclassed their rivals, regardless of the loss against El Salvador at

San Salvador, the first game of the qualifying, where El Salvador played a

superb defensive game AT HOME resisting all Mexico's attacks after they went

ahead 1-0. El Salvador took advantage of two defensive errors by Mexico to win

the game 2-1. They may have won the match, but Mexico played the football.In

any case, Mexico won all their games in Mexico City, and deservedly won their

ticket to USA94 after not losing a point after the El Salvador match.
Mexico, IMHO, played a very good Copa America. The first game against Colombia

was strange; first, Colombia took advantage of the scenic panic of the Mexican

players in the first half, which they clearly dominated. However, our team

played a superb second half where they dominated Colombia clearly until the

blackout. Colombia took advantage of the blackout and thanks to the

"phantom of Machala" they were able to get an invented goal by the referee

to beat us 2-1. Against Argentina, we played a great game, Argentina was

outclassed all the way, but their experience allowed them to get a draw 1-1.

We were expecting to beat Bolivia, but as it turned out, they were a tough

defensive team, and we get a draw 0-0 that Mexicans didn't like at the time.

After what Bolivia did in La Paz later on in the South American qualifying

games against Brasil, Uruguay and Ecuador, this result looks better than it did

at the time. In the quarterfinals, Mexico played a great game against a highly

motivated but inexperienced Peruvian side, winning 4-2, and, progressed to

a semi-final against the hosts Ecuador, which Mexico dominated and won 2-0.
The final was against Argentina and the difference between the teams was the

greater experience of the Argentinians. Simeone and Batistuta played a great

game for them, and although the match was very even, they deserved to win the

Championship because of their tactics and experience.

After this Mexico won the Concacaf Gold Cup played at Mexico City/Dallas with

a virtual reserve side, beating the USA in the Aztec stadium.

Players that are likely to make the Mexican squad for the 1994 World Cup are:
JORGE CAMPOS (Goalkeeper/Forward, UNAM):

This guy is unique, he is an amazing goalkeeper with great reflexes, and with

a terrific technique with his feet. However, Campos can also play as a forward,

and in the 1991-92 season he scored 15 goals in the Mexican league.

JUAN DE DIOS RAMIREZ-PERALES (Sweeper, UNAM):

By far, the best sweeper in the Mexican league.

CLAUDIO SUAREZ (Defender/Midfield, UNAM):

Although he is recovering from a surgery, he is a key element on the team.

Mejia Baron uses him mainly as a stopper, but he plays at UNAM as a right back

and can also play at midfield.

IGNACIO AMBRIZ (Midfield/Defender, Necaxa):

This guy has a terrific shot which makes him a lethal weapon coming from

defence. He is a good defensive midfielder, but is not as effective as a

stopper, a position which he has appeared at international level.

RAMON RAMIREZ (Midfield/Defender, Santos):

IMHO, here you have the rising Mexican star!!! He is a very skilful player who

plays in midfield for Santos, but he is used as an attacking left back in the

National side. He is quick with a powerful shot, and often takes free kicks.

ALBERTO GARCIA-ASPE (Midfield, Necaxa):

A senior player in the team who was discarded by the previous manager, but has