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Adieu
Baggio misses golden opportunity in final Cup match
Posted: Friday July 03, 1998 10:05 PM
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Baggio missed a goal shot in the 102nd minute that would have won the match for the Italians (AP) |
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) --
Roberto Baggio missed a golden opportunity to make his last World Cup
memorable.
In extra time, with Italy and France
locked on a scoreless draw, the 31-year-old veteran received a deep pass
from Demetrio Albertini about 10 yards from the French net. He kicked a
volley from a sharp angle to the right of the net.
As tens of thousands of French fans held their breath, the ball
floated just beyond the left post.
It was the 102nd minute and, had the shot found the mark, it would
have been a "Golden Goal" that would have stopped the match and given Italy
a berth in the semifinals.
Instead, the two teams went to penalties, and the Italians lost the
shootout 4-3 -- their third consecutive World Cup failure from the penalty
spot.
"It was just bad luck. I kicked on the distant post to put the ball
past [goalkeeper Fabien] Barthez and it went too wide. It was a matter of
inches. It could have been something to remember," said Baggio, who scored
two goals earlier in the Cup to help the "Azzurri" reach the
quarterfinals.
The striker, taken to France as a substitute for younger team star
Alessandro Del Piero, was fielded in the 67th minute and nearly produced
the type of magic last seen when he led Italy to the final in 1994.
Four years ago, Baggio's late goals lifted Italy past Nigeria, Spain and Bulgaria.
Then, in the shootout at Pasadena, California, against Brazil, Baggio
was the last of three Italian players who failed to convert.
At the Stade de France on Friday, amid the deafening whistles of the
French crowd, Baggio converted the first penalty of Italy's series. This
time it was his younger teammates, Demetrio Albertini and Luigi Di Biagio,
who missed.
"You need a lot of courage to kick penalties in a World Cup," Baggio
said. "I can't blame my teammates, but it's a pity to get out of the World
Cup this way."
It was the third and last World Cup for Baggio, one of Italy's
highest-scoring and most imaginative players. Mirroring the rest of his
injury-troubled career, it was an exit that had the feeling of an
incomplete story.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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