All Time World Cup!
Baggio 10, Shevchenko 20
MUNICH – Olympiastadion
Italy rested most of their team, but the replacements, such as Buffon, Fachetti, Scirea and Valentino Mazzola were pretty formidable. Mazzola, the lynchpin of the legendary Torino side who won five Scudettos in a row before the Superga air crash, could attack and defend equally well, and would line up in midfield alongside his son, Sandro, who starred for Inter’s great 1960s side.
It was a modern star who gave Italy the lead though. Roberto Baggio, finally let loose from the start, received the ball from a throw in on the right and flicked it up and over Shesternev on the edge of the box. Bringing it down, he skipped past a Demianenko challenge before rounding Yashin. A great goal and a clear message to the manager.
Ten minutes later though, another contemporary star levelled the scores. Andrei Shevchenko, who terrorised Italian defences for years with Milan, was fired up for this one, after, like Baggio, being given his first start of the tournament. Taking a pass from Igor Netto, he ran straight at Collovati and Ferri, his remarkable pace allowing him to just about squeeze between them. There was contact from Ferri but ‘Sheva’ kept his balance just long enough to stab the ball past Buffon on his way to the ground.
That would be enough for his side –they only needed a point to qualify, regardless of what happened between Spain and Ireland. Inevitably, the game gradually faded as a spectacle with both teams settling for what they had. Italy looked slightly hungrier as they had more fringe players keen to try and earn a place in the next games. The men from the CCCP had enough quality and organisation to keep the Azurri out though, and even felt confident enough to rest some of their own key men in the second half, bringing on Dassayev, Onopko and Zavarov for Yashin, Shesternev and Blokhin. Dassayev showed why he was rated the world’s best keeper for most of the 1980s by making a fantastic reflex save from Mazzola Snr. At the other end, Buffon plucked a Chislenko cross from off the head of Protasov.
At the final whistle both sets of players exchanged shirts and handshakes, happy to be through. The USSR had had to work at it, but would go into the knockout stages feeling confident that they could give anyone a game if they played to their potential. Italy had qualified comfortably, without appearing to break sweat. Would they have another gear to go to when faced with tougher opposition?
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