The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 155

TUESDAY JULY 19 1994 A (ft THE MIAMI HERALD INTERNATIONAL EDITION 9D WORLD CURftSHOTS Fans create carnival setting Shots taken by Brazil and Italy during the World Cup final with the shooter's jersey number and the location of where he took his shot Brazil led in shots 22-8 WORLD CUP '94 19 Daniele Massaro 10 Roberto Baggio 16 Roberto Donadoni 11 Demetrio Albertini 17 AlberigoEvan 14 Cafu 21 Viola 5 Mauro Silva 8 Dunga 11 Romario 6 Branco 7 Bebeto 9 Zinho The Herald By LINDA ROBERTSON Herald Sports Writer PASADENA The music stopped only once during the agony of the penalty kicks Isabel Pinto of Rio de Janeiro finally sat down She buried her head in her kneecaps She covered her ears with her hands too painful to she said want to know what happens or even to hear They can tell me Pinto was seated among the inexhaustible music makers and samba dancers of the bateria a Brazilian rhythm section in the Rose Bowl This section was all yellow and green like a patch of daffodils waving in the wind The Brazilian faithful had seen the World Cup come down to this After a month of games 90 minutes of a scoreless final and 30 minutes of overtime Brazil and Italy would shoot it out with penalty kicks The tension was too much like a fear of somebody dying and at the same time of somebody being said Heloisa Ribeiro of Sao Paulo who willed herself to witness history even though it was like watching an autopsy She might faint want this for she said referring to Brazilian race car driver Ayrton Senna who died in a crash earlier this year are so many problems in Brazil We deserve The members of the bateria held hands as the players took their turns in front of the net When Roberto shot flew high the Brazilians went into spasms of joy and relief Men and women cried and hugged Brazil had won its first cup since 1970 The years of hunger ended with a feast never been this happy in my whole Ribeiro said ITHEiSHOOTOUTI The shot-by-shot results of PATRICK FARRELL Herald Start Inter-Continental join in the celebration Sunday after Brazil beat LOCAL CHEERS: Fans at the Hotel Italy for the World Cup title The music began again and it was Carnival in the stands It was impossible not to move to the beat to keep the goose-bumps from rising on the skin do this to help the team give them energy keep them from getting said Vania Rich one of the dancers She wore a bikini costume of green sequins and beads make enough noise so they know Trumpeter Dartagnan who goes by one name just like the Brazilian players blew a few notes Then he had to lie down on the bleachers He was weeping The drums went clackety-clack like a train coming down the track The cuicas went squeak-sqawk like a parrot The only thing missing was the giant bass drum Somebody tried to bring it in even had a ticket for the drum but the American police let the drum inside confused us with violent Rich said Then suddenly the sky turned yellow green and blue A giant Brazilian flag was lifted overhead The Italian fans were clearly outnumbered But there was just as much at stake for them Brazil had beaten Italy in 1970 felt sick I felt a stress like you feel when you suspect your husband is cheating on said Helen Solimine of Staten Island She her husband Tony and his brother Ralph had left home at 3 am Sunday flown to Los Angeles attended the game and had return tickets at 11 pm Sunday night was 1 250 round trip but it was worth said Tony who was born near Naples Italy Francis Drake from Ireland and Bob Foster from England were cheering for Italy too But mostly they were here for the ambience trip has burst the bank taking out a loan to pay for my loan but nothing like the said Drake who attended the finals in 1982 and 1990 an Irishman and an Englishman getting along What other proof do you need of the power of this PK miss ends hopes Players hope victory lifts morale unnecessary starter He has been constantly criticized in the Brazilian press Because offense is so strong he had to make only 14 saves in seven tournament games give the criticism much he said was not something I was concerned about In spite of the penalty kicks I am not the hero of this team It truly took all 1 1 of us" Hero? Well not quite of he said have no contract with Reggiana is up will now start looking for a new he said Parreira the criticized coach sure what he will do next But it sounds like return to the most suffocating job in sports am happy Brazil is champion once he said I hope we can do it Said Bebeto: We were on top all of the time We are the real champions taking a month off I have gone four years without a vacation But it was a worthwhile Soccer can cure? need to understand that soccer life and Liverpool Coach Bill Shankly once said is bigger than It comes from a man who had his ashes sprinkled in the penalty box World Cup championship the classic it was supposed to be made you wonder in fact if the reason that announcer shouts so excitedly is because he sees so few of them Among the almosts: In the 18th minute Daniele Mas-saro squeezes between two defenders and is one-on-one with Brazilian goalie Taffarcl Massaro has to hurry with Taffarcl attacking and he shoots the ball right at legs It was probably best scoring chance knew this World Cup was for said Taffarel who has played professionally the last three years in Italy began the World Cup playing veiy well and we were certain as we watched it end well We were worthy of the title We were the best Interesting that the game would come down to Taffarel He is the most By DAN LE BATARD Herald Sports Writer PASADENA Calif The game was done a world championship won and now Brazilian Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira had the gold in his hands He was running through a gauntlet of Brazilian fans the gold World Cup trophy held high above his head He stopped repeatedly to let the people touch the prize As if it were magic Which of course it was dedicate the victory to all the people of Parreira said afterward was sure we would win I was never thinking Winning the World Cup if you ask players can be as much about sociology as it is about sport hope this lifts the morale of all of Bebeto said afterward economics and financial picture in Brazil is sad I hope this victory will stimulate the government to improve the economic conditions The lack of jobs and the poor children are a very big penalty kicks won by Brazil 3-2 It was a temporary reprieve like when a firing squad misses you with the first shot of luck Italy would be mourning soon enough Demetrio Albertini made his penalty shot as did Romario Evani made his and so did Branco Taffarel goalie then guessed correctly on the next shot by Daniele Massaro He leaped to his left and smothered the shot He ran away from the net pointing to heaven felt the hands of God on Taffarel said The Italians felt hands too Around their neck of luck Taffarel said a goalkeeper I try to pass all the responsibility on to the kicker I try to stay calm and let the kicker think about the Dunga made his shot and now it was up to Baggio He had been hurting all game sometimes clutching his right hamstring after shots He is his best player maybe the best in the world and he did not want to sit out the championship want another Baggio 27 said afterward wanted to play even though I was not in good condition to play I had no force in my His penalty shot sailed high Baggio stayed silent staring at it hands on hips thinking about all the people back home he had disappointed He did not move for 5 10 15 seconds Then he turned around and put his hands on his knees as if he were about to throw up Later he walked off the field looking as if he were feeling faint He walked past Romdrio who was kissing the solid-gold trophy and crying He walked past coach who was being tossed toward heaven by his players He walked past a group of Brazilian fans who were mockingly chanting his name was so near the title" Taffarel said Then the Brazilian goalie smiled they did not get it BRAZIL 0 ITALY 0 I 3-r an oanartY I half: No scoring rwt No scoring rttme: No scoring i tty kicks: Italy Bares! NG Albertini an! Massaro NG RBegglo NG) 3 (Marcto Santos NG Romirlo oG Donga G) ov cards: Italy (Apollon) 42nd Alber rd) Brazil (Maiinho 4th Cafu I7tti) Italy! Brazil 72- is: Italy )l (Apollon! 4 DBagglo 3 Donsdoni Massaro Albertini Baresi MaWinl) Brazil tl (Mauro I Romario Bebeto! Branco! Dunga rlnho RomArlo Aldalr Branco) levied: Italy II (Donadoni Bert) ml Baggio Baresi Maldlnl ro 2) Brail! (Romario 5 Marcio i MazinhoX Branco Aldalr Dunga mo Tatfaroi Zinho) idt: Italy 3 I Massaro 3) Brazil to Romario Aldalr) 4 4 UPS ir: Gianluca PaoMuca Roberto Muss! i Apoiloni 35th) Franco Baresi Antonio Tlvo Paulo Maldlnl Demetrio A'ber-Dlno Baggio (Aiberlgo Evani tStt) I BerM Roberto Donadoni Roberta Dantele Massaro ill: Claudio Tatiaral Jorginho (Cafu Branco Aldalr Marcto Santoa iho Mauro Silva Dunga Zmha (Viola II Batvto Romario Score is tied? Play on and on WORLD CUP FROM 6B to be easy like free throws in basketball The ball is placed 12 yards from the goal and the only defender is the goalie The shooting teams alternate each taking a total of five kicks (unless one team takes an insurmountable lead) There is one important variable though: Sometimes you must take this kick with an entire country on your shoulders was the most important moment of my said Alber-igo Evani one of only two Italians to make his penalty kick What was he feeling just before he wound up? Evani said Pressure can do that You would have no problem putting your key in the car ignition right now but you might find it a little more difficult doing the same thing if a mugger were fast approaching Bebeto once refused to take a penalty kick in a regional championship saying he was too nervous It is the reason that Romario is considered Maradona while Bebeto is considered prima donna Good thing for him that Italy missed three of its five kicks If not Bebeto would have been the next man shooting for Brazil with more pressure on him than he has ever felt His country had gone 24 years since its last World Cup title and had no intention of waiting four more years Baresi returns misses The shootout began with Baresi who played in almost a month Sunday was his first game of the tournament since having minor knee surgery June 24 Even though Brazil had twice as many legitimate scoring chances as Italy during regulation suffocating defense was the primary reason Brazil did not score Overall Brazil had a 22-8 shot advantage Before shot players and coaches and doctors put their arms around each other on the sidelines and wrapped themselves in the grccn-and-yellow flag The 94194 fans turned the Rose Bowl into a place of prayer Baresi come close He fell to his knees after the shot sailed into the crowd behind the net He stayed there a long time so long that the Brazilian goalie felt sorry for him Taffarel came over and gave him a comforting hug are still a great player Taffarcl told Baresi Nearby Brazilian players did cartwheels But not for long Marcio Santos saw his penalty shot smothered by Italian goalie Gianluca Pagliuca In the 76th minute Pagliuca nearly made one of the largest mistakes in World Cup history An easy shot by Mauro Silva came right at him waist high Pagliuca played it casually and it hit him in the arm bouncing away It trickled toward the net soft as a whisper But it hit the inside of the post and bounced back toward him Pagliuca let go of an exaggerated exhale An ocean away so did his country and on Associated Press The Italian coach Arrigo Sac-chi is right when he says has to be a world champion We need a The question is how to best break it This wasn't the way With all due respect to Brazil and much is due there always will be an invisible asterisk attached to the inner of the first World Cup ended this way Sandor Puhl certainly would agree And if he wouldn't saying he would anyway COTE FROM 6B It would be like the seventh game of the World Series in a scoreless tie after say 1 1 innings and then settling it by letting a series of batters swing for the fences against a pitching machine I Sandor Puhl being Hungarian follow American baseball but even I know how stupid that would be So I do it No penalty kicks No how no way As the players rest before the shootout is to begin I stand at midfield suddenly aware I am being watched not only by 94194 fanatics at the Rose Bowl but by more than two billion people worldwide It occurs to me that some of them probably think that I Sandor Puhl am an idiot Nervously I scratch my nose Slowly I reach into my left back pocket This is where I keep my red card and my yellow card and the one I have never before used My green card With a sudden regal snap I raise it to no one in particular I am giving this game a green card As the crowd gasps and astonished players gape I shout and motion my arm imperially forward as they teach us to do at Referee Academy And at my command the World Cup final sudden death now goes on until there is a real winner a champion decided in plav not with the world's finest athletes lounging in the center circle butts on grass arms on knees loitering If only Instead here is what happened Sunday The finest athletes lounged in the center circle butts on grass arms on knees loitering while Brazil and Italy decided the World Cup by playing Russian roulette This soccer This was an event on American Gladiators the winning goal in the shootout beating Gianluca Pagliuca CLINCHER: Brazil's Dunga scores like when they try to shoot each other with tennis balls fired from a small cannon Who can believe this is the right way to end a match of this enormous importance? Claudio Taffarel does not And he was the winning goalkeeper course a penalty kick decision doesn't mean that the best team will he said likes a penalty kick In this case the best team did win The team that had created the most chances through 120 minutes of play won 3-2 edge in PKs was a just mirror of its superiority before that None of hich is the point A game of this importance must be settled on the field Make it sudden death beyond the half-hour of overtime to encourage these tired bodies to muster something more and attack Even allow an extra substitution or two But play on Let a real goal decide a real champion.