Italy v USA Group A 14-06-1990
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00:00So, fantastic atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, as the United States, all in white, kick off the biggest match in their football history, and a special welcome to TSM viewers in Canada.
00:22The Americans attacking the goal to the right in this first half, though everyone in this crowd fully expects that the blue-shirted Italians will be doing the majority of the attacking in this game.
00:33The Americans defeated 5-1 by Czechoslovakia in their opening match, remember.
00:39But an early chance for Banks to test Walter Zenger in the Italian goal, and Zenger equal to the task, to the huge delight of this crowd of around 75,000, making a tremendous noise here in Rome.
00:52The Italians, of course, beat Austria 1-0 in their opening game in Group A, and they know they've got to go for goals tonight, in case this group should need to be settled on goal difference.
01:04Barresi, with a long ball falling, looking for Carnivali, headed clear by Doyle.
01:10But the Italians have possession again with Maldini. Carnivali, lovely little lay-off as well from Berti, and the challenge by Doyle ends the first free kick of the game for Italy.
01:24Carnivali keeping his place tonight, even though the man who replaced him, Schidacci, in the game against Austria, scored the winning goal, and no question about the award of that free kick.
01:39Donadoni will take the kick, and the first big test for the American defense, which was found so badly wanting against Czechoslovakia.
01:48Useful kick as well, Miola came, and that will make his confidence soar, I'm sure.
01:53To be fair to him, although he was beaten five times, he wasn't really at fault in the game against Czechoslovakia. Perhaps one goal could have been down to him, but he played pretty well, the American goalkeeper.
02:04A real ordeal this, for this United States team, the youngest of all the 24 finalists here in Italy, and having already been thrashed in their opening game, their confidence on a low.
02:17But that's a good ball from Ramos, out to Banks, who couldn't control it. Jimmy Banks, one of the players brought in tonight, didn't play against the Czechs.
02:27Well, as the Italians await the kick, it looks as though Murray could have a poppet goal here, the number 16.
02:36No, he's left in fact, and Ramos was the man who shot, and Zenga took it with utter disdain.
02:50Giannini.
02:52Giannini.
02:56Bergami, the captain.
02:59Di Napoli on the right.
03:01That was a good challenge by the number 6, but the second one by Murray has given the free kick for a foul on Donadoni.
03:13And as the replay is showing what happened, the Italians have already taken the kick.
03:18Maldini in possession.
03:21Di Napoli.
03:24Bergami.
03:28Donadoni on the right.
03:30Giannini, number 13.
03:34Cannibali.
03:38Giannini again.
03:40Miola did well.
03:42Good goalkeeping, he had to be decisive, Trevor.
03:45Yes, it was a good run from Berti. He, of course, is the man that's coming in place of Ancelotti, and he's got different characteristics to Ancelotti.
03:53Barresi. In many regards, the finest of all the players in this superb Italian team.
04:00The long ball in towards Vialli.
04:04Well, it's an incredible 14 months since Vialli last found the net in an Italian international fixture.
04:10So much depends on his ability to score goals. The Italians, for all their skills, are not prolific scorers.
04:16Donadoni.
04:19Cannibali.
04:21Doyle right behind him.
04:27Useful play, but as it was helped on by Donadoni...
04:39Giannini.
04:47The noise is unbelievable, and with only 12 minutes gone, the Italians are in front. Giannini with a delightful goal.
05:02His skill took him past three challenges in the build-up to that.
05:06He hurdled one tackle, and had the confidence to crack the ball forward as soon as he saw the whites of the United States net.
05:17Trevor.
05:19Well, Vialli completely deceived Armstrong, let the ball run through his legs for Giannini, who went past Windischmer as if he wasn't there.
05:27Took it on, and that was a sweet finish past Miola.
05:30Just what the Italians wanted to calm their nerves.
05:33You can hear what the fans think about it here at the stadium here in Rome.
05:39Certainly, Vialli's part in that goal was devastating. He completely fooled the Americans by dummying over the ball.
05:47And now, the crowd really do believe that they could see a lot of goals, and to their huge delight, of course,
05:55the one single Roma player in the Italian side is the man who has opened the scoring.
06:01Giuseppe Giannini.
06:11That's a free kick to Italy, and Puccini, the manager, will certainly want his side now to really go for the jugular.
06:19Donadoni nearest to the ball, and the United States wall forced by the referee to retreat the full distance.
06:28It's Donadoni who takes it.
06:31And that was close.
06:32But this is unmatchable.
07:03Carnivali. Good ball from Maldini.
07:08That's a dangerous looking cross as well.
07:10Good save by Miola from Donadoni.
07:15And Donadoni signals his delight at the accuracy of the cross from the lap by Carnivali.
07:24Miola watched it all the way.
07:25Possession at the back, and keep the ball away from the Italians.
07:31And then turn forward towards Vermes.
07:34Verres' clearance.
07:37Giannini missed his little attempted header.
07:41Ramos comes forward, and that's a useful looking goal as well.
07:44But Zenga knew that Hartz was not really going to be on target because he closed down that particular angle on the near post.
07:51And the young man, whose father was a Scot, who played for Dundee United,
07:57had a trial at Sheffield Wednesday in England earlier this season.
08:00Well off target.
08:01But the ball to pick him out from Ramos was a delightful one.
08:08Carnivali waits.
08:10Miola, tense.
08:13Doyle met it first.
08:15It's a penalty to Italy.
08:19And Nicola Berti celebrates, and it was his strong run that really earned that kick.
08:28The third time in the two games that the Americans have conceded a penalty,
08:34and frankly, I'm not surprised.
08:37The third time in the two games that the Americans have conceded a penalty,
08:43and frankly, another clumsy challenge.
08:47And they can have no complaints about that.
08:56It looks as though the job is going to be entrusted to Gianluca Vialli,
09:01who, as I was saying earlier, has not scored an international goal for 14 months.
09:09If he gets this, just 13 minutes before half-time,
09:17I would think we could really see the very best of the Italians then.
09:20It's the perfect moment to get a second goal, this.
09:23It's 2-0. No! It's in the post!
09:28That was a centimetre away from a goal.
09:34And the Italians are stunned.
09:40It was placed so carefully, and dare I say accurately,
09:45that it looked boundless.
09:47So carefully, and dare I say accurately, that it looked bound for the corner,
09:54but it just caught the inside of the post and rebounded to safety.
09:58What a let-off.
10:01Well, Trevor.
10:03Well, it's becoming a World Cup of penalty misses.
10:05I think that's the fourth now we've seen in this competition.
10:08Quite amazing, really, because Vialli was so relaxed,
10:11but, you know, it certainly didn't go from there, hitting the post.
10:14It's just what Italy wanted, a goal before half-time,
10:17and the home supporters aren't too pleased with it.
10:21And Vialli's famine continues, even from the penalty spot.
10:29Cavani in possession.
10:31I'm trying to lift Vialli's spirits by singing his name,
10:36but I think he'll be very, very dejected now.
10:45FANS ROAR
10:48Very forward. That's a lovely little ball.
10:50Cavani probably finding Giannini, and Vialli is offside.
10:53FANS ROAR
11:00And nothing can go right for Vialli,
11:02although I suspect he knew full well he was offside when the ball came to him.
11:10Clear offside as well.
11:15FANS ROAR
11:17Beautiful player to watch, Giannini is.
11:19He just floats with the ball in the middle of the field.
11:21He seems so lithe and such beautiful rhythm.
11:25But that's the end of the first half,
11:28and Italy lead only by a goal to nil.
11:31So the expected bag full of goals certainly hasn't come yet.
11:34Just won by Giannini after 11 minutes,
11:39and Vialli missed a penalty, hitting the foot of the post.
11:43The Americans defended in depth, but they defended well,
11:46and in the second half, Italy will have to produce a more impressive attacking display
11:51to go anywhere near matching Czechoslovakia's score against the United States.
11:56At half-time then in Rome, it's Italy 1, the United States of America 0.
12:06So Italy get the second half underway
12:08before this sell-out crowd of over 73,000,
12:11who've paid incidentally over two million English pounds in gate receipts here tonight,
12:17a staggeringly high figure.
12:19They certainly are prepared to pay a lot of money for their football in this nation
12:23which worships the sport probably above all other European countries.
12:28Italy leading by one goal to nil then at the start of the second half,
12:32and the crowd really waiting to see more goals in this second 45 minutes.
12:37Donnadoni turning it on, and a foul on Carnevale
12:40will produce an early moment of danger to the American goal.
12:51Neither side incidentally made any substitutions during the half-time interval.
12:55Donnadoni was probably the outstanding Italian player in the first half,
12:59takes that one short to Di Napoli, looking for Ferri on the far post.
13:03It was Dori who got there first, and now Caligiuri.
13:07Ramos.
13:11Done well, Ramos.
13:12A lot of these American players are keen to impress here,
13:15to try and fix themselves up with European clubs.
13:18No professional soccer league, of course, in the United States.
13:21Ramos himself has gone down injured from that earlier challenge.
13:26Quite badly injured, I think.
13:27He's really rolling in agony as Carnevale presses forward.
13:31There's Maldini in support on the left.
13:37Maldini in towards Vialli, but well met by Armstrong.
13:41Ramos still lying, clutching his leg.
13:45And now he can receive treatment.
13:47He got a real crack on the shin.
13:50The Americans with 11 players behind the ball.
13:53Perezi.
13:55Miola with a confident punch clear as Carnevale came in.
13:58Now Donnadoni.
13:59Donnadoni.
14:03He's done well here, Donnadoni.
14:04A dangerous cross, Carnevale got the touch.
14:07It could actually be his last touch of the game.
14:11And it is.
14:16He will play no further part.
14:18He looks a bit disappointed, as you'd expect him to.
14:21His header flashed towards goal, deflected off an American defender.
14:27And Carnevale, not a happy man, but the crowd giving him a tremendous ovation.
14:35But they'll give an even bigger one now to Schilacci.
14:41An instant hero with his first ever Italian goal.
14:46The winner against Austria.
14:48He scored a lot in the league this season for Juventus,
14:50but that incidentally, that goal against Austria,
14:52was his first headed goal of the season, curiously.
14:57The corner going in deep towards Ferri on the far post.
15:02Schilacci gets his first touch straight away.
15:04Perezi.
15:09Ferri again.
15:11Ovialli couldn't control it.
15:13And Miola dived to smother the danger.
15:21Tony Miola, both his mother and father are Italian.
15:24And he was very, very keen to put on a show here in the Olympic Stadium.
15:30His parents and several other members of his family are here watching,
15:34and he's done well enough.
15:42Donadoni with the free kick.
15:44Miola thought about it, and Banks got there first.
15:47Back to Ferri.
15:50Di Napoli.
15:51Di Napoli.
15:53Donadoni.
15:56Still queuing up in the middle for the cross,
15:57but Donadoni's going to go all the way in the deflection.
16:00Took it just beyond Miola's reach,
16:02and more importantly, just wide of the goal.
16:09Here we say great, great dribbling ability by Donadoni.
16:12Comes in cycles, passes one man, gets in his shot,
16:15and his winnishman there makes a timely intervention.
16:19Donadoni with the kick.
16:21Half clear.
16:22Ferri belts it back in.
16:23Where is it?
16:24Miola knows.
16:26For a second, it was lost in the melee of players in the goal area.
16:31And Miola leapt upon it like a beggar finding a...
16:37In towards Maldini, but met first by Banks.
16:42Bergami.
16:43Di Napoli.
16:44Good ball.
16:45Donadoni's done well.
16:47Still Donadoni.
16:48Donadoni.
16:49And played forward to Di Napoli in plenty in the middle here.
16:51Schelenski.
16:53Well, the angle was always going to be too tight for him.
16:57Acknowledgement of the good little ball into the near post,
17:00but it would have been some header to go in from there, Trevor.
17:04Well, that could possibly be the best Italian move we've had so far.
17:06You see Donadoni on the ball here.
17:08I think that's Giannini there.
17:09Plays a good little ball into Di Napoli,
17:11who plays it into the near post.
17:12The angle just a little bit tight.
17:14And a free kick for Italy.
17:16Taken already.
17:18Donadoni.
17:24Whipped in by Di Napoli towards Schiracci.
17:26And then...
17:29And the whole crowd thought for a moment
17:31that that had gone in from Maldini.
17:34It landed plumb on the roof of the net.
17:37And there was a great gasp of pleasure,
17:40which suddenly turned into misery
17:42as they realised it was onto the top of the net.
17:45Not the roof.
17:49Just the kind of thing that we've been told
17:51referees should produce the red card for.
17:54Very a bit lucky.
17:58Murray takes the shot!
17:59Oh!
18:00It's in!
18:01But Ferris!
18:02Oh!
18:05Ferris, ironically, was the man to clear off his own line.
18:09And the Americans were within inches
18:11of stunning the crowd with an equalising goal.
18:16Well, that's rocked the whole stadium.
18:19It was a brilliant save in the first place
18:21and the Americans aren't finished with this attack yet.
18:24And the referee has given a free kick to Italy now.
18:27Trevor.
18:28Well, you see Zegda here diving to his right.
18:31He doesn't hold it.
18:34Comes back out.
18:35And the second shot just manages to keep it out.
18:38Well, the Italians were so lucky there.
18:41They could have been a goal behind...
18:43Well, not a goal behind there,
18:44but they could have equalised there, the Americans.
18:46It was so unfortunate.
18:52Giannini wanted to take over then.
18:53But the ball chested away to Di Napoli.
18:57And it's a useful looking cross
18:58and Schelachi's there again!
19:01This time, it wasn't to be.
19:06Peeled away well to the far post, Schelachi.
19:09But the header was straight at Miola.
19:12Good chested lay-off there from Vialli into the path of Di Napoli.
19:15Puts a good ball to the back post.
19:17And Schelachi comes on.
19:19Not quite able to knock it across the goal
19:21and it's a rather easy save for Miola.
19:23That's a good move by the Italians.
19:25It's a shock equaliser yet here.
19:31Long throw in.
19:33And it drops to Valverde.
19:37Well, he could have made a name for himself, couldn't he just?
19:42In truth, was always well underneath the shot.
19:47Well, it's taken them 86 minutes
19:49but that's the first time they've managed to get more than 2 or 3 players into the penalty box.
19:55They go back the required distance.
19:59Donadoni will probably tap it short here for Schelachi
20:02when the wall eventually retreats.
20:06And Schelachi with the shot.
20:07Oh! And it was deflected.
20:08It could have gone anywhere, frankly.
20:12Even for the delight of the Americans, it went wide.
20:16Off one of their defenders.
20:19Valverde, I think, or it may have been, Doyle in the wall.
20:23And out for an Italian corner.
20:28Miola hesitated as Maldini came in.
20:34Schelachi.
20:38Ferri.
20:40Burgamy.
20:43Di Napoli.
20:46Donadoni.
20:48That was a foul, no question, by Stolmeyer.
20:53And we're now into time being added.
20:58Well, it's been a rather below par Italian performance
21:01but I would think that the only player really who could take any satisfaction with his performance tonight
21:05is certainly Donadoni.
21:06He's been an inspiration throughout.
21:10And that is the final whistle.
21:13And the boos and whistles of derision which greeted the final whistle
21:18really tell the whole story.
21:21Italy have won.
21:22They have two more points.
21:23A maximum four from their two matches.
21:26But if ever a team could take honour in defeat,
21:30it's the United States of America.
21:32In the World Cup for the first time in 40 years
21:35and it'll be the Americans celebrating tonight even though they've lost.
21:38Puccini, the Italian manager, has already disappeared down the tunnel.
21:41Italy won.
21:42The United States nil.
21:43The expected avalanche of goals never materialised
21:47and frankly never looked as though it would either.
21:49The Italians missed a penalty
21:51but in the end they had few real chances
21:54and Giannini's goal in the 11th minute was the only one of the game.
21:59Italy won.
22:00The United States nil.
22:01The final score in Rome.