<<Back
Del Piero a World Cup hero at last for Italy

June 13, 2002
Daily Soccer

OITA, Japan (AFP) - Italy's Alessandro Del Piero became a World Cup hero at the second time of asking here Thursday as he scored the 85th-minute goal that helped keep Italy's dream of a fourth title on course.

The 1-1 draw with Mexico here at Oita's Big Eye Stadium ended an agonising 90 minutes for Italy, who in the end qualify in second place in Group G behind Mexico.
Del Piero, a 78th-minute substitute for Francesco Totti, has failed to deliver for Italy in the three major tournaments he has played in at Euro 1996, France 98 and Euro 2000.

But the Juventus player's glancing header from a Vincenzo Montella cross achieved redemption for Italy who now progress to the second phase when at half-time it looked as though they were facing first-round elimination for the first time in 28 years.

Del Piero ran towards the corner flag with his finger on his lips - an apparent snub to his critics who had said he should not have come to this tournament after coach Giovanni Trapattoni had resisted a clamour to include popular 35-year-old Roberto Baggio.

"It's our destiny to be in the second round. And now we can look to our future," said Del Piero.

"There were a lot of things we didn't do well - but in the end everything turned out fine," he added.

Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni revealed he had held a pep-talk with Del Piero when the player seemed to be frozen out of the first team.

"I spoke to him four or five days ago," said Trapattoni. "I told him what I though his qualities were and what I expected from him.

"He listened to me and tonight he came up with the goods."

In 1998 in France Del Piero had flopped on the big stage with Italy fans singing 'Mette Baggio' (put on Baggio) to coach Cesare Maldini as patience with the Juventus player wore thin.

Trapattoni had been forced to deny allegations last week that Del Piero had been ostracised by his team-mates and excluded from the first team but that was certainly not the case on Thursday as he was submerged by his colleagues after saving Italy.

And Del Piero's upstaging of Totti is sweet revenge for the Juve player, who was scapegoated for Italy's Euro 2000 defeat when he missed two sitters in the final - both set up by Totti - as a substitute with Italy leading 1-0.

France came back to win with a injury-time equaliser and a golden goal winner by David Trezeguet, now Del Piero's team-mate at Juventus.

But at the second time of asking at World Cup level and the fourth in a major tournament it is Del Piero who will go down as the man that saved Italy - even if Ecuador's 1-0 victory over Croatia gave the 'Azzurri' a helping hand.

Del Piero, nicknamed 'il Pinturicchio' after a famous renaissance painter, had been forced to concede the number 10 shirt traditionally awarded to a team's star player to Totti before the start of the tournament, instead having to accept the number seven.

At the time Del Piero pointed out that the number seven was considered a lucky number in Japan - and that certainly proved to be the case on Thursday.
.