Football / World Cup 1994: Signori provides a haven for Italy
ITALY's search for a striker to play alongside Roberto Baggio at the World Cup finals may not be too hard a task. Giuseppe Signori, the Lazio man who has been the top scorer in Serie A for the past two seasons, struck his third goal in as many games to earn the Italians a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in last night's friendly against Costa Rica in New Haven, Connecticut.
It was not, however, a convincing performance by Arrigo Sacchi's team. Costa Rica were the better side in the first half, with Hernan Medford, a veteran of Italia '90 at the centre of some smart attacking moves. It was Signori, though, who found the net in the 65th minute with a left-foot shot to conclude a move launched by a typical Baggio run. Milan's Daniele Massaro, a second-half substitute, also impressed.
Two World Cup finalists - Bolivia and Switzerland - contested a dull 0-0 draw in Montreal last night. The Swiss had the better chances, but Borussia Dortmund's Stephane Chapuisat was off form. Bolivia were without their key midfielder, Marco Etcheverry, who has a knee injury and is unlikely to play in Friday's opening game against Germany.
In Friday's friendly action, Spain beat Canada 2-0 in Montreal. Julio Salinas, who is on his way from Barcelona (where he failed to earn a regular place last term) to Deportivo La Coruna, opened the scoring with a 10th-minute diving header. Juanele, of Sporting Gijon, added the second five minutes from time, after breaking through the Canadian offside trap.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies