Baggio saves Italy The ex-'pony tail' sets up Vieri's goal and ties Chile 2-2 By Nicola Sparano Roberto Baggio has saved Italy. But he has also saved Cesare Maldini and all of us. He did so by exorcizing the demons of four years ago and by depriving Chile of a win that seemed a given. The Baggio we saw against Chile is not the drenched hare we saw donning the Juventus jersey. Well, actually, he was drenched on Thursday, from the rain and the sweat. The dew of furor that came over him at a moment when everything seemed lost. Baggio, dressed in white, donned the guise of the "saviour" of the country. He found, first in his heart and then in his muscles, the grit to save all that could be saved. And he did it virtually by himself. In the end, he first drew the penalty and then converted it. He was cold, glacial, implacable. Four years ago he blasted a shot skyward, thus forfeiting Italy's World Cup chances. This time he kept his aim low, grazing both the terrain and the post. And this time he scored, saving Italy and preventing a loss that would have been humiliating and, probably, crucial to Italy's chances in France '98. The game was terribly agonizing, as we all know. The Italian squad, regardless of who the coach is, has always been proscribed to the faint at heart, those who have a weak stomach or those whose nerves are as taut as violin strings. The Azzurri always find a way to complicate things, even when a game is evolving to their favor. Ten minutes into Thursday's match-up, the country's "redeemer" gave Vieri the most perfect assist since the days of Bruno Conti. Vieri accepted the invitation, scoring with a deft tip. 1-0 for us. Now they have to attack and we can skewer in the counter-offense, we thought. But no. Italy bungled its plays in midfield while, on the offensive line, only a few occasional scoring chances broke the monotony. The defence seemed to hold, but it was only an illusion. Nesta marked Zamorano, Cannavaro eyed Salas, while Costacurta remained further back. The plan seemed apposite, but instead it turned out to be a recipe for disaster. Chileans jumped at high balls like crickets while Italians seemed the children of a Greek demi-god, the one who always had to keep his feet on the ground, on penalty of losing his life. Zamorano and Salas made their sound checks 20 minutes after the start. The bedeviled Inter striker sorted the ball with a header, driving the ball to Salas, whose position was less then perfect. His header whizzed past Pagliuca's unguarded door. The Italian goalkeeper broke a consolatory grin, unaware that high balls would soon be fatal to him. The Chileans pressed, almost needlessly, until extra time when, due to excessive complacency by Italians, the ball reached the Italian penalty box. Cannavaro got the jitters and fumbled the ball, giving the South Americans a corner kick. From there, Chile made a fool out of our defence. The shot did not reach the goal, but rather it reached the penalty spot, where the Inter striker was placed. Zamorano raised himself aloft about half a metre above Nesta and headed it in. The ball hit another Chilean and the rebound turned into an invitation for Salas, who evened the scoring at 1-1. But the worst was yet to come. The second half brought unconscionable suffering. Our squad, especially the defence, was off-kilter. Salas scored again and, despite his modest height, jumped higher than Cannavaro: it's 2-1. At that point, it began to rain on Italy, and it wasn't not just water, but desperation, humiliation and surrender, as well. Maldini substituted Chiesa, Di Baggio and Inzaghi. But the man who saved the day was him, Roberto Baggio, a man whose heart and boots are golden, just like the ear-ring he now sports, and which has taken the place of the pony tail as his trademark accouterment. 2-2. But what now? Now we have a few days to reflect. And to grow, physically and as a team. We mustn't forget that Brazil, too, didn't start this World Cup particularly well, at least in its style of play, even though the end result was a positive one. Right now we can't even compare ourselves to the Brazil we saw against Scotland but we're still just at the beginning. Maldini must have now learned that he needs tougher people in the midfield, not Di Matteo and not even Di Livio. Di Matteo's substitute is already available, Di Biagio. Di Livio's alter-ego would be Moriero, who was supposed to be the Conti of the '98 Word Cup but who is now gathering dust on the bench. In defence there are too many alternatives. There's no guarantee that things would be better with Bergomi, Torricelli or Pessotto. Perhaps it might be worth it to keep the men who were fielded against Chile. Let's hope that they find the right physical condition and the desire to jump at high balls. In the forward line, the country's "saviour" cannot be touched, at least until he himself doesn't explicitly refuse to be added to the mix. Along with Baggio, Vieri, Chiesa or Inzaghi are fine, as long as more playable balls reach the front lines. Grow, Italy, grow. And please, wear blue. It's a color that becomes you. Without a doubt.