France 98 - Group B: Italy v Austria

Tuesday 23 June 1998

Stade de France, Paris

And so we reach the third round of group matches, where both matches in each group are played simultaneously.  Over in Nantes, Chile play Cameroon, whilst on the outskirts of Paris, heavyweights Italy meet Austria.  Everything is up for grabs in this group - Italy lead on four points, Chile and Austria sit below on two, with Cameroon propping up the group on one point.  Anybody can still qualify - and anyone can still go home.

48 mins

After a cagey first half, Gli Azzurri draw first-blood after Peter Schottel puts in a clumsy tackle on Alessandro Del Piero on the left.  Del Piero delivers a perfect free kick into the Austrian six-yard box, and with the Austrian defence is disarray, and goalkeeper Michael Konsel seemingly caught in no-man's-land, Christian Vieri meets the ball with a firm downwards header, his fourth goal of the group stages.  Over in Nantes, Jose Luis Sierra's smashing free kick edges Chile closer to the second qualification slot, before Cameroon's Rigobert Song is dismissed for a senseless claw at the face of Marcelo Salas.  unperturbed, Cameroon level through Patrick M'Bomna a few moments later- it's all to play for there.

90 mins
It looks like Italy have shut the Austrians out for another classic 1-0, when Filippo Inzaghi breaks down the right to a lovely ball from Roberto Baggio.  Inzaghi brings the ball into the box, draws the goalkeeper, before a simple square ball back to Baggio, who seals the win with a tap-in.  Lovely stuff!

90+2 mins
Hannes Reinmayr powers into the box, and in the tangle of legs that follows, is brought crashing to the ground by Alessandro Costacurta.  Referee Paul Durkin has doesn't hesitate in pointing to the spot, and Andreas Herzog has no problem in slotting home the spot-kick.  It's Austria's third goal of the tournament, although strangely, all three of their goals have come in added time following 90 minutes.

Italy are through as group winners, and are rewarded with a tie against Norway.  But with Austria out of the picture, it would be winner takes all in the group's other match.  Drawing 1-1 and into the last two minutes, Cameroon's hopes of victory all-but disappear when Lauren loses his head, and flies in on the stationery Salas, catching him with all elbow on the way, sending Cameroon down to nine men, and putting them on the plane home.  It's Chile through to the second round, where they already know their fate - an unenviable tie against the holders, Brazil.