The great dream starts ...

Press, 31 May 1986, Page 80

The great dream starts ...

NZPA-Reuter Mexico City Four years after its remarkable triumph in Spain, Italy has the honour of opening the thirteenth World Cup finals against Bulgaria tomorrow in the fittingly spectacular Aztec Stadium.

Argentina, and South Korea.

Italy’s manager, Enzo Bearzot, who converted the Italians Into bornagain adventurers in Spain, has kept faith with his 1982 squad in spite of a series of disappointing results and his line-up is likely to contain seven survivors of four years ago.

Italy’s 3-1 defeat of West Germany in the 1982 final, which followed Impressive wins over Argentina, Brazil and Poland, had Its former president, Sandro Pertinl, aged 81, dancing a jig of delight beside King Juan Carlos in Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium.

That means AC Milan’s Paolo Rossi, the scorer of six priceless goals in the last World Cup, will probably lead the attack in spite of the claims of the Verona striker, Giuseppe Galderisi, the man with whom he Is swapping clubs next season.

However, the Italian reign has been an unhappy one and the highly talented Bulgarians will pose a considerable threat in group A, which also includes the 1978 World Cup winners,

Galderisi has been the more impressive in training but Mr Bearzot looks on Rossi, who took time to adapt to the high altitude of Mexico, as a talisman and he gave a clue to his thinking when

he said: “Experience will be vital, especially in the opening game.” Mr Bearzot tends to adopt a fatherly tone whenever Rossi is mentioned and he dismissed any criticism of Italy’s 1982 national hero by saying: “It is always harder for Paolo, to shine. He tends to be marked tighter because he is a star.”

but they could be one of the surprises of the 1986 tournament

© The English team doctor, Vernon Edwards, who suffered a suspected heart attack during England’s World Cup warmup win over Monterrey on Thursday, had ignored medical advice not to attend the match, said a heart specialist, Jose Luis Assad, yesterday.

The opening game traditionally ends in a Dr Assad, the head of goal-less draw, Belgium’s the cardiology unit at the 1-0 victory over Argen- Jose A. Muguerza Kostina in Spain being the P !tal where Dr Edwards one exception of recent Is making a steady reyears, and both Mr Bear- covery, said he had seen zot and the Bulgarian the England doctor and coach, Ivan Vutsov, warned him not to attend would not be too disap- the game. pointed if that trend con- “He told me he wanted , to go and I warned him While Rossi, Bruno not to, but I could underConti, Alessandro Alto- stand he wanted to be belli and Antonio Cabrini with the team. I gave have a worldwide follow- him some pills and he ing, the Bulgarians are left the clinic,” said Dr largely unknown abroad Assad.