The Divine Ponytail: Baggio, 1994

Roberto Baggio carried Italy to the 1994 World Cup final almost on his own, then sent the last penalty of the shoot-out over the bar. The image of him standing still, head bowed, while Brazil celebrated is one of the loneliest in football.

Carrying Italy

Italy barely survived the group stage. Then Baggio took over: two goals against Nigeria in the round of 16, the winner against Spain in the quarter-final and both goals against Bulgaria in the semi-final. Five goals in three knockout games, the last of them while carrying a hamstring injury into the final.

The first final decided on penalties

The final was played in the midday heat of Pasadena, and after 120 goalless minutes it became the first World Cup final decided by a shoot-out. Franco Baresi and Daniele Massaro missed for Italy, Márcio Santos for Brazil.

The penalty

With Brazil leading 3-2, Baggio had to score to keep Italy alive. He sent the ball high over Cláudio Taffarel's crossbar, and Brazil were champions for the fourth time. Baggio later said the miss stayed with him for years.

Il Divin Codino

Italians called him Il Divin Codino, the Divine Ponytail. He is remembered as one of the most gifted players of his generation, and, unfairly, for the one kick that got away.

Frame the moment

Our framed poster The Divine Ponytail tells the story in posterised artwork with the fixture, venue and date. Choose A4 or A3, framed and ready to hang, with free shipping across India. See more in our World Cup posters.

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