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.