Roberto Baggio's delight was Gianfranco Zola's despair yesterday as Chelsea's hero of Stockholm lost out in the pursuit of a place in Italy's World Cup squad.
Zola's startling winner in the European Cup Winners' Cup final could not see off the challenge off Baggio, another 31-year-old, as Italy's coach Cesare Maldini opted for the forward who delivered his best-ever Serie A seasonal total of 22 goals with Bologna.
Pierluigi Casiraghi also lost out although, ironically, his omission will effectively seal his pounds 6 million move to Chelsea. The Lazio striker, 29, had been awaiting the squad before finalising the deal.
Alessandro Del Piero has been named provisionally as Italy's 22nd player because he suffered a strain in Wednesday's European Cup final. He is, however, expected to be fully fit before the June 2nd deadline.
Another surprise inclusion is veteran defender Giuseppe Bergomi. If selected, it will be the 34-year-old Inter Milan star's fifth World Cup. He made his debut in the 1982 tournament, which Italy won.
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