September 15th, 1999
Fiorentina keeper says penalty save was lucky

By Gideon Long

FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - Fiorentina goalkeeper 
Francesco Toldo said he had never expected to face a penalty 
from Nwankwo Kanu in Tuesday's European Champions League tie 
against Arsenal and had been lucky to save it. 
"I'd been studying Arsenal's penalty takers with (reserve 
team goalkeepers) Giuseppe Taglialatela and Gianmatteo Mareggini 
all week. It's something we often do," Toldo said after the 0-0 
draw in Florence.
"We studied a couple of players in particular, analysing 
them closely, and then I suddenly found myself facing a third 
player I knew nothing about. 
"At that point it was just a lottery. I dived to one side 
and fortunately it was correct."
Toldo, who gave away the penalty by pulling down Fredrik 
Ljungberg as the Swedish midfielder tried to round him, had been 
expecting Dennis Bergkamp to take it but the Dutch striker 
backed out. 
"Our usual penalty taker Bergkamp didn't take it because he 
missed one recently," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger explained. 
"If the ball didn't go into the net it's because the 
Fiorentina keeper did well and not because Nwanko made a 
mistake. Anyway, I don't judge my players solely on the basis of 
one penalty kick." 
Toldo had denied Ljungberg as early as the 11th minute with 
a fine reflex save and his 79th-minute save from Kanu denied 
Arsenal a victory they richly deserved. 
"Toldo the Magnificent" ran the front page headline in 
Gazzetta dello Sport, which gave the 27-year-old keeper its 
man-of-the match award. 
The penalty save also helped Toldo forget a dreadful 
85th-minute blunder he made on Saturday which cost his side two 
points in their 2-2 draw at Reggina in Serie A.
Arsenal will nevertheless take heart from their performance 
and will head into their home tie with AIK Stockholm next week 
in confident mood. 
The Londoners dominated the centre of midfield and the 
experience of Tony Adams and Martin Keown in the centre of 
defence was more than a match for Fiorentina's glittering 
forward line of Gabriel Batistuta, Predrag Mijatovic and Enrico 
Chiesa.
Marc Overmars had the better of his tussle with Czech 
defender Thomas Repka on the Arsenal left while Bergkamp made 
Pasquale Padalino sweat in the centre of the Fiorentina defence. 
Fiorentina coach Giovanni Trapattoni will be less confident 
heading into next Wednesday's away clash with Barcelona. 
His three-man attack was largely toothless, Batistuta looks 
out of form and the former Bayern Munich coach may be tempted to 
drop one of his forwards in favour of an extra defender at the 
Nou Camp.

Taken from The Daily Soccer
www.dailysoccer.com