A Final That Refused to Produce a Goal
The 1994 World Cup final was played on 17 July 1994 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Brazil and Italy, two of the most successful nations in the tournament's history, had reached the final in the United States — a country still relatively new as a major football host. The match itself was a slow, cautious affair. Both teams created chances but neither converted, and after 90 minutes the score was 0–0. Thirty extra minutes did not change that. For the first time, a World Cup final was heading to penalties.
The Shootout
Brazil missed their first penalty, taken by Márcio Santos. Italy then missed twice — Franco Baresi sent his over the bar, and Daniele Massaro had his saved by Brazil's goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel. Brazil pulled ahead. With the score 3–2 to Brazil and Italy needing to score, Roberto Baggio stepped up to take the final, decisive penalty. He skied it over the crossbar. Brazil won the shootout 3–2 and lifted the trophy. The image of Baggio standing with his hands on his hips, head down, has become one of the most famous photographs in football.
Brazil's Fourth Title
The 1994 final gave Brazil their fourth World Cup, putting them ahead of Italy and Germany on the all-time list. It was their first triumph since 1970, ending a long 24-year drought between titles. The team was captained by Dunga and led up front by Romário. The way the trophy was finally won — on penalties, after a goalless final — was new, but the result extended a familiar story of Brazilian success at the World Cup.
Shootouts at Earlier Stages
It is worth being precise about the record. Penalty shootouts had been part of the World Cup for several editions before 1994 — first used to decide a knockout match in the 1982 tournament — but only in earlier rounds. The 1994 final was the first time a shootout was needed to decide the final match itself. That distinction is what makes the match historically important: not the first shootout, but the first World-Cup-deciding one.
Source
This article was written using information from Wikipedia.