Recap: Italy – Ivory Coast
A new-look Italy took to the field at a rain-soaked Uptown Park, but still struggled, losing 1-0 to a much fitter and sharper looking Ivory Coast.
New coach Cesare Prandelli did a lot before the game to distance himself from the disastrous Italian team that took part in the World Cup, calling up and starting Antonio Cassano, Mario Balotelli and Amauri, three players – dubbed A-B-C by Italian press- that were overlooked by former coach Marcello Lippi. In all he made nine changes to the total team roster, and five players in the starting XI made their international debut, including Amauri and Balotelli, keeper Salvatore Sirigu, and full backs Marco Motta and Christian Molinaro.
Feeding off the mostly-pro Italy crowd, the Azzurri looked energetic in the opening minutes, with Balotelli especially eager to get involved in the action. First, the teenage fired a free kick just inches over the cross bar and then he missed the target firing off an Amauri knockback. Slowly, however, the Africans worked they’re way into the game, as Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue and Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou both tested keeper Sirigu.
The pressure continued until Balotelli was again brought down to earn another free kick. This time Daniele De Rossi, who was handed the captain’s armband for the first time, took the free kick, and much like the 19-year-old Inter sensation, he missed the target.
Cassano, meanwhile, was a constant threat, drawing fouls (including a yellow card on Eboue) and testing the Ivory Coast defense with a series of passes and crosses. However, the relative lack of match fitness in the Italian squad (the Serie A season does not start for another three weeks) was visible throughout the first half, with misfired passes and shots. The Ivory Coast, on the other hand, looked much more incisive, and they nearly took the lead on the half-hour mark, when Gervinho set up Doumbia in the box, only for him to miss the net. Angelo Palombo responded on the other side by exchanging passes with Cassano and Amauri, who headed the ball over the bar.
The teams kept the same lineups for the start of the second, and the Azzurri were close to opening the scoring almost immediately, with Motta first hitting the post and then Amauri firing wide after Pepe had left his marker for dead with an outstanding first touch. Despite these chances, it was the Ivory Coast who scored the only goal, with Kolo Toure heading in a cross at the near post between two defenders.
The first of Prandelli’s six changes followed, with Fabio Quagliarella and Marco Borriello coming in for Borriello and Amauri, and Giuseppe Rossi and Marco Cassani replacing Cassano and Motta. Rossi and Cassani instantly made an impact, with the American-born striker chipping over beautifully for Borriello – who just failed to reach the pass - and the fullback eluding his marker twice to cross for Quagliarella, who missed the net.
The Italians kept the pressure up for the rest of the second half, but were missing something in the final third, and failed to generate a proper chance. So while there were some bright spots for the Azzurri, new coach Prandelli still has much to do to right the ship. He will at least take solace in the fact that the last Italy Coach to celebrate a victory on his debut was Dino Zoff, in 1998.
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