World Cup 2010: Italy 2-3 Slovakia - Full Time Review
Four time World Cup winners, and current holders, Italy go into the match against Slovakia with their qualification hopes on the line. The group was wide open and any of the four teams (Italy, Slovakia, New Zealand, Paraguay) could have qualified for the next round. Itay stuck to their tried and tested system with De Rossi holding the midfield, and Iaquinta upfront on his own. The Slovakians, on the other hand, have two upfront in Jendrisek and Vittek with influential player hamsek on the wings alongside the former Chelsea man Stoch.
The game started off at a cautious pace with both teams showing signs of nerves. The first chance of the game fell to the Slovakian Captain Hamsik in the 5th minute. The Italian defence was caught napping but Hamsik’s left footed shot went wide of the goal and the score stayed 0-0. Iaquina had the ball in the back of the net but the referee blew his whistle and stopped the play because he had fouled a Slovakian player before pulling the trigger.
The play was continuously being broken up with players on both sides taking their opponents down after a couple of passes were made. The first player to be booked was Strba, the Slovakian midfielder.
The Slovaks took the lead in the 25th minute when Vittek shot past Marchetti, who could do nothing about a very well placed goal into the bottom left corner. A misplaced pass by De Rossi was intercepted by Kucka and passed into the feet of Vittek who made no mistake whatsoever. The reaction of Italian Coach Marcello Lippi said it all. The Italian was very displeased by his midfielder’s mistake which could cost them the game.
Cannavaro, the Italian Captian, was booked in the 30th minute of the game, as he rather cynically blocked the run of Kucka, who was Slovakia’s best player in the first half closely followed by the Captain, Hamsik. Cannavaro was lucky to escape a second booking when he commited yet another foul on Hamsik, in the 34th minute.
Marchetti was called into action from the resulting freekick after an outrageous shot, from 35 yards out, looked like it was going to be nestling in the back of the net but it was pushed away for a corner by the Goalkeeper, as Buffon looked on from the bench.
The best chance of the half for the Italians was headed over from close range by the Italian forward. The Italians got more and more frustrated as the half wore on and it culminated in a very high tackle by Gattuso on Strba, who had to be taken off on a stretcher for what looks like a bad injury.
The first half ended with the score 1-0 to the Slovaks. As it stood, the Italians were going out of the world cup whereas the Slovaks would go through in second place behind the group leaders Paraguay.
The second half started off with the Italians pressing for an equaliser. Di Natale was put through on goal in the 55th minute but he shot tamely shot wide of the goal, not even troubling the Slovak Goalkeeper. The stoppage in play allowed Italy to make their first substitution of the game, with the experienced Pirlo coming on for Montolivo. Pirlo missed the start of the tournament with an injury picked up in the pre-tournament friendlies.
The Italians tried their best to put pressure on the Slovaks, but they lacked penetration and the Slovaks looked likely to add to their single goal. The Slovak goalkeeper was also having an impressive game and pushed aside a powerful effort from Di Natale.
A stunning clearance off the line in the 67th minute by the Liverpool man, Martin Skrtel, kept the Slovaks in the game. He was in the right place at the right side with the goalkeeper out of his goal and Quagliarella’s powerful shot going into the goal. The Italians were complaining to the referee, arguing that the ball had crossed the line but the referee turned them down.
Miroslav Stoch had an opportunity in the 68th minute to put the match to bid as it was two on two at the back for the Italians. Stoch cut in from the left but his shot from the edge of the box went wide to the great relief of the Italians.
The match seemed to be settled in the 73rd minute when Vittek scored his, and Slovakia’s, second goal of the game from a corner. The usually defensively sound Italians, displayed some poor marking and it has cost them here.
The game became very open and the Italians took advantage of some complacent play from the Slovaks, who should have been more careful with their lead. Di Natale scored after the first shot was saved by the goalkeeper. The score was 2-1 now and the Italians had a real opportunity to bring themselves back into the game.
There was some controversy, as Quagliarella pretended he had been shot by the goalkeeper, but it was a token piece of cheating from the Italians in order to gain an unfair advantage. It is a shame to see that the Italians have not managed to change their unsporting behaviour for which they are infamous. Both players were booked by the referee, Howard Webb.
The Italians had a goal disallowed due to Offisde. Di Natale thought he had grabbed his hatrick but the goal was not allowed to stand, as he was correctly adjudged to be offside. The Slovaks were hanging by the skin of their teeth in the match with the Italians putting them under more and more pressure.
Slovakia appeared to have sealed the game, and their entry into the next round, in the 89th minute when the substitute, Kopunek, chipped the ball over the Italian goalkeeper from close range with his first touch of the game. An inspired substitution by the Slovak Coach but the game took another twist in the first minute of injury time as Quagliarella scored with a sublime chipped shot past Mucha.
The best goal of the game perhaps deserved to be more than just a consolation but it was not to be. The World Cup holders are out of the tournament as Slovakia go through, alongside Paragauy.
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