World Champions Are OUT!!!

Italy came, they saw and they crashed and burned at the final hurdle. The World Champions lost to Slovakia in a pulsating encounter that included 5 goals, a great off-the-line clearance, a disallowed goal and some brave refereeing by the assistant, Darren Cann, who must be the most hated man in Italy right now...

Like England, it had all come down to this final game for the team that picked up the world cup trophy 4 years ago in Berlin. Like England, Italy had taken only 2 points from their last 2 games and with Group F wide open, it was all to play for, to qualify for the last 16. Slovakia, who had come in having won just one point, had looked decidedly sluggish in their previous game against high-flying Paraguay, and were pegged back by surprise package NZ in the last minute of their first match. Italy felt that they could win it...they didn't really have a choice...they had to if they wanted to get themselves past the group stage.

Group F was so close infact, that even if Slovakia won in this game, NZ could still surprise everyone and qualify if they beat Paraguay. The experienced and fiery Gattuso started the game in place of Gilardino in Lippi's bid to secure the holder's place in the next round. The Italian media had already criticised Italy's laboured performances in the previous two matches. So imagine what it would be like if they went on to lose this game against the unfancied Slovaks, who had shown no real attacking intent or flair in their previous two games. Before the tournament began, betters everywhere would have probably waged their houses on Italy qualifying in what looked like a relatively "easy" group. But, yet again, this World Cup which has been so full of surprises up to this moment, threw up a right stormer of a surprise in what turned out to be the best game of the tournament so far.

From the first minute, we saw that the Italians had only one thing on their mind: win, Di Natale latched onto a ball in the first minute and took a shot only to see it go wide. But the attacking intent was clear. The game was immediately open from then on, with both sides going for it, knowing that they each had to win if they were to advance. Hamsik, the much talked about Napoli playmaker, has been disappointing in the previous games, but he impressed today, almost scoring in the 6th minute. As the first half unfolded, it was surprisingly Slovakia that were in the ascendancy. They had the most possession, were able to use the ball better, were eager to run at the Italians and a lot of the chances were falling their way, clearly frustrating the Italians.

Slovakia were playing some really good football, that we had not seen in previous games. They were passing the ball well, using the full length of the pitch to do so and were making the Italians work hard to win the ball back. Despite their chances, the first goal for Slovakia actually came courtesy off a Daniele De Rossi mistake, when his pass to his own player, was pounced upon by Kucka who picked out Vittek to score his second of the tournament. It was a great lead for the Slovaks but some sloppy play by the Italians which really cost them. It totally turned the game on its head as the Italians knew that they now had to get themselves forward and score, otherwise it was the end of the road. This inevitably left them open at the back and the Italians - masters of defending, were undone yet again in the second half.

Remarkably, 4 goals were scored in the second half in a 45 minute encounter that left you breathless. Maggio and Quagliarella were brought on by a desperate Marcello Lippi at the start of the second half, in place of Gattuso and Criscito. Gattuso had previously been responsible for a nasty gash on the knee of Strba, who looked like he was going to get replaced in the first half, by the youngster Kopunek, however, vitally, that substitution was put on hold as Strba felt okay enough to carry on.

Italy had made their changes putting on as many forwards as they could allow without weakening the back. And with 10 minutes off the second-half gone and still no change in the scoreline, it was time for the Italian legend that is Andrea Pirlo to make his mark. Having missed his previous two games because of injury, Lippi had one last throw of the dice to make. This was it. He could not go back because his 3 substitutions had been made. Pirlo, had to try and change things, whether he was fully fit or not. And, he certainly made a difference when he came on. Perhaps, it was something of a psychological affect, but Italy had their best moments in the game, once he had come on to replace Montolivo.

Slovakia, began to look shaky at the back, and were rattled by this new surge of Italian energy seemingly created by the power of one man. Italy came really, really close to scoring when Quagliarella took a vicious shot at goal, only to see a superb goal-line clearance by Liverpool's Martin Skrtel. The assistant, Darren Cann's vision was blocked by Skrtel's left leg, and it was really difficult, even looking at replays of it to tell, if the whole ball had crossed the line. Cann made the right decision because he couldn't give a goal if he himself was unsure about it. Whilst Italy cursed the refereeing at one end, Slovakia went on to the other end and doubled their lead.

Slovakia had a corner, which looked to be cleared by Chiellini, but the opportunistic and alert Vittek was on hand to slot it in at the near post. It was a shock to the Italians who had looked like they were slowly making their way back into the game, but it was pure joy on the face of the Slovakians who were now 15 minutes away from a sensational victory. The goal was yet another example of shoddy Italian defending, with both Cannavaro and Chiellini - said to be two of the most experienced defenders in the world - making terrible mistakes throughout the match. It was sad to see Cannavaro, the captain who had been so inspirational in 2006, unable to match the pace of the Slovaks in what was probably his last game at international level.

The game went up a notch as Italy refused to simply keel over. Instead if they were going out, they were determined to do so, fighting. Di Natale managed to get Italy back in the game, with the scores now at 2-1. Quagliarella did really well in weaving his way into the box, past the Slovakian defenders and was great at controlling the ball, before playing a little one-two with Iaquinta and shooting at the keeper. The rebound found its way to Di Natale who slot the ball in from close-range. Quagliarella was a great substitution made by Lippi and was probably their best man on the pitch. That goal caused something of an altercation between the Slovak goalkeeper, Mucha, who had earlier been warned by Howard Webb for feigning injury and time wasting, and Quagliarella. Howard Webb did well to sort it out and the game continued in much the same fashion it had before - lots of good attacking play, open end-to-end flowing football...and poor defending.

Kopunek, the substitute that had been getting ready to come on much earlier in the game, was finally brought on in the 86th minute and what a substitution it was! With his first touch, he scored with one minute of normal time remaining. Slovakia had a throw in and Italy were unable to clear it away, allowing Kopunek to take advantage of some hesitation, and get in between Cannavaro and De Rossi (who it's fair to say didn't have the best of games) before chipping the ball sweetly over the keeper. It was a bitter blow to the Italians, who needed only a point to qualify.

And to their credit, still they kept pushing, keeping the spectators watching right until the end of this fascinating contest. With 2 minutes of injury time played Quagliarella scored a wonderful goal, De Rossi doing the hard work to set him up before he scored a delicate chip from about 32 yards out. It was a beaut of a goal and you could see the tension on the bench as Buffon, Gattuso and the rest urged on their teammates to get that all-important third goal. And they almost got it as well but Pepe could only shoot wide of the post.

Finally, after 6 odd minutes of extra time, the final whistle blew and the Italians, followed the French, out of the competition. Not only did they go out, but they finished bottom of the group, under NZ who should be extremely proud of their endeavours in the tournament. The Slovakians were confirmed runners-up when news filtered through that the other game had ended 0-0. The Slovakians went mad whilst the Italians were in tears...it was a sad sight...

So where do the former champions go from here? Both finalists of 2006 are out and for Italy, it was Marcello Lippi who asked for all the blame to rest at his door. He was going to retire after the tournament had finished, and it appears that his retirement has come a tad earlier than they would have liked. Since the tournament began, Italy looked a shadow of the side that won the World Cup, four years ago. They are an ageing team and for many of the players, this was their last chance at glory in the world cup. But, Italy will come back, stronger than ever before. They will start afresh under a new coach, with some more youthful players and will come back fighting. It is sad to see yet another European team depart the competition but Italy can have no complaints. We saw them getting back into the game far too late on for it to matter...where had that Italy been all tournament long we wonder?

As for the Slovaks, well I doubt any of them thought that they would be going on to face Holland in the knock out stages, and from the way they played today, you wonder why they weren't able to do that in the previous matches and make life a lot easier for themselves. They can cause Holland problems, we've seen that they're capable of that, but they do have things to improve on. The last 16 encounter with the Dutch will prove very interesting indeed...

On a ground, where champions were once made, a long time ago in 1995, Ellis Park has now also seen champions fall, as the World Cup bids 'ciao' to the Azzurri...

New Zealand Surprise As Paraguay Rise...(to the top of Group F that is!)

Rank outsiders and footballing minnows New Zealand pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the tournaments, by holding world champions Italy to a 1-1 draw collecting their second point of the tournament, after their last-gasp equaliser against Slovakia in the first group game. This time around it was NZ who took the lead with only 7 minutes gone. They were given a free kick outside the Italian area and it was curled in by the impressive Elliott Smith. Reid, who had scored against the Slovaks, flicked it on to Shane Smeltz who beat Cannavaro and Marchetti, in place of the injured Buffon, to give the All-Whites a shock lead. Replays showed that Smeltz was actually offside but that didn't bother New Zealand as they tried to further rattle the Azzurri.

The Italians weren't about to let NZ get away with it, and soon got back into the game after some good play in midfield by the lively Montolivo, who had impressed in the first game. The pressure on the New Zealanders soon told, as Tommy Smith was penalised for shirt-pulling in the area. The referee awarded Italy a penalty and a way back into the game. Iaquinta stepped up and beat keeper Mark Paston to get the equaliser. The sides went in on equal terms at the break with New Zealand more in disbelief than in disarray as was expected by many when the fixtures were announced before the start of the tournament.

Marcello Lippi knew after the 1-1 draw against Paraguay, Italy had to get back to winning ways, if they were to have any chance of defending their title. He brought on Camoranesi and di Natale to provide some more attacking threat and increase their chances going forward. Camoranesi had made a positive difference in the previous game and also looked lively in this game. But still New Zealand stood firm, and the winning goal eluded Italy. It was actually New Zealand who came close to getting an unlikely win when Vicelich latched on to the ball and fired his volley past the Italian defence. Unfortunately for NZ it was too high to cause any real damage. Montolivo again was doing all the hard work for Italy, chasing after every ball that came his way, and causing the All-White defence some problems. Luckily, Paston was equal to every ball that the Italians threw at him, and was on hand to make some vital saves. He, along with Smith, Blackburn's Ryan Nelsen and Reid were rock solid at the back putting their absolute heart and soul into the match, and laying down anything and everything on the line, to prevent the Italians from infiltrating. As the game wore on, I got more and more nervous for the All-Whites and was praying they could hold on to get that point.

They could have grabbed all 3, had teenager Chris Wood been able to put away a golden chance at the other end, missing the net by mere inches. The draw was no more than NZ deserved, and they still stand a chance of qualifying. What a tournament for the side that don't even have a professional league back home. In fact, substitute Barron, who came on in injury time during the game, is a semi-pro, who has had to take special leave from the bank where he works to participate. He will have felt that it was all worth it, after his side's historic draw. It may have been a draw, but it felt like a victory for the celebrating New Zealanders. As for the Italians, well they have it all to do in their next game, against Slovakia. Only victory is acceptable. But one wonders if this ageing side have got it in them to pull off a much-needed, inspired performance when it really matters...

Paraguay, continued their good form, with a great game against Slovakia, winning 2-0 and placing themselves at the top of Group F. It has been a great tournament so far, for the South American teams who remain unbeaten and on course to make it through to the last 16. Paraguay were great going forward, but also did well at the back too to keep a cleansheet.

Slovakia were really poor - there was no intensity about their play, they were inactive in going forward, they lacked movement and width to their play and were subsequently made to pay by some good Paraguayan moves and excellent pressure. Some players of note were Lucas Barrios, Valdez and Santa Cruz who were all able to combine effectively to produce some scintillating football. I was so impressed by Barrios in particular, who was so hard-working and willing to run after every ball. He was really pleasing to watch and always present in all the Paraguayan attacks.

Paraguay were yet another example of classic, South American flavour, with patient build-up play, short, sharp passing and breathtaking movement. They were a class above the Slovakians who could just sat back only offering some threat on the counter. The first goal came courtesy of a fine pass by, who else but, Barrios. It found its way over to Vera who used the outside of his boot to guide the ball into the back of the net. A lovely goal, and a sublime assist. The three forward players for Paraguay were a joy to watch, playing one-two football and causing the Slovakian defence all sorts of problems.

There was just no invention or creativity from the Slovakians. Hamsik, who plays for Napoli, was one of the ones to watch coming into this tournament, but was not able to do as much. To be fair, this was largely down to his teammates who could not rouse themselves from their slumber. Despite the Paraguayan dominance, it was not until the 86th minute, that they doubled their lead. Riveros' goal confirmed, what had always looked inevitable - a victory for Paraguay, that puts them on the brink of sealing qualification at the top of Group F. They need just a point against New Zealand to affirm this, but from the flair and innovation we saw against Slovakia, this doesn't seem at all out of the question. As for Slovakia, well it looks like their World Cup campaign has pretty much ended already. They have only one point from a possible 6, with Italy still left to play. Remember, the Azzurri will be desperate for the win, and whilst the players may be old, they still have the quality to better Slovakia.

All Square in Group F...

Do Italy have what it takes to retain their trophy? Well firstly, let's talk about what we know that they have for certain: an ageing but nonetheless experienced squad, plenty of world cup know-how, a manager who propelled Italy to their world cup win in 2006, a captain who is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world (or at least he was in 2006) and a keeper who is heralded as one of the best of the present generation. Coming into this tournament, the odds have been stacked against them winning a successive world cup: they have the second oldest squad in the competition, they have left several key players behind through injury or because they have been out-of-form and they have some waiting to return from injury, such as the influential Pirlo. In addition, they haven't had the greatest of results recently in their friendly matches. But still - did many people seriously expect them to win in 2006? So, you can't rule them out until they go out.

Last night's performance, however, did leave a lot to be desired for the Italians if they want to stay in the fight to challenge their title. They came up against Paraguay (is it me, or do there seem to be way more South American teams in the competition this year?!) who took a shock lead towards the end of the half. Before that, Italy had had most of the possession but had failed to do anything with it. Without their playmaker Pirlo, Italy were found desperately wanting in the creativity department, although Montolivo did go close. He was probably their best player in the first half. Paraguay, on the other hand, had a few chances but it was not until a free kick in the 39th minute, that they got the goal to take them into the lead. For a team, renowned for its defence, Italy surprisingly failed to deal with Alcaraz who leapt the highest to head home the goal. At half-time, Buffon was forced to come off due to a niggling back injury and was replaced by Marchetti. Paraguay could have made it 2 but ultimately Italy found their way back into the game, rather fortuitously I might add.

Yep, you guessed it...it was another goalkeeping blunder (again not quite as bad as a certain Rob Green's). Italy had a corner, and the goalkeeper Villar came across to punch it clear...and missed it horribly, gifting De Rossi with an easy tap in. We have seen this type of blunder so many times before. If, as a keeper, you are gonna come out of your goal to clear away any kind of free kick or corner, you have to be certain that you're gonna get it because otherwise this happens. Before the goal, Lippi had sent Camoranesi on. What a great substitution! He added some creativity, firepower and urgency to the game and really made a difference. Pepe was quite lively too and Italy finished the game the stronger side. Both teams pushed forward to find the killer goal but it wasn't too be. I'm glad Paraguay hung on and got the point though, because it was no less than what they deserved after a dogged performance against the world champions. Italy are gonna have to do much better if they are to at least attempt to defend their crown and they are gonna have to hope Buffon and Pirlo recover quickly. For the South Americans, they must feel they have a real chance to get themselves through to the last 16, and possibly even finish top.

The other game in the group was this afternoon: New Zealand vs. Slovakia. I must admit, I wasn't expecting much from NZ if I'm honest. Much like many people I expect. But they pleasantly surprised with their performance today. The New Zealanders were playing in only their second World Cup tournament and started of the first half, much the better side. I was quite impressed by Elliott Smith who was not bad at the set pieces. NZ played the long ball game - getting in the balls from distance and trying to create chances like that. Slovakia on the other hand, were pretty poor. They were by far the better side on paper, but failed to show their superiority in the game. Slovakia's best chances and play came from the young son of the national coach, Vladmir Weiss who was pretty impressive with his pace. On the whole, NZ were pretty decent. It was just their keeper who had a bit of a nervy performance. He miskicked a ball straight to a Slovakian player and was lucky to see it shepherded out by his defenders. Perhaps it's that end of the pitch or something that does it to a keeper - they were playing in Rustenburg after all! He had one or two other hairy moments after that as well, but managed to keep Slovakia out until 5 minutes into the second half. Robert Vittek got his head on a cross from the right and managed to steer it past Mark Paston to the relief of Vladmir Weiss Snr, watching on from the touchline. NZ had taken confidence from the fact that they had managed to keep Slovakia out for so long, but were knocked back by this early goal. They were unable to keep the ball and find a way back and Slovakia began to dominate the play. However, they could not find the second goal and looked leggy as the half wore on. They were made to pay for their complacency when NZ were awarded two great chances right at the end. It looked as though Lochhead had missed their last chance of the game to grab a point but all was not lost. In the final minute of extra time, NZ defender Reid stole away from the Slovakian defence and headed the ball past the keeper. It prompted euphoric celebration, as NZ got their first ever point in the finals of the world cup. It was a deserved point for the Kiwis and now throws Group F wide open.