Italy, What a Shame! Spain Through on Penalties

VIENNA (Austria), 22 June 2008 - The adventure is over. Spain beat Italy 4-2 in the penalty shootout and send them packing. The magic of Berlin disappears on a hot Vienna night. After a goalless 120', De Rossi and Di Natale miss their penalties, while Buffon manages to stop Guiza's shot. It's time to turn the page; the world champions are out of this championship.

CONFIRMATIONS - Donadoni starts with the same system he used in their match against France in Zurich. But the 4-3-1-2 sees some forced changes in midfield, due to the absence of Pirlo and Gattuso. The new midfield consists of Roma player Aquilani, from kick-off, on the right, De Rossi in the middle and Ambrosini on the left. And Donadoni keeps his faith in attacking midfielder Perrotta, who plays behind Toni and Cassano. Aragones also makes few changes: 4-4-2, with the usual 4-player midfield with Iniesta on the right and Senna just behind the attacking line.

SPAIN ON A ROLL - The Italians start in attacking mode with good pressing but Spain immediately puts on the brake. The Spanish play wide and at low speed, but they seem to be more in control of the game. On 9' Silva moves to the centre, but his left-footed shot is deflected and then blocked by Buffon. Nothing special, but it's proof that Spain is controlling play. Sampdoria player Cassano is Italy's most inspired player, but although he is a very quick dribbler there is no support for him, and finds himself double marked.

SUFFERINGS - In the 18th minute there's Torres; he enters the box from the left and receives the ball from Iniesta but his shot on goal is too high. This should send a signal to Italy. On that side the Spanish are roaming free: Aquilani cannot bear the weight and he is bogged down by his responsibility. Then, on 19' it's Italy's turn. Ambrosini's cross from the left finds Perrotta but his header lacks power; no problem for Casillas. In the 23rd minute it's again Ambrosini who steps on the accelerator, but he does not pass the ball immediately to Toni, who is clearly lagging behind. Spain come close to scoring with Villa on 25': his free kick finds his way through a group of legs but Buffon catches it on the ground.

CASSANO HAS A GO - Italy seem to come out of their cage, but nobody is taking the lead and Perrotta is having difficulties. Spain is doing better and in the 32nd minute Silva challenges Buffon once again. But it is Cassano who produces some magic four minutes later after having received the ball from Ambrosini; his cross for Toni is perfect, but the striker does not jump: a missed opportunity. The Spanish reaction is fearsome: in the 38th minute Silva hits the bar on Buffon's right from just outside the box. Spain are the better side and Italy is struggling in midfield where De Rossi and Ambrosini have to work extra hard, which reduces the number attacks via Zambrotta and Grosso on the flanks.

CHIELLINI MAGIC - Silva immediately puts his mark on the game in the second half, but Chiellini refuses to budge and there is no way through. The young Juventus players is doing overtime but he needs to make himself heard because his team is not filtering. In the 10th minute Torres muscles Panucci off the ball but his cross is cut out by Chiellini. Italy look ready to surrender. Then on 13' Camoranesi comes in for Perrotta. And the team seriously needs him. In the 16th minute he comes close to scoring but the outstanding Casillas intervenes with his left foot. With Fabregas and Cazorla (Xavi and Iniesta out) Spain has more possession of the ball, but Italy hang in there

MORE TEAM PLAY - Camoranesi has put things in order and restored balance. On 29' Di Natale replaces Cassano, but Spain is in command again. On 35' Buffon punches clear Senna's fierce freekick. And one minute later Italy are saved by the bar when Buffon spills a shot by the same player. Italy try again with Toni, who misses by a few centimetres. And in the 38th minute Toni robs Grosso of a big scoring opportunity when he receives a cross by Di Natale. Torres gets off and Guiza comes on and the final minutes are frenzied. Zambrotta saves Italy by blocking Villa in the 93rd minute.

THRILLS - Extra time is immediately exciting, because in the third minute Villa flashes a shot wide. But two minutes later Italy come close to scoring on two occasions: first Marchena intercepts a pass to Toni then a header by Di Natale's is tipped over. And Italy is kicking itself because they have the best chances. Both teams are now purely relying on instinct and passion. Del Piero comes on for Aquilani on 108'. The Spanish also keep trying; Buffon saves a Villa shot: Italy are struggling hard and in the 120th minute Cazorla drags a shot wide and it's penalty time. And this time Spain do not fail.

Text Source: Gazzetta.it (http://english.gazzetta.it/More_sports/Primo_Piano/2008/06_Giugno/22/ita-spa.shtml)
Image Source: Gazzetta.it

Italy and Heart, the Euro Adventure Continues. Quarterfinals vs. Spain

The “biscuits” are only Scandinavian. The miracle of bern repeats itself, but this time it is Italian and not German, like in the 1954 World Cup. Italy gets rid of the Portuguese nightmare and advances to the second round. Italy was great against France and while they beat the French team coached by Domenech 2-0, something they have not done in regular time since the 1978 World Cup, The Netherlands beat Romania 2-0, allowing us to advance to the quarterfinals that will be played on Sunday, the 22nd, in Vienna, against Spain.

Pirlo and DeRossi with a goal each in each half give Italy the win after the team dominated a France that came close to scoring only a few times. Donadoni made some changes with respect to match tied last Friday against Romania. Gattuso was back and Cassano starter. Del Piero and Camoranesi were on the bench. Perrotta played behind the forwards, Toni and Cassano.

Domenech kept Thuram out, with Abidal and Gallas in the middle. Up front, Benzema Henry, Malouda on the bench. The match was refereed by the Slovakian Michel. In Zurich it was raining as it had been for the past two days stopping only a couple of hours this afternoon. When the national anthems wer eplayed a splendid rainbow framed the two teams on the field. Italy in white.

The first minutes were played in anh almost surreal silence, both teams seemed to be afraid. Italy has the first occasion on 4’, rebound Toni, Abidal, the ball is there and Toni shoots but his shot goes off to the side. A good occasion. France loses Ribery after only nineminutes after the player clashes with Zambrotta and spains his left ankle. Nasri substitutes. Italy tries again with Panucci haeding the ball the is blocked by Makelele on the net line. Italy is still not lucky. On 22’, Pirlo serves Perrotta who is all alone in front of Coupet, but is not able to control the ball. On 24’, another fantastic pass from Pirlo to Toni, the forward controls perfectly, but just as he is ready to shoot Abidal fouls and Michel grants the penalty kick to Italy and red-cards Abidal. Andrea Pirlo scorse. Buffon does not watch. Italy goes ahead. Nasri goes out and in goes the former Juventus player, Boumsong. Italy almost scores again with a shot from the distance by DeRossi that is just over the crossbar. Italy almost scores again on 28’ with a shot by Toni. Pirlo serves Toni again and his shot is too high.

Another chance for Toni one minute later, but his aim is off. France has a chance with Henry on 34’: the forward from the right tries with a diagonal shot, but his shot is fortunately off to the side. Italy backs up a little and France tries to push ahead. On 43’, Italy is unlucky again: free kick by Grosso and the ball hits the goalpost after a deviation by Coupet (his teammate on the Lyons team). The first half finishes. The second half starti with a chance for France with a shot by Benzema that is too high. Buffon saves on a shot from the distance by Henry. On 10’, the stadium explodes in a cheer because of the goal by Huntelaar.

On 16’, great pass by Cassano for Toni, by the pass from the Sampdoria player is a little too long. One minute later, Italy scores. Free kick from 30 meters, DeRossi shoots, but Henry deviates the ball and sends Coupet off to the other side of the net. Italy is ahead 2-0. The midfielder makes a crazy rush to Gamberoni on the bench, while Materazzi runs to Buffon. CAmoranesi goes in for Perrotta.

Our team has the best goalkeeper in the world and he proves this on 29’ when he deviates a shot by Benzema. Italy controls the match and Alberto Aquilani makes his debut in these European Championships after going in as the nineteenth player used by Donadoni. The match ends, and the team returns to Baden, in five days they play against Spain, and they will have to do without Pirlo and Gattuso, both disqualified.

Here is the scoreboard of the match: FRANCE-ITALY 0-2

France (4-4-2): Coupet; Clerc, Abidal, Gallas, Evra; Govou (21’ st Anelka), Toulalan, Makelele, Ribery (9’ pt Nasri- 25’ pt Boumsong), Benzema, Henry. Substitutes: Frey, Mandanda, Thuram, Squillaci, Sagnol, Vieira, Malouda, Diarra, Gomis. Head coach: Domenech

Italy (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso; Gattuso (36’ Aquilani), De Rossi, Pirlo (10’ st Ambrosini); Perrotta (19’ st Camoranesi); Toni, Cassano. Substitutes: Amelia, De Sanctis, Gamberini, Barzagli, Materazzi, Del Piero, Borriello, Quagliarella, Di Natale. Head coach: Donadoni

Referee: Michel (Svk)
Scorers: 24’ pt penalty kick Pirlo, 17’ st De Rossi

Notes: yellow-carded Evra, Pirlo, Chiellini, Govou, Gattuso, Boumsong, Henry. Recovery 3’ pt, 3’ st. Spectators about 30,585.


Text Source: FGCI (Italian Soccer Federation) http://www.figc.it/en/204/19021/2008/06/News.shtml
Image Source: Euro 2008 (http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/index.html)

Captain Boost for Donadoni

Italy have received the late boost that Fabio Cannavaro will be able to give a captain's contribution from the dug-out.

The Azzurri skipper, who is already on the road to recovery following last Wednesday's ankle operation, has been given the go-ahead by UEFA to participate in Euro 2008 from the bench.

Meanwhile, Marco Materazzi appears to have done enough in training to convince Roberto Donadoni of a starting slot in place of the Real Madrid player.

The Italy coach appeared relaxed in the final press conference before the match against the Netherlands but refused to shed further light on the World Champions' line-up.

However, Gianluigi Buffon in goal should be protected by a four man defence made up of Christian Panucci, Andrea Barzagli, Marco Materazzi and Gianluca Zambrotta.

In midfield, AC Milan pair Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo will more than likely be supported in the centre by AS Roma's Daniele De Rossi with Mauro Camoranesi and Antonio Di Natale out wide.

The Udinese striker, who scored two goals in Italy's defeat of Belgium in the last warm-up match has apparently fended off the challenge of Serie A top scorer Alessandro Del Piero to provide the service for frontman Luca Toni.

Source: SerieA.Tv (www.seriea.tv)

Mourinho Takes charge at Inter, Insisting Chelsea Stars want to Work with Him Again

APPIANO GENTILE, Italy: Jose Mourinho believes his former Chelsea players want to join him at Inter Milan.

"I think it is normal ... that almost all of them want to work with me in the future," Mourinho said Tuesday after being officially unveiled at Inter's training ground north of Milan. "These rumors are normal."

The Serie A champion's new coach would have to renew hostilities with his former boss Roman Abramovich to lure the likes of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard from the London club.

Any moves in the transfer market will depend on "if Chelsea wants to sell," said Mourinho, who agreed a three-year contract Monday to replace Robert Mancini.

Mourinho was keen to downplay his self-styled "Special One" nickname.

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"I believe I have arrived at a special club, and when the club is special, a coach becomes one of many," Mourinho said. "I never forget that I am a great coach but I don't want to be special."

The 45-year-old Portuguese manager isn't ready to reveal his transfer targets.

"I want to start a cycle with the same team from last year, plus one, or two, maximum three new players," Mourinho said. "The team will be more or less the same as last year, but I think differently than Roberto.

"This is far from being a criticism, because if Roberto were to go to Chelsea, things would change there. It's normal."

Mancini, who was fired last week despite winning a third straight Serie A title, has been linked to a possible move to Chelsea. Mourinho, who won the 2005 Champions League with FC Porto, suddenly parted company with Chelsea last September after failing to deliver European glory — despite winning two league titles for the London club.

"I will always, always, always support Chelsea and wish them all the best with their new coach, but if Chelsea meet Inter in the Champions League, then I won't know any of them," Mourinho said. "Chelsea is over for me — not in my heart, but in my thoughts. At this moment, I want to start a new life and I do not want to talk about Chelsea."

Mourinho said he was joining the Italian league at the right time.

"The Serie A is not the best championship in the world," Mourinho said. "I believe that the Serie A is on a road that can bring it to be the best in the world."

Mourinho said 11 teams in Europe — four English, three Italian, three Spanish and one German — were targeting the Champion's League title.

"I say without fear that Inter is one of the eleven," Mourinho added.

With key members of his new squad at the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland, Mourinho will have to wait until July to start working on next season.

"If I have waited seven or eight months, I can wait another month," he said, preferring to look ahead and not back.

"Forget who has won. Who won, won. It's history. We need a new book," he said.

Mourinho said he was looking forward to July 15 when the full squad will be assembled for the first time.

"I am both easy and difficult to work with. It is easy for those who work well and know the team is more important than himself. It is hard for those who are lazy and who aren't team players."

Mourinho, who spoke fluently in Italian, was quick to catch on to a reporter's question about how long he'd been studying the language.

"I am very smart," Mourinho said. "You want to know when Inter started to talk to me for the first time," adding that he has been studying Italian for about a month.

Declining for a second time to name Chelsea players on his wish list, Mourino even switched to the Milanese dialect.

"I am not stupid," Mourinho said.

Source: Herald Tribune (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/03/sports/EU-SPT-SOC-Inter-Mourinho.php)

Italy Touchdown for Euros

Italy have begun their European Championship after arriving at their Baden base in Austria.

Coach Roberto Donadoni and his 23-man squad immediately got down to business after an afternoon press conference with an evening training session at the Bundesstadion Sudstadt in Enzerdorf.

Italy are, of course, current World Cup holders and Donadoni said: "The final against France is in the past but we are here to continue the work we started two years ago.

"We deserve to be here and we will take the pitch with the same determination we have already shown."

However, the first session got off to a bad start when captain Fabio Cannavaro had to be stretchered-off with a ankle injury following a challenge from fellow defender Giorgio Chiellini.

The Azzurri will kick-off their tournament on Monday, June 9 against Holland in Berne, Switzerland.

Source: SerieA.Tv (www.seriea.tv)

Pato Takes Charge

Alexandre Pato is already beginning to leave his mark at AC Milan.

The 18-year-old has played ten games and scored six goals so far this season to help earn the Rossoneri 23 points from a possible 30 available.

In fact, the San Siro giants have garlanded the same number of points over this period as the in-form AS Roma and two more than league leaders Inter.

The teenager's arrival at the club in January mirrors that of Ronaldo's move from Real Madrid at the same time last season.

Then, the 31-year-old scored five goals to fire coach Carlo Ancelotti's side towards a Champions League place.

With Ronaldo's career on hold as he recovers from his recent to repair a ruptured knee ligament and fellow-frontman Filippo Inzaghi sidelined with a hernia, the former Internacional starlet is set to play an even greater role in the chase for a Champions League spot.

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Napoli Halt Inter Run

Napoli produced a wonderful performance to defeat Inter 1-0 and end the champion's unbeaten league record.

The home side, roared on by a packed San Paolo stadium, took the lead within three minutes.

Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar was forced to rush from his goal to make a hurried clearance but could only direct the ball to Marcelo Zalayeta who lobbed into the empty net.

Ezequiel Lavezzi was causing the Nerazzurri all sorts of problems with his mazy runs.

After firing just wide, the Argentine striker nearly caused Marco Materazzi to put through his own net but Julio Cesar clawed the ball off the line.

Napoli poured forward after the break and only a sharp save kept Marek Hamsik from doubling the scoreline.

Zalayeta missed a golden opportunity to increase the lead when Julio Cesar saved the Uruguayan's penalty after the keeper was adjudged to have tripped midfielder Walter Gargano.

The defeat means that Inter's lead has been reduced to six points over AS Roma.

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Maldini the Millennium Man

Paolo Maldini has been celebrating another historic milestone in his illustrious career.

The 39-year-old made his 1,000th appearance in professional football when he came on as a substitute for AC Milan against Parma on Saturday.

He said: "I would like to dedicate this achievement to my family, in particular my mother who has followed me all these years and has always backed me."

The veteran made his debut as a 16-year-old back in 1985 and in that time has amassed 126 caps for Italy as well as winning seven Italian league titles.

Ever the consummate professional, the defender was more disappointed with the Rossoneri's draw at Parma than celebrating his own achievements.

He added: "I've played my 1,000th match, it is a number that remains impressive, it is only a shame that we haven't won the three points but there are always highs and lows."

Coach Carlo Ancelotti's side have now drawn their last two Serie A games and remain just outside the final Champions League spot in fifth place.

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