Good operation for Italy on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Cup Group Stage. Indeed, out of the three Serie A teams still left in the competition, all of AC Milan, Udinese, and Sampdoria were victorious, achieving wins over Heerenveen (3-1), Tottenham (2-0), and Partizan Belgrade (2-1) respectively.
Not only that, but Thursday night was special because it marked a very rare event in football history: Gennaro Gattuso scored a goal! 
And, AND… made an assist! Grande Ringhio! 
The Azzurri have arrived in Sofia Friday, around 8:00pm local time. The players were greeted by the usual groups of photographers, camera crew, and even a small group of Italian supporters, who will no doubt be present on the stands of Levski Stadium tomorrow, as Bulgaria host Italy for the South Africa 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
One day before the match, let’s take a look at this much anticipated footy showdown, especially by the local population as Bulgaria await to encounter the reigning World Champions.
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Well… you know what they say, right? “We got the three points, that’s the most important thing”. If only…
While the saying may be true, this Italy team will not get very far by playing like they did against Cyprus on Saturday. A shaky defense, a serious lack of concentration, and a weak offensive thrust are just a few of the many things that went wrong in the first competitive match of Lippi’s 2nd coming. Which just goes to show that despite Euro 2008 may be over, the Azzurri still need some effingly serious fine-tuning. Fast.
Above all, what strikes me the most is just how important Giorgio Chiellini’s absence and Andrea Barzagli’s ineptitude are becoming. The ex-Palermo center-back (on for Gamberini very early in the match) was just appalling today, and this despite the “calming” presence of Fabio Cannavaro (back from his ankle injury). Really, thank GOD for Gigi Buffon (in Superman-format today) and Antonio Di Natale, who might very well have sucked during the Euros but who has just stamped the Azzurri’s forward position with a big “MINE, DO NOT TOUCH” sign.
(From Gazzetta): Let’s not be picky here: the main take-home message today, is that Italy started their road to World Cup 2010 with a win. 2-1, 3 points, and thank you. And let’s try to put this generous and hard-working Cypriot team aside, the Azzurri played a good match and eventually deserved their wi… mwahahahhaha sorry, I just can’t keep a straight face while saying that. For those of you who aren’t following: Italy played bad.
The match’s first 20 minutes were a rare concentrate of emotions, thanks in no little part to both teams’ offensive work. Wait, let me rephrase that: thanks in large part to both teams’ defensive work (or lack thereof). For Italy in particular, I guess Alessandro Gamberini and Fabio Grosso’s 4th and 18th minute injuries probably didn’t help (both players will have to skip Wednesday’s match vs. Georgia). What certainly didn’t help was Barzagli’s entrance… kinda like seeing the Euro 2008 opening-game disaster all over again. Brrrrr…
But back to the game. We were talking about Andrea’s shortcomings… let’s talk about Gigi’s achievements. In one word: lifesaver. Without Buffon, Italy could have easily gone 2-0 down in the first quarter, had it not been for the super-keeper’s saves on Aloneftis and Constantinou. Ironically, and as I love to say on this site (”but raté, but encaissé” remember?), Cyprus immediately paid a heavy price for their poor finishing rate: on their first shot on target, the Azzurri (i.e. Totò Di Natale) took the lead (smart acceleration to fool two defenders and low hard shot inside the left post). 1-0 Italy.
Game over? Hah! Right… not with this defense (and I’m talking about both teams). After Italy’s opener, scoring chances for Cyprus just seemed to multiply faster than horny rabbits. Buffon and Cannavaro combined to deny a double shot by Okkas and Constantinou, Barzagli continued to send shivers down Lippi’s spine (almost conceding a penalty for an obvious trip inside the box), and eventually… well, eventually the home team scored. Surprised? Nikolau got through on the right wing (yet another overlap), crossed for Kostantinou, Buffon made another miracle, but could do very little on point-blank poke of Stathis Aloneftis (Cassetti nothing more than a spectator on the occasion). 1-1 in minute 28.
The match thus proceeded to the half-time break and Lippi, despite having made two changes already, was forced to use substitution nº3 for Luca Toni. Indeed, except from the fact the Bayern Munich striker was just not “in it” today, the team crucially needed some re-balancing. So exit Toni, enter Gennaro Gattuso. The substitution definitely improved things somewhat, and also particularly seemed to please Alberto Gilardino (really not in his element on the right wing). Italy started to play better, and the Cypriots’ first 45 minutes of thunder had definitely left their mark fitness-wise (the hot weather also contributing). Coach Anastasiades pulled off his big tall striker and attempted to take cover, while Di Natale tried his luck again from mid-range (wide).
In the final 15 minutes, things went from crazy to insane. Cyprus came close (three times!) to the killer blow, especially on set-pieces (two point-blank headers by Charalambous just inches wide), and Barzagli even had the chance to make amends for his mistakes with a short-range tap-in (following a parried Pirlo free-kick), lacking power in the finish however. As for Buffon, the phrase “Thank God for Gigi” once again took a new meaning…
And then: a glimmer of light in a sky full of clouds. Second minute of stoppage time: a long kick by Buffon arrived all the way to Gilardino. The Fiorentina striker let the ball drop, backheeled it towards Camoranesi in the center, who was now wide open for the shot. Instead of shooting however, the Juve winger delicately crossed it for Di Natale on the left: volley on the run and ball in the sack. 2-1 Italy. God must still like the Azzurri…
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1-2 [Match Highlights] |
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| GOALSCORERS: 8’, 92’ Di Natale (I), 28’ Aloneftis (C) |
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| CYPRUS (4-3-3): Giorgallidis – Nikolau, Christou, Charalambous, Garposiz – Charalambides, Makridis, Michail (72’ Yiasoumi) – Okkas (74’ Pavlou), M.Constantinou (64’ Christofi), Aloneftis. (bench: Morphis, Okkaridis, A.Constantinou, Maragkos). Coach: Anastasiades. |
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| ITALY (4-3-3): Buffon – Zambrotta, Gamberini (4’ Barzagli), F.Cannavaro, Grosso (18’ Cassetti) – Camoranesi, Pirlo, De Rossi – Gilardino, Toni (46’ Gattuso), Di Natale. (bench: De Sanctis, Aquilani, Iaquinta, Del Piero). Coach: Lippi. |
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Serie A is back!! Another season of Italian awesomess just kicked off this week-end, and here are the results and summaries for matchday 1. Full Video Highlights here.
Italian Calcio Blog week 1 review
Gazzetta in English week 1 review
It was a surprising day 1 in the Italian league.
At the Stadio Olimpico, last year’s second place AS Roma drew 1-1 with Napoli, who had defender Fabiano Santacroce sent off for a second yellow card in the 54th minute. Alberto Aquilani had nudged the ball home for the hosts just before the half hour, after fellow Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi had picked him out in the area. Later however, Marek Hamsik exploited the crossbar-rebound of his own header to level for Napoli, shortly after Santacroce’s sending off.
Meanwhile in San Siro Ronaldinho’s debut was spoiled by Francesco Valiano, blasting the ball home from outside the box in the 79th minute for Bologna. Massimo Ambrosini had equalized for AC Milan, cancelling out Marco Di Vaio’s goal in the first half.
AC Milan 1-2 Bologna Match Report (mCalcio)
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Inter Milan were held 1-1 at Sampdoria on Saturday in new coach Jose Mourinho’s league debut. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had opened the score for the visitors (a very contested goal tainted by a handball control), but Gennaro Delvecchio drew things level for Samp later in the second half.
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Juventus kicked off their campaign at fierce rivals Fiorentina in the evening game on Sunday, settling for the draw as Pavel Nedved’s 39th minute opener was cancelled by Alberto Gilardino in the dying minutes.
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In Sunday’s other matches, Torino beat Lecce 3-0 in Turin, Lazio came from behind to beat 10-man Cagliari 4-1 in Sardinia, Atalanta and Catania secured 1-0 home wins over Siena and Genoa, and Chievo beat Reggina 2-1 in Verona. Those teams join Bologna and Udinese, who beat Palermo 3-1 in their opening game on Saturday, at the top of Serie A.
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GOALS of the WEEKPhew! Man did I miss Serie A this summer. I mean sure Euro 2008 was nice (actually, it was not), but it lacked a high enough concentration of really spectacular goals. Thank God for Antonio Di Natale (the “Fall” version… WHY he couldn’t do it in June still eludes me)…
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This week, the goal-of-the-week award was a tough choice. Francesco Valiani’s match-winner against Milan was a pure beauty, but everyone loves a touch of class. And in cases like this one, class outranks a powerful top-corner drive.
Antonio Di Natale shows us how:
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Serie A 2008-09 Matchday 1 |
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Udinese | Palermo | .gif) |
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Sampdoria | Inter | .gif) |
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Chievo | Reggina | .gif) |
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Atalanta | Siena | .gif) |
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Torino | Lecce | .gif) |
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Milan | Bologna | .gif) |
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Catania | Genoa | .gif) |
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Cagliari | Lazio | .gif) |
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Roma | Napoli | .gif) |
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Fiorentina | Juventus | .gif) |
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Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport rated the Azzurri players at the end of their European adventure. Along with Gigi Buffon, positive scores were obtained by Chiellini and Grosso. All the strikers flunked the test, while some midfielders could have done better. The overall form however, was never great.
VIENNA (Austria), 24 June 2008 – The best? Gigi Buffon. Our European campaign won’t leave any great memories, but once again everyone’s talking about the Azzurri keeper. On Sunday evening at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, there was a heated debate in the press over whose skills were better: the Azzurri captain’s or Iker Casillas‘. A duel right down to the last save, but even though the Real Madrid keeper managed a miracle on Camoranesi’s close-range effort and saved two of the Azzurri shots from the spot, the Juventus nº1 still seems have the edge as World’s best. When accounts are settled, Buffon remains the guiding thread of the Italian national side, and a certain starting point for the next World Cup in 2010.
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Gianluigi BUFFON | |
| Riddled with shots by Holland, not even Superman himself could have held out with no protection in front of him. Then came the Mutu penalty save, other fabulous interventions, and the hope he gave Italy fans by saving Guiza’s spot-kick during the shootout. What more could he have done? | ||
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Marco AMELIA | |
| An understudy, as he knew he would be. Impeccable in training, he provided Donadoni’s cement to unite the group. | ||
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Morgan DE SANCTIS | |
| Like Amelia he had no hopes of playing, but he kept his concentration up; a professional. | ||
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Gianluca ZAMBROTTA | |
| It wasn’t the Championship he was dreaming of. After an inadequate start against Holland on the left, the new AC Milan recruit became productive on the right side. Then there was that error against Romania which led to Mutu’s goal. Against Spain he couldn’t fully display his abilities. | ||
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Christian PANUCCI | |
| Four games out of four; the message to Spalletti is loud and clear. He gave his best playing in the centre. | ||
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Giorgio CHIELLINI | |
| Exceptional against Spain, he played a true veteran’s game. At the end of the Championship the youngster can be certain of his starting place in the national team. At the heart of the defence, he was relentless. A Cannavaro nº2. | ||
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Alessandro GAMBERINI | |
| He had no chance to show off his qualities; important in training at Casa Azzurri. | ||
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Andrea BARZAGLI | |
| Unlucky; a jinxed European Championship, like Cannavaro. Only one performance against Holland to his name, and one he will want to forget very soon. | ||
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Marco MATERAZZI | |
| Overwhelmed by the orange tide, he paid the price for a mediocre season with Inter, one which started too late. | ||
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Fabio GROSSO | |
| As ever, he tracked along the wing for the Azzurri. With him the national side relived moments of World Cup glory, and against Spain he once again showed a cool head for penalties. | ||
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Alberto AQUILANI | |
| He was thrown into the mix against Spain too hastily. Out of his element, almost lost, he couldn’t achieve his potential. | ||
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Andrea PIRLO | |
| Curse that stupid yellow card against France. A bad start against Holland, then continuous improvement. Without him, the team lost its direction and its decisive touch. Irreplaceable. | ||
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Gennaro GATTUSO | |
| Out of form (and it showed) but he never held back. The absence of his weight in midfield was felt in Vienna. | ||
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Daniele DE ROSSI | |
| Among the best players of the championship, though he had some problems against Spain. Unfortunate to miss his penalty, but the Roma player, who is always willing to take a spot kick, was suffering a muscle problem. | ||
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Mauro CAMORANESI | |
| Once he came on, the match against Spain took a new turn; perhaps if he’d played from the start things would have been different. Improved throughout the tournament, with a great goalscoring chance and a perfect penalty. | ||
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Simone PERROTTA | |
| Out of form, and against Spain it really showed. On the other hand there wasn’t much more he could do, lacking support from Toni and Cassano. | ||
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Massimo AMBROSINI | |
| His usual combative self in midfield, providing the spirit and pressure of the team, and creating depth of play. | ||
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Luca TONI | |
| The mystery of the tournament. Heavy and ungainly, he never achieved acceptable form. Though he did win the penalty against France and Abidal’s resulting red card, not enough by LucaBomber standards. | ||
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Marco BORRIELLO | |
| With Toni so out of sorts, he might have provided the added edge that was needed; a real shame. | ||
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Antonio DI NATALE | |
| Coming on against Spain, he revitalised play as only he knows how, making up for his poor start against the Dutch with several crosses and going close to goal. Shame about the penalty. | ||
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Fabio QUAGLIARELLA | |
| Only played a few minutes; he deserved more of a chance too. | ||
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Antonio CASSANO | |
| At the end of the day, another disappointment after much promise. Only the good performance against France remains to his credit, but in Vienna a more practical and less flashy Cassano was needed. | ||
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Alessandro DEL PIERO | |
| He had a great chance against Romania and messed it up. Absent. | ||
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Do you agree with Gazzetta’s ratings? Let us know in the comments.
I’ll get you started: I would give Camoranesi and Ambrosini 6.0 (not 6.5). Ambro did his job but made a few mistakes too many, and Camoranesi had a fairly okay game vs. Spain (and good penalty) but really not much else before that. In his defense, Donadoni was playing him as center attacking midfielder, not exactly his ideal position.
Finally, too generous on Di Natale (5.5 for me) since the Udinese striker was absent vs. Netherlands and seemed too psychologically affected by the boos vs. Spain. And too harsh on Cassano and Del Piero (an extra 0.5 for me), even though I will agree that a lot more was expected from them.
Have your say below.
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