Thursday, June 24, 2010

Robert Vittek goal inspiring to win and put them through to the second round : Slovakia 3-2 Italy












Holders Italy exit in the World Cup group stage when they lost 3-2 to Slovakia on Thursday having been largely outplayed.

Slovakia's win put them through to the second round.

Striker Robert Vittek scored after 25 and 73 minutes and Kamil Kopunek added a third in the 89th for World Cup debutants Slovakia in their final Group F match at a stunned Ellis Park, where Italian flags stopped waving almost from the start.

Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quagliarella scored for Italy.

Slovakia, who made four changes to boost their attacking options given they had to win to have any hope of qualification, started brightly and showed a speed of movement which Italy have severely lacked all tournament.

Slovakia finished second in Group F to Paraguay. The Italians were last, the first time they'd ever finished at the bottom of an opening-round group.




Team Line-Ups:

Slovakia: Jan Mucha, Peter Pekarik, Martin Skrtel, Jan Durica, Radoslav Zabavnik, Zdeno Strba (Kamil Kopunek 87'), Miroslav Stoch, Marek Hamsik, Robert Vittek (Stanislav Sestak 92'), Juraj Kucka, Erik Jendrisek (Martin Petras 95').

Italy: Federico Marchetti, Gianluca Zambrotta Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, Domenico Criscito (Christian Maggio 45'), Riccardo Montolivo (Andrea Pirlo 55'), Daniele De Rossi, Gennaro Gattuso (Fabio Quagliarella 45'), Vincenzo Iaquinta, Simone Pepe, Antonio Di Natale.

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