Italy Exits
The most spectacular victory and the most inglorious exit all in the same game! Ask those who watched the football match between Italy, the reigning World Cup Champions, and the little heard of team from Slovakia. You are reminded of the phrase… What a fall it was, my friend!
My heart goes out to the millions of Italian fans who turned up with enthusiasm and gaiety written all over their faces and had to return home crest fallen and dejected. Who do you blame for this debacle? The ageing Italian team? The Coach? Or just plain lack of fighting spirit? Or a combination of all of these, perhaps?
Italian Coach Takes Responsibility for Poor Showing
Italian Coach, Marcello Lippi has been gracious enough to take all the blame. He feels dejected that he was not able to provide proper inspiration and guidance to the team and the boys just could not get their act together in the 90 minutes out there in the center. It is sad that the once formidable Azzurri team is no longer performing as a team of world beaters. One would imagine a team as experienced as Italy’s would not have to fall back upon the Coach alone for motivation and on- the- field game play.
That something had gone really wrong was evident from the way nothing seemed to be happening for the first 80 minutes of the play; precious little seemed to be going their way. As if drawing their previous games with New Zealand and Paraguay was not bad enough, to be ignominiously beaten by a first time World Cup finalist seems to be the last straw for Italian fans. World Cup 2010 has lost a bit of its tinsel with this shock exit of Italy.
Slovakia Outshines Veteran Italy
The fact that Slovakia must be commended on a solid team performance is obvious. To have been able to beat Italy 3-2 is a feather on their cap. Their inspired performance in the crucial game should be a lesson for some of the veteran teams who are struggling to make a mark in this World Cup. It was sheer joy to watch the Slovakian camp’s celebrations on the field after their well deserved victory. The team and its Coach, Vladimir Weiss, are happy men indeed, their hard work and dedication has paid off.
Major Upsets
The other big upset was that of France being knocked off by South Africa. To add to their poor performance woes the French team has some real issues with inner team discipline and morale. The French team must be sorely missing the likes of Zidane and Platini to keep the French supremacy intact. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana team mustered some admiration even though they became the first host country to crash out of the World Cup Finals in the first round.
Germany Vs England
England is just about hanging in there, though a lot is to be desired in terms of supporter expectations. Star attraction Wayne Rooney seems to be completely off color this time. His behavior off the field is drawing more comments than his performance on the field. Germany’s recent win against Ghana has thrown up interesting possibilities of watching a great, young team in action. Germany’s play off with England is something to watch out for this coming Sunday. So fasten your seat belts folks and gear up for some real fun in the clash of the European Titans!
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