The defending champions are out of the World Cup.
In a game that will be remembered as one of the most dramatic in this tournament, Slovakia stunned Italy 3-2 this afternoon to snatch the second Group F qualifying slot. Paraguay advanced on schedule in the other match, playing out an easy 0-0 draw against New Zealand.
In 1966, Italian fans greeted their team with rotten fruit. In 1974, one suspects the team learned their lesson and slunk home under cover of darkness. The current bunch might want to investigate clandestine travel arrangements as well, for their reception at home after this World Cup flop will be anything but welcoming.
The champions went out tonight, extinguishing what had been a golden generation of Italian football.
It was a stunning collapse for the Azzurri, a team that seems cursed on South African soil.
Last summer, they were ousted by Brazil at Loftus Versfeld in the Confederations Cup in spectacularly improbable fashion. They fell 3-0 on the final group day, while the Americans won 3-0 over Egypt and were eliminated. Today, Italy was sent packing at Ellis Park by a team few figured to even be in contention on the final day.
As a result, Italy — picked to get out of this group easily — finished dead last in Group F ... behind New Zealand. Italy failed to win a game, scored but four goals, and took only two points.
This was a team that came in looking sub-par. Only partisans picked them to defend their crown, but many neutrals still expected them to win their group. The team was hobbled by injuries to 'keeper Gianlugi Buffon and midfielder Andrea Pirlo, removing more of their spark. And, they relied too much on the aging players: Gennaro Gattuso, Fabio Cannavaro, and of course, the largely-unavailable Pirlo.
Today, Pirlo was able to limp onto the field for the first time, giving his team a little over a half-hour, but even his creativity would not be enough. Pirlo, and his team, looked like they had just run out of time.
That Longines might explain why the champs were behind both in the run of play and on the scoreboard the entire game. Robert Vittek stunned Italy in the 25th minute when Juraj Kucka happily accepted a gift from Daniele De Rossi and chipped the ball into the box. Vittek beat two defenders to slide his shot home exquisitely past Federico Marchetti to the left post. Vittek doubled his total in the 75th when Marek Hamsik slid the ball over, allowing the striker to sidefoot it into the goal.
And that’s when the drama started. What followed was an amazing 20-minute run of play that saw punches thrown, both literally and figuratively.
Italy roared back in the 81st minute when Fabio Quagliarella forced Jan Mucha to parry the ball into the path of Antonio Di Natale, who had the whole net to shoot at. Racing in to collect the ball for a quick restart, Giorgio Chiellini tangled with Mucha in the back of the net, and appeared to exchange blows.
Suddenly the Slovaks were on the back foot, and Italy thought they had another when Quagliarella put the ball in four minutes later, but the goal was ruled offside. On the next play, Slovakian sub Kamil Kopunek scored with his first touch of the game, as he raced in alone after a routine throw-in.
It was not over.
Quagliarella chipped in an amazing goal from 25 yards out, slipping the ball between Mucha, the crossbar and the left upright. And when referee Howard Webb allowed almost seven minutes of stoppage, there was agony for the Eastern Europeans as Italy pressed again and again. In the end, the Slovaks hung on for the biggest win in their history.
Some Italian fans will be making excuses tonight. Was Quagliarella offside? Replays suggest he wasn’t, but it was very close. Others will question the clearance of the ball off the line by Martin Skrtel in the 67th — did the ball cross the line? Replays indicated that, no, it hadn’t, but that the call was also very close.
The truth is Italy have no excuses. They were slow, lacked creativity, and are showing the strains of age. The irony is that they join France — the team they beat in 2006 — as the major disappointments of the 2010 tournament. Managers Marcelo Lippi and Raymond Domench now also share a deeper, more dubious distinction. Both men were heroes for taking their teams to the final in 2006 — and both men oversaw spectacular flameouts this time around.
Paraguay handled the Kiwis with such ease that the life was strangled from the match almost from the start. Knowing that a draw would allow them to finish as group winners and obviously aware that New Zealand’s attack was limited, the South Americans played a tactical, calm contest and were never in trouble.
There may be complaints that Paraguay did not push forward enough, but they finished unbeaten in the section to maintain South America’s so-far undefeated slate in this Cup. They wasted little energy and only once or two did their 'keeper, Justo Villar, even have to make what passed for an above-average save.
Take nothing from New Zealand’s work at this Cup. Derided as a side without the pedigree to match the rest of the field, the All Whites -- who actually played in All Black today -- leave South Africa unbeaten and with an enhanced reputation. No, they do not have the attacking flair to win at this level, but they had a tireless captain in central defender Ryan Nelsen and a bunch of other willing workers.
And, after all, it was enough to finish ahead of Italy ... they’ll remember that forever in New Zealand.
Japan got one of their biggest wins ever outside their home soil tonight with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Denmark. That the Danes haven’t been able to get it in gear this Cup isn’t going to matter to Japan’s rabid fans and press corps. Nor should it: Japan won this game straight out, slicing the Danish defense to ribbons, scaring a Premiership 'keeper, and making the most of their chances.
Man of the match Keisuke Honda got the Blues rolling in only the 17th minute, when he beat Thomas Sorensen on a direct free-kick. Sorensen, shaky all night, badly misplayed the shot, but Honda’s power and accuracy were well on display. Japan then became the first side in forty years to score twice in a Cup game off free kicks when Yasuhito Endo exposed Sorensen’s wall to make it 2-0 just a half-hour in.
Denmark would not have scored if ref Jerome Damon had not awarded a questionable penalty kick with just under ten minutes to play. Incorrectly judging Makoto Hasebe to have fouled Daniel Agger in the box (he didn’t), Damon pointed to the spot. Jon Dahl Tomasson, who hadn’t scored a goal in two years for his team saw the initial shot saved by Eiji Kawashima, but put home the rebound.
No matter. Honda promptly went down the field, set up sub Shinji Okazaki, and with three minutes left, the game was all over.
It’s sad that we must spoil a great win by Japan by again discussing the referees. Yet, once again, the man in the middle was not competent. He dished out a remarkable five cards in a game that might have deserved one, and blew the penalty call. One of those cards was for time-wasting ... in the 12th minute.
There was plenty to smile about in Cape Town, though, as both Holland and Cameroon used the occasion to put on a football exhibition largely devoid of hard tackles and played with a grand spirit of creativity and respect.
Cameroon exits without a point but did its part to entertain and there will be many who applaud Samuel Eto’o this evening. His penalty kick was the only Indomitable Lions goal but his international career has been a credit to both the player and his nation.
For the Netherlands there were two things to like: Robin Van Persie looked sharp and hungry for goals and got one to put his team on top in the first half. Even better, Arjen Robben appeared with 15 minutes left, immediately smacked one off the far left post on a movement too well-known by Manchester United supporters and watched as Klaas Jan Huntelaar tapped home the rebound for the game-winner.
TOMORROW
We end the group stages with two effectively dead games: North Korea and Cote D’Ivoire is a meeting between two teams with no future at Nelspruit; the once-marquee Portugal - Brazil pairing in Durban should be routine. (Both at 10am EDT) The afternoon games are genuinely compelling: Chile vs. Spain in Pretoria could be a dogfight while Switzerland must get something against Honduras at Bloemfoentein. (Both 2:30pm EDT)
MUST-SEE TV
Portugal vs. Brazil has a lot of big names, but neither team will risk getting hurt with dumb play. Cote D’Ivoire needs a nine goal swing, and even the hapless Koreans won’t give up as many as they did against the Portuguese last time out. So, go get brunch.
The afternoon games are thrillers: Three teams can finish on six points here ... and three can finish on three points. There’s a lot of different scenarios going on in this group, so expect all four teams to come out and play to win. Could be a lot of fun.
