Italy opens their account in style

It was yet another disappointing start to the FIFA World Cup for England as Italy got better of them on the night when something special was expected form an exceptionally talented English side. Italy emerged winners at the end of the 90 minutes with a score line of 2-1 as they followed the typical Italian style of football to suppress the star-studded English side.

The match really reached up to its expectations right from the very beginning as both teams tried to grab the advantage early on in the match. However the defense stood tall for both of the teams to deny any sort of early advantage to either team. But it was a sheer tactical move that ensured that Italy opened the scoring on the night. Italy won a corner in the 35^th minute of the match which they took in a different. Two short passes square of the field and a brilliant dummy run form Andrea Pirlo left Marchisio with lot of time and space to have a go at the English defense. Marchisio made no mistake as he found the bottom right corner of the net with a low drive and give Italy a well-deserved lead in the 34^th minute. England did not have to wait long for the equalizer as Wayne Rooney’s perfectly measured cross found Daniel Sturridge behind the Italian defense who had to do the simplest of the jobs of just tapping in the ball behind the line. The first half ended with the teams locked at 1 goal each.

Italy however grabbed the all important second goal within 5 minutes after the lemon break. Mandreva’s brilliant centre behind the English defense found the head of Mario Balotelli to find its way into the net. England then pushed forward in search of the equalizer but the Italian defense was too good for the English to find a way out. Wayne Rooney missed a golden opportunity towards the middle of the half to restore parity but he fired wide from inside the penalty area.

The 2-1 scoreline was just the perfect star for the 4-time world champions Italy. England really needs to pull up their game as the likes of Raheem Starling, Daniel Sturridge, and Danny Welbeck showed glimpses of their talent. Hope that it doesn’t get too late for England till they hit the peak of their performance as they are still have Uruguay and Costa Rica to play against them.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.