Italy 2-3 Slovakia
Grief! I can hardly breathe after all that excitement. It wasn't pretty although there were moments of sublime artistry, but ultimately this game is all about goals. Goals, goals, goals. And we had five of them. In true Italian style, the Azzurri were determined to do the bare minimum to get through the group including, if necessary, scraping through with three draws. However, two draws would not be enough for Slovakia, so they were going for the win right from the off. The first goal came from Robert Vittek on 25 minutes - he took a pass from Marek Hamsik before slotting past Marchetti from the edge of the penalty area. It could have been 1-1 at half time, but for Skrtel managing somehow, to avoid putting through his own goal from a right wing cross. Honestly Martin, it was easier to score there.
Italy didn't begin to get things together until the second half introduction of Andrea Pirlo. On about 69 minutes they thought they'd scored, and who knows, if they look at the video often enough and long enough, they will have. However the English linesman decided that Skrtel's goal line clearance was in front of the line. It was very difficult to tell that so I suppose he couldn't really give a goal. Anyway, the roof fell in on Italy four minutes later when Vittek grabbed his second. And what a smart finish it was. A corner wasn't cleared very well and Hamsik's ball back into the box afforded Vittek a great chance to get in front of Giorgio Chiellini to make it 2-0. So that was it, twenty minutes left and Italy going out.
Or were they? Well no, not just yet. With ten left, a brilliant move saw Fabio Quagliarella force a great save from Mucha in the Slovak goal, only for Antonio Di Natale to poke home to make it 2-1. An equaliser for Italy would see them right again. A minute later they had the ball in the net, only for that linesman to disappoint them again. This time Quagliarella was adjudged to be off side before he slotted home. Very very close that one.
But still there's time... for another goal for Slovakia. On 89 minutes, substitute Kamil Kopunek is the coolest man in Johannesburg as he lofts the ball over Marchetti in red in the Italian goal. 3-1 and as one nation holds its breath another fears the worst. But there's still time for another goal, and what a goal. It's that man Quagliarella who chips in from the edge of the penalty area. There can be no argument over the flight of the Jubulani now. And still with less than two minutes to go there is another chance for Italy to grab that equaliser and sneak through, but Simone Pepe can't convert when unmarked on the left hand side of the penalty box. If you love football, you will have been absolutely thrilled by that game. If you don't then you've no soul.
