Slovakia 3-2 Italy
South Africa 2010 | Group Stage
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Attendance: 53,412
Slovakia goals: Robert Vittek (25 & 73), Kamil Kopunek (89)
Italy goals: Antonio Di Natale (81), Fabio Quagliarella (90+2)
Teams
Slovakia
Coach: Vladimir Weiss
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Jan Mucha; Peter Pekarik, Martin Skrtel, Radoslav Zabavnik, Jan Durica; Zdeno Strba, Juraj Kucka; Miroslav Stoch, Marek Hamsík, Erik Jendrisek; Robert Vittek
Substitutions: Kamil Kopunek for Strba (87), Martin Petras for Jendrisek (94), Stanislav Sestak for Vittek (92)
Italy
Coach: Marcello Lippi
Starting XI (4-3-3): Federico Marchetti; Gianluca Zambrotta, Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Cannavaro, Domenico Criscito; Riccardo Montolivo, Daniele De Rossi, Gennaro Gattuso; Simone Pepe, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Antonio Di Natale
Substitutions: Christian Maggio for Criscito (46), Fabio Quagliarella for Gattuso (46), Andrea Pirlo for Montolivo (56)
Hitherto head-to-head record
None
Going into the game
“We’re all desperate to get a win under our belts. A victory can do wonders for confidence and spurs you on to give it your all. No fear, just more focus.” Fabio Cannavaro, the national team skipper, did his best to fire his team-mates up at the press conference ahead of their crucial group-stage clash against Slovakia. The two 1-1 draws with Paraguay and New Zealand were well below expectations, and a big reaction was needed against Marek Hamsik and his men, but Slovakia were not about to go down without a fight, quite the opposite, in fact.
Their 1-1 draw with New Zealand in their opening group game had given Weiss’s men a real lift, and despite Paraguay getting the better of them in a 2-0 defeat in their second outing, they still fancied their chances of getting one over on the reigning world champions and progressing to the next round. A tough test, which made it all the more exciting. Slovakia had little to lose, going into the game as clear underdogs, and that freedom to play their own game and release the shackles really showed in Johannesburg.
The game
24 June 2010 goes down as one of the most painful days in Italian football. At Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the reigning world champions bowed out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ in the group stage in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Slovakia. A shocking fall from grace, completely unforeseen, marked the symbolic end of the Azzurri’s era that had seen them crowned world champions at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™.
Italy, with Marcello Lippi at the helm, needed all three points to secure their place in the last 16. After lacklustre stalemates against Paraguay and New Zealand, Italy went into their clash with Slovakia as firm favourites. But straight from the word go, you could tell they were not at the races: slow tempo, disjointed play, and heavy legs. Slovakia, organised and combative, started to find their rhythm.
They broke the deadlock in the 25th minute. A sloppy pass from De Rossi put it on a plate for Robert Vittek, who capitalised on the mistake to coolly slot the ball past Marchetti. It was a kick in the teeth for Italy, and they struggled to grab the game by the scruff of the neck against a stern Slovakian outfit. Slovakia went into the break with a one-nil lead.
Lippi rang the changes in the second half with a double substitution, bringing Maggio and Quagliarella into the fray. Italy continued in search of an equaliser, but in the 73rd minute Vittek struck from a corner to complete his brace, putting the tie all but beyond doubt. The second goal looked to be the final nail in the coffin for Italy.
And yet, even when they looked completely down and out, the Azzurri showed a flicker of pride and resilience. Di Natale pulled one back in the 81st minute, spurring them on with renewed vigour and determination. As Italy tried to restore parity, Slovakia delivered the final blow: Kamil Kopúnek, fresh off the bench, capitalised on a lapse in concentration in the Italian defence from a throw-in in the 89th minute to make it 3-1.
It looked like curtains for Italy, but there was still a final twist in the tale. Deep in the dying embers of stoppage time, Quagliarella conjured up a moment of magic, chipping the keeper to make it 3-2. Unfortunately for the Azzurri, it was too little, too late, as the referee called time on proceedings just after.
That defeat saw Italy finish rock bottom of the group with just two points on the board, failing to register a single win. A cruel way to bow out for a golden generation of champions: four years on, Cannavaro, Gattuso, Pirlo and Zambrotta looked a far cry from the brilliance they displayed in Berlin. The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ marked the end of an era and brought about a period of profound reflection for Italian football.
In their first World Cup as an independent nation, Slovakia pulled off a historic feat, reaching the last 16 and overcoming the reigning world champions.
Quotes
“We went from world champions to crashing out in the group stage. We’re distraught at the outcome and have to face up to it. We need to dust ourselves down after this defeat and focus on the future. It’s completely unacceptable for a country like Italy to wait that long to be world champions again.”
Fabio Cannavaro, Italy captain
“We’re bitterly disappointed. I hold my hands up. If the players played with fear, then that’s down to me not preparing them well enough.”
Marcello Lippi, Italy coach
“We played with so much belief and courage, and we’re absolutely over the moon to have reached the last 16.”
Robert Vittek, Slovakia forward
Stats
0 – Italy’s victories in the group stage of South Africa 2010. In their previous two group stage matches, Italy had shared the spoils with Paraguay and New Zealand.
1 – Fabio Quagliarella’s only World Cup appearance for Italy came in their clash against Slovakia. His last-gasp strike gave Italy hope, but it was not enough to see them through to the next round.
Trivia
Italy’s clash with Slovakia was Marcello Lippi’s final game at the helm of the Azzurri. Four years earlier, he had steered Italy to their fourth World Cup victory in Berlin.
Prior to 2010, the last time Italy had been knocked out at the first hurdle was the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany.
Slovakia have only ever made it to one World Cup – South Africa 2010. Headed up at the time by Weiss, they were knocked out in the last 16, losing 2-1 to the Netherlands.
