Group F: Italy v New Zealand

[Porcupine]

Italian player falls over with the slightest tug of the shirt....soft penalty again !

Good to see you can recognise it was a penalty.

I haven't seen it yet but a tug of a shirt is a foul, no matter how minor.

[swannsong]

Italian player falls over with the slightest tug of the shirt....soft penalty again !

Good to see you can recognise it was a penalty.

I haven't seen it yet but a tug of a shirt is a foul, no matter how minor.

More about noting the reaction to the "tug" (I use that term loosely as it implies it migh have actually held the player back).

[Nice One Cyril]

Italian player falls over with the slightest tug of the shirt....soft penalty again !

Good to see you can recognise it was a penalty.

I haven't seen it yet but a tug of a shirt is a foul, no matter how minor.

The shirt pull was there without a doubt but he'd actually let go by the time De Rossi started diving to the floor, so I'm in no doubt it was a dive, but equally accept that the referee could give a penalty. Dumb defending.

I only hope that, with the Italians being serial shirt pullers, if the same happens at the other end, the referee is consistent.

[Red-4-Life]

hang in there Kiwis...if they can pinch a point...or even still a win can u imagine the scenes across the ditch?

[redsfan]

how close was wood, fark it woulda been good if he scored.

[swannsong]

I sense a dubious refereeing decision in the dying stages....didn't happen...well in to NZed !

[guti]

!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nice One Cyril]

Wow, would've got good odds on that result. Well done Kiwis.

[Red-4-Life]

amazing stuff by the all whites. There goes another coach....


Italy now will be feeling the pain we all did in 2006, enjoy it ;)

[juve4ever]

amazing stuff by the all whites. There goes another coach....


Italy now will be feeling the pain we all did in 2006, enjoy it ;)

How so? If Paraguay beats NZ Italy only needs a draw to progress.

[Juventino]

amazing stuff by the all whites. There goes another coach....


Italy now will be feeling the pain we all did in 2006, enjoy it ;)

What pain?

With that NZ goal a similar situation happened with Juve vs Torino a few years ago. Trezeguet was offside, it hit a defender and he scored. Referee director Collina said afterwards it was a goal because once it hits the defender it is a new passage of play. So taking that stance, Smeltz's goal was legal. Then you could argue his position gives him an advantage, but I've seen it go both ways and that's how it goes sometimes. Linesman maybe missed Reid touching it, but obviously it was going to be very hard to tell.

De Rossi clearly had the shirt pulled and it was a penalty. NZ could have no arguments.

The second half almost made me laugh as it was going on because it was so predictable. Credit to an organised Kiwi defence and Paston making some fine saves.

Lippi is going to go on about his group, belief in the players, etc etc, all the while I continue to see 1986 in this.

[totsreds08]

italy play some of the most dominating football this world cup and if it wasn't for paston, we would of won easily.
has anyone here actually tried to run whilst having your shirt pulled? i think it may be hard and you may fall to the ground. jealousy is a course though. love the nz bandwagoners. di natalie deserves a start, he had a real impact off the bench but cameronasi looked very off pace with the game

[swannsong]

has anyone here actually tried to run whilst having your shirt pulled?

I would say a fair few have....i saw it happen several times in my lad's under 8 game today and no one went to ground !

[Loppermann]

italy play some of the most dominating football this world cup and if it wasn't for paston, we would of won easily.
has anyone here actually tried to run whilst having your shirt pulled? i think it may be hard and you may fall to the ground. jealousy is a course though. love the nz bandwagoners. di natalie deserves a start, he had a real impact off the bench but cameronasi looked very off pace with the game

pity Paston plays for NZ huh?
no point blaming a loss on an opposition keeper, he's part of the team and you have to beat him too
Tony Palumbo's comments after the game were spot on

[totsreds08]

italy play some of the most dominating football this world cup and if it wasn't for paston, we would of won easily.
has anyone here actually tried to run whilst having your shirt pulled? i think it may be hard and you may fall to the ground. jealousy is a course though. love the nz bandwagoners. di natalie deserves a start, he had a real impact off the bench but cameronasi looked very off pace with the game

pity Paston plays for NZ huh?
no point blaming a loss on an opposition keeper, he's part of the team and you have to beat him too
Tony Palumbo's comments after the game were spot on

keeper had a blinder and made numerous saves that saved new zealands arse

[Loppermann]

italy play some of the most dominating football this world cup and if it wasn't for paston, we would of won easily.
has anyone here actually tried to run whilst having your shirt pulled? i think it may be hard and you may fall to the ground. jealousy is a course though. love the nz bandwagoners. di natalie deserves a start, he had a real impact off the bench but cameronasi looked very off pace with the game

pity Paston plays for NZ huh?
no point blaming a loss on an opposition keeper, he's part of the team and you have to beat him too
Tony Palumbo's comments after the game were spot on

keeper had a blinder and made numerous saves that saved new zealands muscat

that's his job though
not luck, skill

[Russia2O18]

good effort by NZ, but i think they had to win this to progress

amazing that is even a consideration

so great effort on reflection

[Loppermann]

good effort by NZ, but i think they had to win this to progress

amazing that is even a consideration

so great effort on reflection

a point could even be enough for the Kiwis against Paraguay, providing Italy don't beat the Slovaks

[totsreds08]

that's his job though
not luck, skill

however, a keeper can be shit and not do his job properly. paston did a brilliant job today

[Loppermann]

that's his job though
not luck, skill

however, a keeper can be cabernet and not do his job properly. paston did a brilliant job today

I think we're agreeing, just arguing in doing so

[TOPGUNJIMMYAUFC]

well done kiwi's well fkkkkkkkknnnnn done, new it draw.....1-1



New Zealand caused a major upset by holding world champion Italy to a 1-1 draw,

as Shane Smeltz became the first A-League player to score in a World Cup.

[Madridista612]

What would be interesting is if Italy and New Zealand draw by the same margin...in that case FIFA does a draw and whoever gets picked out proceeds to the next round...bet you a house if it happens they pick out Italy

[Loppermann]

What would be interesting is if Italy and New Zealand draw by the same margin...in that case FIFA does a draw and whoever gets picked out proceeds to the next round...bet you a house if it happens they pick out Italy

draw by the same margin?
you understand that a margin is the difference in score between the teams, right?
if it's a draw, the margin is always 0

[BADA BING]

What would be interesting is if Italy and New Zealand draw by the same margin...in that case FIFA does a draw and whoever gets picked out proceeds to the next round...bet you a house if it happens they pick out Italy

draw by the same margin?
you understand that a margin is the difference in score between the teams, right?
if it's a draw, the margin is always 0

i think he meant they both draw 1-1 then both teams would have played 3 1-1 draws

have to give credit to the Kiwis they defended brilliantly and the goalie was brilliant and created the odd chance or 2 in the 2nd half, even if Italy get out of this group i cant see them progressing much further, they really lack that creative midfielder alla Del Piero or Pirlo.

[Big G]

What would be interesting is if Italy and New Zealand draw by the same margin...in that case FIFA does a draw and whoever gets picked out proceeds to the next round...bet you a house if it happens they pick out Italy

draw by the same margin?
you understand that a margin is the difference in score between the teams, right?
if it's a draw, the margin is always 0

if goal difference is equal then it goes on the higher amount of goals for

[looprevil]

if a penalty was given every time someone had his shirt pulled in the area, then there should have been twenty more given in this game.
all i ask for, consistency.

[Ollo Ollo]

The Italians can play top football all game but if they don't put the ball in the net then what is the point. Thank god they scored, even if it was a very soft penalty mixed in with a dive, otherwise we would have never heard the end of it from the Kiwi's.

[El Pibe D'Oro]

Italy's squad is poor - its that simple.

They moved the ball at a snails pace, there was no urgency whatsoever and the team lacks real creativity.

Got what they deserved - Montolivo played ok. Criscito out and Maggio in.

[SpursOnTheRise]

Montolivo did very well last night, i thought Italy's man of the match. Closest thing we have to Pirlo. Criscito was poor and i really think Maggio should get a look and Zambrotta should be dropped. He's way too old, no pace anymore so when he bombs forward he cant get past that last defender and is forced to put in a crap early cross. We miss the runs and balls from the wing backs like we had in 06, Grosso and Zambrotta were 2 of our biggest threats.

It's a rebuilding phase here, wait for Prandelli to come in, bring in a few youth players, get the likes of Cassano or Balotelli into the side. All Lippi is concered with is when he's going to be cruising the mediterranean in his Yacht next.

Surely Gila and Iaquinta are not going to start, both were absolute crap. It's ridiculous when you have 3 of Serie A's best strikers on the bench. We need someone to step up like Rossi did in 82.

[Mr Magoo]

De Rossi got man-of-the-match. What was that for - his Oscar performance? Any right minded judge taking into account the bigger picture would vote for Paston who, as some of the pseudo-Italians on this forum have pointed out, kept NZ in the game. Nelsen too commanded that result given all the pedictions and guided the team to defend far above themselves where-as you could only accuse Italy of playing far below themselves.