It looks unlikely that 2006 champion Italy will repeat, after a poor 1-1 draw with Paraguay that highlighted the flaws of an aging side.
Paraguay opened the scoring toward the end of the first half, with Antolin Alcaraz rising above Fabio Cannavaro – looking past his prime at 36 – to head home.
The Azzurri looked bereft of ideas going forward, although the imminent return of Andrea Pirlo could help solve that problem.
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They managed to draw level when Paraguay keeper Justo Villar missed his punch from a corner, and Daniele De Rossi forced the ball home from close range. Getting through the group shouldn’t be a problem. But much more than that would be a surprise on the back of last night’s performance.
The other games yesterday saw Holland put in an unconvincing performance in its 2-0 win over Denmark, and Japan score a 1-0 win over Cameroon.
In other news, Paul Gascoigne, England’s star in the 1990 World Cup, was taken to hospital last night after a car he was in crashed. Gazza, as fans knew him, was a powerful force in the team that went out on penalties to West Germany in the semi-finals. His sublime skill and bursts from midfield provided some memorable moments, as when he burst into tears when yellow-carded in the semi-final. But he never fulfilled his potential in a career blighted by injury and alcoholism. It looks like he’s recovering from his injuries last night, although his problems with alcohol and mental illness reportedly still persist. I know how I prefer to remember him, though – for moves like this.
Kyiv Post fun fact:
Only two countries have repeated as World Cup champions: Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962).
