Group F
Manager: Marcello Lippi
Star Player : Gianluigi Buffon,Fabio Cannavaro
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 16
Best result: Champions (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
All-time record: 77 games played, 44 wins, 19 draws, 14 losses
Goals for: 122, Goals against: 69
Biggest victory: 7-1 vs. United States in 1934
Biggest defeat: 4-1 vs. Switzerland in 1954 and 4-1 vs. Brazil in 1970
Top scorer: Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio and Christian Vieri (9 goals)
Most appearances: Paolo Maldini (23 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: 1934, 1990
LIVE STREAM ITALY MATCHES :
June 14, 2010 @ 18:30GMT Group Stage Group F
Italy vs Paraguay
at Cape Town Stadium
June 20, 2010 @ 14:00GMT Group Stage Group F
Italy vs New Zealand
at Mbombela Stadium
June 24, 2010 @ 14:00GMT Group Stage Group F
Slovakia vs Italy
at Ellis Park
Short Team History:
FIFA member since: 1905
Team nickname: Azzurri
All-time caps leader: Fabio Cannavaro (131)
All-time leading scorer: Luigi Riva (35 goals)
Notable achievements: European Champions (1968)
Legendary Player: The hero of the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Paolo Rossi was the top goal scorer in the tournament with six goals. His hat trick against Brazil in the quarter-finals sent the Azzurri on the way to capturing a third World Cup title. Voted European player of the year in 1982.
Show your support for ITALY
by buying a World Cup Live Channel
and Watch Live Stream Matches!
Buy
a ITALY World Cup Soccer Channel !
- Gianluigi Buffon Goalkeeper 1.91m 83 kg January 28, 1978
- Morgan De Sanctis Goalkeeper 1.90m 80 kg March 26, 1977
- Federico Marchetti Goalkeeper 1.90m 83 kg February 7, 1983
- Salvatore Sirigu Goalkeeper 1.92m 80 kg January 12, 1987
- Salvatore Bocchetti Defender 1.78m 70 kg November 30, 1986
- Leonardo Bonucci Defender 1.90m 82 kg May 1, 1987
- Fabio Cannavaro Defender 1.76m 75 kg September 13, 1973
- Mattia Cassani Defender 1.84m 75 kg August 26, 1983
- Giorgio Chiellini Defender 1.86m 76 kg August 14, 1984
- Domenico Criscito Defender 1.83m 70 kg December 30, 1986
- Gianluca Zambrotta Defender 1.81m 79 kg February 19, 1977
- Mauro German Camoranesi Midfielder 1.74m 70 kg October 4, 1976
- Andrea Cossu Midfielder 1.71m 63 kg March 5, 1980
- Daniele De Rossi Midfielder 1.84m 83 kg July 24, 1983
- Ivan Gennaro Gattuso Midfielder 1.77m 77 kg January 9, 1978
- Cristian Maggio Midfielder 1.84m 79 kg February 11, 1982
- Claudio Marchisio Midfielder 1.80m 70 kg January 19, 1986
- Riccardo Montolivo Midfielder 1.81m 76 kg January 18, 1985
- Angelo Palombo Midfielder 1.77m 77 kg September 25, 1981
- Andrea Pirlo Midfielder 1.77m 68 kg May 19, 1979
- Marco Borriello Forward 1.80m 73 kg June 18, 1982
- Antonio Di Natale Forward 1.77m 70 kg October 13, 1977
- Alberto Gilardino Forward 1.84m 79 kg July 5, 1982
- Vincenzo Iaquinta Forward 1.89m 79 kg November 21, 1979
- Giampaolo Pazzini Forward 1.80m 77 kg August 2, 1984
- Simone Pepe Forward 1.78m 73 kg August 30, 1983
- Fabio Quagliarella Forward 1.82m 73 kg January 31, 1983
- Giuseppe Rossi Forward 1.73m 72 kg February 1, 1987
Wanna Know more about ITALY ? Read more !!
Appearances at finals:1934 - Winners
1938 - Winners
1950 - First round
1954 - First round
1962 - First round
1966 - First round
1970 - Runners-up
1974 - First round
1978 - Fourth place
1982 - Winners
1986 - Second round
1990 - Third place
1994 - Runners-up
1998 - Quarter-final
2002 - Second round
2006 - Winners
Best performance: Winners in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006.
Most appearances at finals: Paolo Maldini (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002) - 23.
Most goals at finals: Roberto Baggio (1990, 1994, 1998), Paolo Rossi (1978, 1982, 1986) - 9.
World Cup high: Emerging from the disgrace of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal to restore the honour of Italian football by winning the 2006 World Cup.
World Cup low: Following the tragic loss of 12 players following the 1949 Superga air disaster, Italy take the boat to Brazil for World Cup 1950 but, tired and shorn of talent, go out in the first round.
World Cup Legend: Giuseppe 'Peppino' Meazza. The 1930 and 1934 World Cup winner is still considered by many to be the greatest Italian player of all time, as well as the greatest Italian forward of all time.
The story so far: Italy have played more World Cup football than any other team and have won the tournament on four occasions, with only Brazil, on five, winning more. In the pre-war era, the Azzurri were almost untouchable as they won the 1934 trophy on their debut appearance and retained the title in 1938. Post-war, Italy lost their way and were repeatedly knocked out in the first round.
In 1978, a new generation, including legendary striker Paolo Rossi, emerged and, after reaching the semi-finals in Argentina, won the World Cup in Spain in 1982. Ever since, the Azzurri have been a force to be reckoned with, routinely reaching the latter stages, and they won it again in 2006.
Qualification: Republic of Ireland, led by experienced Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni, proved to be the only real stumbling block in Group Eight. A 1-1 draw with Trapattoni's team at the San Nicola Stadium in Bari in April meant that the Italians could still be caught at the top of the group and, heading into their penultimate qualifier, at Ireland's Croke Park, could be condemend to the play-offs with a defeat. Ireland thought they had done enough when Sean St Ledger gave them a 2-1 lead in the 87th minute, but Alberto Gilardino scored a 90th-minute equaliser to book Italy's place at the World Cup finals.
Most appearances: Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta (9).
Top goalscorer: Alberto Gilardino (4).
Team Profile ITALY:
Defending champions Italy will naturally be one of the leading contenders to emerge triumphant at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa. The only country along with Brazil to have won the tournament twice in succession, Marcello Lippi's men will be vying to match the performance of their pioneering predecessors in 1934 and 1938.The road to South Africa
The Azzurri topped Group 8 thanks to their traditional efficiency and pragmatism, even if they failed to set the continent alight along the way. In total, they recorded seven wins and three draws, firing 18 goals and conceding seven.
Italy set the pace in their section right from the off with an opening-day 2-1 victory over Cyprus, and after that result took them to the summit they remained there. It nonetheless took them until their penultimate encounter to seal their passage. Intriguingly, the generations that claimed the world title in 1982 and 2006 also booked their tickets with one match to spare.
Alberto Gilardino finished top scorer for Lippi's team with four strikes to his name, including a stunning hat-trick in less than 15 minutes to down Cyprus 3-2 in their final outing.
Billed for a number of years now as one of the finest goalkeepers on the planet, at 31 Gianluigi Buffon remains one of the two pillars of the Italian defence. His spectacular reflexes to keep out a Zinedine Zidane header in extra time during the 2006 Final illustrated just why he has an undisputed claim on the gloves.
The other leader at the back is none other than evergreen captain Fabio Cannavaro. Now 36, the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year continues to contribute his superb positioning sense and the vast experience of his 130 caps.
In midfield, tireless tackler Gennaro Gattuso no longer needs any introduction. The 31-year-old is still the motor, battler and all-round talent at the heart of the Azzurri line-up, the man who never admits defeat and whose hunger for victory inspires all those around him.
The coach
A veritable monarch in the field of coaching, 61-year-old Marcello Lippi is an expert at making changes that yield results, with no fewer than five of the 12 goals Italy registered at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany coming from substitutes. The man with more than an air of Paul Newman has won everything in his career, which is precisely why he called time on his first stint as Italy trainer on 12 July 2006, having clinched the global crown. After the Azzurri floundered at UEFA EURO 2008, however, he did not need much persuasion to return to the role, and he immediately set about rebuilding the defence, remodelling the midfield and trying out a fresh crop of forwards. He puts little stock in his landmark 31 consecutive international matches without defeat, preferring to amass titles than statistics, and his natural feel for the game means his tactical decisions are never called into doubt. For the qualifiers, he called up a total of 36 players, with Cannavaro and full-back Gianluca Zambrotta the players most used (810 minutes each).
Previous FIFA World Cups
Italy have qualified for 16 of the 18 FIFA World Cup finals, failing to book themselves a place in 1958 and having not opted to take part in the first edition in 1930. They have won the competition on four occasions, in 1934, 1938, 1982 and four years ago in 2006. They also finished runners-up in 1970 and 1994 and claimed third place on home soil in 1990.
Honours
- 4 FIFA World Cups (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
- 1 UEFA European Championship (1968)
- 1 Olympic Football Tournament (1936)
"No team is superior to Italy. I don't want to say that we're better than everyone, but you might say that we're not inferior to any other team," Marcello Lippi, coach.
0 comments:
Post a Comment