2009 Confederations Cup: Brazil Ousts Italy With 3-0 Victory, Miracle Win Puts USA Through
June 24th 2009 05:16
They call it the beautiful game. And on Sunday, those who are following the “meaningless” Confederations Cup witnessed another example of football's beauty. Consider this: with no points to their name after two games, the United States were dismissed by every commentator and analysts out there including me, and after Egypt's win over Italy, the game opposing the world champions to perennial rivals Brazil carried far more importance than initially expected.
Although the two rivals weren't in the same situation, both had something to prove to anyone who was watching. Brazil needed to confirm that their narrow victory against Egypt was indeed due to fatigue and build on their dominance over the United States while Italy had to show that they weren't as lifeless as they had been so far in the tournament.
Unfortunately, Brazil proved to be too much for the Italians to handle. Led on by Kaka and Robinho's flair along with Luis Fabiano's tenacity, Brazil steamrolled over the already-flat Squadra Azzurra, going up 3-0 at half-time. The goals came in a ten-minute span where Italy looked completely overwhelmed by Brazil's speed and execution. The world champions showed more jump in the second half but still looked unconvincing in front. Young Giuseppe Rossi (who came in for Iaquinta after Brazil's first goal) was their best striker on the field and you have to wonder how many more chances Luca Toni will get at the world stage. The entrance of Pepe at halftime and Gilardino (in Toni's place) at the hour-mark brought more energy to the blue shirts but you have to wonder if that spark was more due to Brazil taking their foot off the pedal instead of a genuine Italian revival. It was more a case of the former in my opinion as the samba kings simply danced around the Italians when they had possession and showed enough grit when they lost possession to claim the ball back.
Despite the unexpected result of the game between the two titans, it was the United States who grabbed the most headlines here in North America after their desperate win against Egypt.
To go through to the semis, the Americans needed to win by three and have Italy lose by three. That scenario seemed very improbable since Egypt only needed one more goal than Italy (in the case of a draw or loss) to go through. So when Charlie Davies opened the score just twenty minutes into the game, nobody really seemed to care. It was a surprising turn of events, but not enough to worry anyone.
Indeed, with Brazil thrashing Italy in the other game, it was Egypt who were set to go through. Then, the US scored two quick goals via Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey, and suddenly it was Egypt who had their backs to the wall. Without Zidan however, their attack lacked punch and was unable to really worry Brad Guzan who still came out with some brilliant saves.
Now, the US go on to face Spain in the semis with the mission of stopping a team about to set a new record for the number of consecutive wins. It should be interesting.
Although the two rivals weren't in the same situation, both had something to prove to anyone who was watching. Brazil needed to confirm that their narrow victory against Egypt was indeed due to fatigue and build on their dominance over the United States while Italy had to show that they weren't as lifeless as they had been so far in the tournament.
Unfortunately, Brazil proved to be too much for the Italians to handle. Led on by Kaka and Robinho's flair along with Luis Fabiano's tenacity, Brazil steamrolled over the already-flat Squadra Azzurra, going up 3-0 at half-time. The goals came in a ten-minute span where Italy looked completely overwhelmed by Brazil's speed and execution. The world champions showed more jump in the second half but still looked unconvincing in front. Young Giuseppe Rossi (who came in for Iaquinta after Brazil's first goal) was their best striker on the field and you have to wonder how many more chances Luca Toni will get at the world stage. The entrance of Pepe at halftime and Gilardino (in Toni's place) at the hour-mark brought more energy to the blue shirts but you have to wonder if that spark was more due to Brazil taking their foot off the pedal instead of a genuine Italian revival. It was more a case of the former in my opinion as the samba kings simply danced around the Italians when they had possession and showed enough grit when they lost possession to claim the ball back.
Despite the unexpected result of the game between the two titans, it was the United States who grabbed the most headlines here in North America after their desperate win against Egypt.
To go through to the semis, the Americans needed to win by three and have Italy lose by three. That scenario seemed very improbable since Egypt only needed one more goal than Italy (in the case of a draw or loss) to go through. So when Charlie Davies opened the score just twenty minutes into the game, nobody really seemed to care. It was a surprising turn of events, but not enough to worry anyone.
Indeed, with Brazil thrashing Italy in the other game, it was Egypt who were set to go through. Then, the US scored two quick goals via Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey, and suddenly it was Egypt who had their backs to the wall. Without Zidan however, their attack lacked punch and was unable to really worry Brad Guzan who still came out with some brilliant saves.
Now, the US go on to face Spain in the semis with the mission of stopping a team about to set a new record for the number of consecutive wins. It should be interesting.
| 50 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
