Italia vs Scotland

This win was due to Quagliarella...his 6 minutes on the pitch was great...him sitting on the bench inspired the win

Stupid for people to compare Di Natale and Rocchi.

Rocchi has a great work-rate and can score poachers goals at club level but will never be international class - Di Natale has a bit of pace and trickery and can make things happen.

Di Natale was alright...nothing special though. Showed what he can do at times...but at others was seriously let down by control and his first touch...

Rocchi is more of a striker, while Di Natale is more of a support striker, I will give you that.

But this season, Rocchi has been sheer class. He makes his own goals at times, and that is a quality that can seriously help the azzurri.

Lucarelli may not be international class (I guess we will never know as he may never play for a top side). But Rocchi is international class as much as any Italian striker at the mo. Against the scots, it may have been better to go with 2 target men, the scoreline could ve been bigger.

Anyways, 2-0 is good enough. Well done, Donadoni & Co.

Stefan Kuntz wrote:Stupid for people to compare Di Natale and Rocchi.

Rocchi has a great work-rate and can score poachers goals at club level but will never be international class - Di Natale has a bit of pace and trickery and can make things happen.

Great that Italy won

We can already say now that France and Italy will be 1st and second in that group.France just have to beat Scotland at home and that's finished.

Well done Italy <ale>

ukraine could have an impact yet, although i would expect france & italy to come through.

Arnaud aside from your slightly brash ignorance, you're probably right. France & Italy have been far from convincing though. And Scotland & Ukraine will be difficult to beat at home. Scotland aren't out of it yet though. I just wish we'd pick our best team. Some of the Scottish players on display are never international class.

Credit to McCleish for having a go in the 2nd half though. Perhaps if he'd have started/taken the right players though, we may have scored (Boyd, Riordan, Burke, Maloney, Naismith) Well played Brown, 21 years of age, and didn't look out of his depth today. Didn't go on his surging runs, but played most of the game with his back to goal and out of position. Done well, and was one of Scotland's better performers.

Stefan Kuntz wrote:Stupid for people to compare Di Natale and Rocchi.

Rocchi has a great work-rate and can score poachers goals at club level but will never be international class - Di Natale has a bit of pace and trickery and can make things happen.

well he hasnt been given the chance at int level, so we cant judge. Di Natale was the one who was out of his depth today.

My friend, you forget about the group leader who were always going to be the biggest threat to Italy and France.... Ukraine have played as per expectation, and they are as much in it as Italy or France - never doubt that. Most other groups, Ukraine would have been a near certainity to qualify.

I have a feeling that one of France or Italy will get knocked out by Ukraine. And considering that the last game in this qualifying group is France going to Ukraine in the winter, I fear for France. They better be 4 points over Ukraine by then!!

I never thought the Scots were going to qualify from this one - they had a great run, but there are 3 top teams in this group and there was no way this amazing run was going to last. The brave scots are in the group of death, and totally out of their depth. It incredible what they have already achieved, full credit to them.

Arnaud is beautiful wrote:Great that Italy won

We can already say now that France and Italy will be 1st and second in that group.France just have to beat Scotland at home and that's finished.

Well done Italy <ale>

Reactions of the players - listen to Gattuso's!!!! :

http://mediacenter.gazzetta.it/MediaCenter/action/player?uuid=87cfaed2-dd76-11db-8658-0003ba99c667&pagina=1&filtro=tutti&menu=undefined&idCanale=Calcio&idCanaleADV=Calcio

Well I hope Gattuso learned that playing against a Scotland team wasn't as easy as he thought. Italy deserved the win tonight but hopefully Scotland can learn from a decent display against the world champions. Thoughh I felt Boyd should have started miller was decent up front

We still dream of qualifing

I feel rather depressed now, good match though.

Forza Italia!Forza Milan! wrote:

ADO Bhoy wrote:

DeanoTheEmo-WHUFC wrote:Barry Ferguson wants Scotland to come at us and try and put us on the back foot.

Brave if they try that.

I sincerely hope we do go at the Italians. I'd love us to go 4-4-2 and attack them. Can't see it though, I think we'll go with a 4-5-1 and try and stifle Italy.
Being a fan of attacking football, I hate to see that happening.
I'd rather we attack, and if we lose, so be it, but at least we go down fighting!

FORZA SCOZIA!!

Scozia di merda!

I think Italy will win this comfortably.

2-0 to the Azzurri.

I must say I was very sure Italy would win this game rather easily. In the end they did.

bobkatfan wrote:I feel rather depressed now, good match though.

Tough one man.

At home you will give a much better account of yourselves.

Good that Italy won...a much needed win

monty wrote:Well I hope Gattuso learned that playing against a Scotland team wasn't as easy as he thought. Italy deserved the win tonight but hopefully Scotland can learn from a decent display against the world champions. Thoughh I felt Boyd should have started miller was decent up front

We still dream of qualifing

He must be thanking his stars mighty Darren Fletcher was out injured.

monty wrote:Well I hope Gattuso learned that playing against a Scotland team wasn't as easy as he thought. Italy deserved the win tonight but hopefully Scotland can learn from a decent display against the world champions. Thoughh I felt Boyd should have started miller was decent up front

We still dream of qualifing

I think he knew that from his years at Rangers.

Calidad wrote:Arnaud aside from your slightly brash ignorance, you're probably right. France & Italy have been far from convincing though. And Scotland & Ukraine will be difficult to beat at home. Scotland aren't out of it yet though. I just wish we'd pick our best team. Some of the Scottish players on display are never international class.

Credit to McCleish for having a go in the 2nd half though. Perhaps if he'd have started/taken the right players though, we may have scored (Boyd, Riordan, Burke, Maloney, Naismith) Well played Brown, 21 years of age, and didn't look out of his depth today. Didn't go on his surging runs, but played most of the game with his back to goal and out of position. Done well, and was one of Scotland's better performers.

So I'm ignorant cos i'm right ?

I can understand you are disapointed with the scottish result but i'm not responsable if Scotland is incredibly unlucky:You have in your group the last WC finalists and the WC winners.In two words the two best teams in the world.

Scotland won against the "small" teams at the beginning and then have been lucky against France.It was a fluke,a poor goal after a corner.Even Domenech said we lost cos we were too good! He meant our team controlled everything,had a huge possession and putted a lot of pressure to Scotland but the finishing was bad.

I always told you the defeat in Ukraine was your fatal error.It was "the" game to win.It is a shame now Scotland is condamned to be 3rd or 4th cos you've been very good so far...and scottish fans deserve great results.Sorry but now it's finished

Last night the match:

L'inno Nazionale inside the stadium! Inno di Mameli at 1 minute :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3PapotcXXA

The goals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrSaCy_YaHE

No. Ignorant because it is by no means over, but you naturally assume the two big names will go through. France have been far from convincing in the qualifiers. They still need to play Italy and Ukraine away, and irregardless of performance (which was hardly impressive) you still lost in Scotland. Your words may haunt you yet, and how I'd love that to be the case

Just woken from a whisky induced stupor!!!

What was the score?

Only kidding

Well done to Italy, the best team won, no disgrace to us though, I thought we fought hard and made them work for their win.
No shame in losing to the World Champs in their own back yard, and we're very much still in the mix at the right end of the table!!

Ukraine and Italy at home will be huge games for you. Despite losing two goals to nil you were not outplayed at all, so that will give you confidence for the latter games.

Some impressive performers for you guys, Scottish football is on the rise again. Along with Northern Ireland you probably play the best stuff form the home nations.

Craig Gordon.

Cesc wrote:

Ukraine and Italy at home will be huge games for you. Despite losing two goals to nil you were not outplayed at all, so that will give you confidence for the latter games.

Some impressive performers for you guys, Scottish football is on the rise again. Along with Northern Ireland you probably play the best stuff form the home nations.

Craig Gordon.

Aye, Gordon made a couple of great saves last night. Arsenal's keeper for next season?!
A couple of years ago, a result like last night's would have knocked the stuffing out of our team and confidence would have been shot for the next games.
Listening to Mcleish and Barry Ferguson after the game, they were gutted and had gone there to get a result.
There's a new found belief about Scotland these days which is terrific, we're not the greatest in the world, but the team has belief that every time they cross that white line they will win.
Last night proved that it's not always the case, but why go to places like Italy, France etc expecting to lose. That seemed to be the way of it under Berti V*gts!!
Thank God those days are gone, seems like a distant nightmare now!!