Andrea Pirlo's chipped spot-kick was the crowning glory during a sparkling performance as Italy beat England on penalties to secure a Euro 2012 semi-final against Germany.
Although the margin of victory was narrow, in the 120 minutes beforehand England were given a lesson in the value of possession by the 33-year-old Juventus midfielder. With Roy Hodgson's side struggling to hold on to the ball for long periods of the game, they allowed Pirlo to dictate play and he showed all of his mastery of the ball to lift the ball over Joe Hart to help secure a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win.
It left the England team wishing they had a player of his ilk to help cure their problems retaining the ball under pressure. He showed England midfielders Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker that despite his age, he lacked none of the qualities needed to run a game at international level.
Italy's victory in numbers
- Pirlo was by far the game's leading passer with 131 passes. England's highest passer was Ashley Cole with 44
- 13 of Italy's 14 players used had a pass completion rate of 80% or above, while England had only five players in that category
- Italy had 39 shots to England's 13, with 12 shots on target to four
- According to Uefa, Pirlo ran 11.58 kilometres, more than any England player. Gerrard covered 11.26 km
- England managed only 2.75 shots on target per game in Euro 2012; only Ukraine, Greece & Republic of Ireland produced fewer
- England have only won one of eight penalty shoot-outs in all competitions
- Italy victory on penalties was the first time they have won via this method at the quarter-final stage of a major tournament
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18574269
No comments:
Post a Comment