Off-colour Italy aim for New Zealand scalp

The Italians proclaim defeat is unthinkable but New Zealand are planning to give the defending champions a tough match.

The Italians proclaim defeat is unthinkable but New Zealand are planning to give the defending champions a run for their money at their World Cup match today.

Both teams kicked off Group F with 1-1 draws - Italy struggled and needed a Daniele De Rossi second-half equaliser against Paraguay while New Zealand celebrated their first-ever World Cup point with a stoppage-time leveller against Slovakia.

Italy, world number five and up against the 78th-ranked Kiwis, seems a mismatch, but have a history of inglorious defeats, losing 1-0 to North Korea in 1966 and 2-1 to South Korea in 2002.

“There are teams that we should beat, we’re better,” said de Rossi. “We need to play our game and of course be careful.”

New Zealand, for their part, are aiming to unhinge the lavishly- paid professionals of Serie A and etching their name into World Cup folklore.

“We’re a solid team and that’s what we’ve designed ourselves around,” said defender Ben Sigmund. The Italians will remember their only encounter with New Zealand in a friendly ahead of the Confederations Cup last year in South Africa when they won 4-3.

They will be without their goal-keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who suffered a recurrence of a herniated disc against Paraguay and is unlikely to play again in the World Cup, giving way to Cagliari’s Federico Marchetti.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2010.