LONDON: Former playmaker Andrea Pirlo joined the criticism after Italy’s 1-0 defeat to Sweden on Friday left the four-time champions on the brink of missing out on the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.
Italy, whose last failure to qualify for the finals was in 1958, have to beat Sweden by two goals in the return leg tomorrow in Milan to avoid what the head of the federation Carlo Tavecchio has dubbed the “Apocalypse.”
But their toothless performance on Friday — the latest in a series of lacklustre displays — has done nothing to reassure their supporters that Gian Piero Ventura’s side is up to the task.
“Italy looked like a scared team that was playing for a 0-0 draw. In Europe, that is not enough,” Pirlo told Sky Sport Italia.
The 38-year-old, who confirmed his retirement last week, also had little sympathy for Ventura’s complaints about the referee.
“It’s a red herring,” he said. “Playing in Europe is not like in Italy, where you get a free kick for even the slightest contact.
“In these matches you need to be above all that and give 100 percent; it’s in these matches that you see the real players.
“It will be tough for Ventura to find the right words to say to the group.”
• Anthony Hudson has backed his New Zealand side to get the result they need to make it to Russia after they held Peru to a 0-0 draw in Wellington.
The hosts overcame a lack of possession and territory to get the result against their more fancied opponents, with All Whites’ goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic making a series of impressive saves in the intercontinental playoff first-leg.
Ryan Thomas had arguably the best chance but his 85th-minute shot flashed centimeters wide of the right-hand post and the sides head to Lima all square ahead of the second-leg on Wednesday.
“It is a really strong result for us, big result and we are pleased with where we are at,” All Whites coach Hudson said.
“But our feet are right on the ground. We haven’t achieved anything yet. We still want to get to Russia. All we have to do is score one goal and that puts added pressure on them.
“We are very confident we can go there and score.”
• Australia coach Ange Postecoglou accused the Honduras media of being disrespectful to his team and said his players had used it as motivation before Friday’s 0-0 draw in the first-leg of the playoff.
Australia missed a number of chances in San Pedro Sula but had the better of a scrappy game played on a soggy pitch and will head to the second-leg in Sydney on Wednesday confident of qualifying for the finals in Russia next year.
Postecoglou took exception to a local newspaper that dismissed his team as “11 kangaroos” in a headline and used the post-match press conference to berate the home journalists.
“Maybe you thought we were going to be easy,” Postecoglou said. “I saw in the newspaper you said it was 11 kangaroos out there, but kangaroos can play football, eh?
“We had two players (Aaron Mooy and Mat Ryan) who play in the (English) Premier League, we’ve got players in the first divisions in Europe.
“All I heard was we have a simple game plan and no stars — that was our motivation. We do our talking when the game comes.”
Pirlo predicts tough task for ‘scared’ Italy
Pirlo predicts tough task for ‘scared’ Italy
Wawrinka rolls back the years to beat Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan in front of Federer
- 3-time Slam winner upped his level when required to serve his way past Hassan at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
- Top-ranked Arab player on the ATP Tour, Moez Echargui of Tunisia, was also in action on day 1, slipping to the narrowest of defeats to Mpetshi Perricard
DUBAI: Forty-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who is competing in his final Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week, rolled back the years on Centre Court to overcome Lebanese wildcard Benjamin Hassan in straight sets and become the oldest player to win a match in the Dubai tournament’s 34-year history.
Wawrinka’s record was previously held by his Swiss compatriot, the legendary Roger Federer, so it was fitting then that the 20-time Grand Slam winner was inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium to cheer on his fellow Olympic gold medalist.
“I’m not sure it’s the best record of his to have,” Wawrinka joked in his on-court interview as fans switched from cheering his every move to applauding an on-screen image of Federer, who won the title here eight times, including his last at the ripe old age of 37 in 2019. “(The appreciation of the fans) is one of the reasons why I have kept playing for so long — to enjoy these matches and these tournaments. I’m super grateful to all those who came out tonight.”
Wawrinka looked far from a player ready to hang up his racket as he beat Hassan 7-5, 6-3 and without dropping a single service game. That is not to say the German-born Hassan failed to put up a fight, but only that whenever he got close — and he forced three break-points across the two sets — Wawrinka seemed to go up a level. In both games where the Swiss looked like he might see his serve broken, he pulled an ace out of his bag to finish the match with nine aces overall.
“All good things have to come to an end,” Wawrinka said when asked why he is choosing to step away now when he evidently still has so much to offer. “Nobody can play forever and as much as I am passionate and still playing well, I know that it’s the right thing to do.”
Hassan, ranked World No. 289 and making his Dubai debut, revealed he was thankfully not aware of Federer’s presence until after the match, adding: “Stan played really good and was serving unbelievable. I had my chances to come back in the second set but unfortunately missed some returns. It was tough, but I’m happy with my performance. Lots of things to work on, of course, but overall, it was just a privilege to be here, to play my first match, and against Stan — it’s incredible.”
Asked in his post-match news conference whether he had taken the chance to speak with Federer at all, Hassan raised his hand in the air: “I’m never washing this hand again! He came to me and said ‘good match’ and I said ‘thank you’ in German. He looked a little bit surprised to hear that, but, yeah, I will always keep this hand dry now in the shower!”
Another Arab player was in action on day one as Tunisian Moez Echargui also made his Dubai debut, taking on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. In a match of the finest margins, Echargui — the highest-ranked Arab on tour at 141, yet ranked 83 places below his opponent — forced three tiebreaks before Mpetshi Perricard edged the final set to progress 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).
Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, this month is proving eye-opening for the 33-year-old North African as he embraces the experience of playing in such high-profile events. Echargui and his coaches are using the new opportunities afforded to him as a wildcard to improve and learn as much as possible against the world’s best players.
“Going on Centre Court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds”, said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week. “Despite the result, I’m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all of the way through. I’m proud to represent my country and to represent all of the Arab world, especially here in Dubai. It’s such a privilege. It’s been fulfilling — a great experience.”
