Ghana’s Black Stars
marked their debut appearance at
football’s world cup on a dismal note
when they lost to Italy 2-0.
Ghana had looked fancied
and in formidable shape for the better
part of the match. And the defeat the
sustained did not do justice to their
domination of the match according to the
match report.
After the 2-1 defeat of
Ivory Coast by Argentina and the
Portugal’s one- nil win over Angola,
hopes were high that Ghana would live up
to their billing and pull the trick.
But that was all lost
after 40 minutes when Andrea Pirlo
scored Italy’s opener. The AC Milan
midfielder pulled the strings for Italy
with his clever movement and perceptive
passing as he scored from 35 yards out
after being picked out by Francesco
Totti from a left-sided corner. At half
time the scored remain one to Italy.
Ghana was the better side
after the interval as they pushed
forward in search of an equaliser.
However, substitute
Iaquinta put the result beyond doubt
when he scored seven minutes from the
end.
Pirlo was again the
instigator, intercepting a pass deep
inside his own half before playing the
ball forward.
Samuel Kuffour under hit
a backpass and Iaquinta capitalised to
round the keeper before sliding the ball
into an empty net.
Ghana’s next match is on
Saturday against the word number two,
Czech Republic, who earlier trounced the
USA 3-0. Italy will then take on the
USA.
Czechs 3; USA, 0
Two
goals from Tomas Rosicky and one
from Jan Koller ensured Czechoslovakia's
3-0 thrashing of the United States in
World Cup group D action Monday..
The defeat puts the U.S. in a must-win
situation to win their next two matches
as they fact Italy and African
first-timers Ghana. The only team to
advance from the first round after
losing its opener was Turkey in 2002.
The United States plays Italy on
Saturday and Ghana on June 22.
U.S. captain Claudio Reyna came close
to scoring, hitting a post midway
through the first half. But Rosicky
scored on a soaring 25-yard shot in the
36th minute, and the Americans never got
back into the game against the Czechs,
semifinalists in the European
Championship two years ago.
Rosicky hit the crossbar in the 68th
and added a goal in the 76th minute,
getting past the U.S. defense off a
through pass from Pavel Nedved, Europe's
2003 player of the year, and beating
Kasey Keller on a breakaway. Eddie
Johnson, who entered at halftime,
provided some energy, missing just wide
in the 70th minute and high in the
76th. Koller injured his right leg
battling Nigerian-born U.S. defender
Uche Onyewu for a ball on the flank in
the 43d minute, and was taken off on a
stretcher, one hand behind his head, the
other covering his face. He was taken to
a hospital to be examined.
Earlier, Australia came from behind to beat
Japan, 3-1 in their group F
encounter. All three goes were scored
within the last eight minutes, thanks to
substitute Tim Cahill who scored the
first two goals within five minutes.
It was
Japan who first drew first
blood on 25 minutes when
Shunsuke
Nakamura put
Japan ahead with a speculative
long-range effort, which floated over
goalkeeper Mark
Schwarzer,
who seemed to collide with Atsushi
Yanagisawa, and into the net.
By half time, it became a piece of luck
for Japan as Australia posed plenty of threat
themselves, but the heat was sure to
become a factor as the game continued.
Australia
drew level six minutes to time when Tim
Cahill scored. Goalkeeper
Yoshikatsu
Kawaguchi flapped at Lucas Neill's long
throw and after a goalmouth scramble
Cahill shot home.
Substitute Tim Cahill
maked
it 2-1 with his second goal, a shot from
the edge of the box which hit
Yoshikatsu
Kawaguchi's right-hand post and flew
into the far corner.
Two minutes into extra time, John
Aloisi
wrapped up the win, charging through on
goal to bury the ball in the left-hand
corner.
First-timers Ghana takes on Italy next.
