The world cup saw its biggest upset thus far when the final whistle blew and the score-line read 1-1 at Nelspruit last night.
New Zealand showed exactly how attack is the best form of defense and came up with 3 strikers to ruffle some Italian feathers. Coach Ricki Herbert and the All-Whites were rewarded for their risky maneuvers in the seventh minute when they took a shocking lead through Shane Smeltz.
There were some notable un-Italian defending mistakes that had the Azzurri rearguard in a chaotic cacophony. Fabio Cannavaro was the most blatant when he nudged the ball gently into the path of a grateful Smeltz and the No. 9 made no mistake in placing the ball under the diving Federico Marchetti.
The Italians laid the All-White midfield to waste but their defense seemed impenetrable especially with Paston’s superb goal-keeping. Tussle with the refs continued their trend even as a hotly contested penalty allowed Vincenzo Iaquinta to score low to the left saving Marcello Lippi’s Azzurri some face.
Herbert’s side were certainly well worthy of a share of the spoils, and go into their final match against Paraguay with everything still to play for in Group F.
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