World champions Italy beat old foes France 2-0 on Tuesday to go through to the Euro 2008 quarter-finals as Group C runners up with a helping hand from the Netherlands as the French exited.
France endured a wretched night, suffering two major blows in the first 25 minutes, with first star midfielder Franck Ribery stretchered off then Eric Abidal red-carded with Andrea Pirlo converting the penalty.
Daniele de Rossi added Italy’s second after the break to send the world champion’s on a last eight date with Spain in Vienna on Sunday.
PHOTO: EPA
Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said that despite the outside pressures after two successive poor results, a 3-0 defeat by the Dutch and a 1-1 draw with Romania, there had always been inner belief in the squad.
“We have never lost hope, even in the most difficult times,” the former AC Milan and Italy midfielder said. “We put in a good performance and the team was cohesive and came together.
Despite the defeat France coach Raymond Domenech, remained stoic in defeat.
PHOTO: AP
“I am proud of the players,” said the 56-year-old, whose future must be in doubt even though his contract runs till 2010.
“The manner they stuck to it despite all these circumstances which are so similar to the World Cup final, lose to a penalty again and a sending-off [it was in fact rather different, a penalty shootout at 1-1 and Zinedine Zidane was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final],” he said.
ENERGY
“They showed energy. They showed something, its a pity because the circumstances were against us,” Domenech said.
“This team has something in its guts, it has qualities. We were 10 against 11 and we had also lost Ribery. This team has a real future and potential,” he said.
For France elimination, with just one goal scored, was the unwelcome prize for a campaign dogged by reported internal strife, player fatigue and controversy over injured captain Patrick Vieira.
This game was billed as “our final” by Domenech, and it could well be his with 1998 French World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit for one saying heads should roll.
At kick-off a perfect rainbow enveloped the Letzigrund stadium as both teams went in search of their pot of gold.
France lost Ribery early on in proceedings.
Luca Toni’s Bayern team-mate was stretchered off on a buggy after going over on his left ankle in a tackle on Gianluca Zambrotta.
Play resumed with a corner for Italy and only quick thinking by France midfielder Claude Makelele kept out Christian Panucci’s low angled header.
Gregory Coupet then did well to deny Pirlo’s curling 20m freekick from the right flank.
The game’s turning point came in the 24th minute when Toni, at full stretch trying to latch on to a lob, was tackled and felled from behind by Abidal in the box.
Slovakian referee Lubos Michel had no hesitation in pulling out a red card, with Pirlo blasting his shot high into the left hand corner.
MEMORIES
Abidal’s sending off evoked wretched memories for France of the last time these two countries met in a major competition, in the World Cup final, when Zinedine Zidane was given his marching orders for headbutting Marco Materazzi.
That though came in the closing minutes and with over an hour’s play left Domenech decided to shore up his defense, taking off Sami Nasri for Jean-Alain Boumsong.
Coupet then performed wonders to tip out Fabio Grosso’s 25m freekick.
At the other end Pirlo was booked for an ugly challenge on Karim Benzema, his second of the competition which rules the AC Milan playmaker out of the quarter-final with Spain.
The Azzurri celebrated the news that the Dutch had taken the lead over the Romanians when de Rossi struck a 30m freekick which flew past Coupet after the ball took a deflection off Henry’s foot.
Domenech introduced Nicolas Anelka for Sidney Govou in a desperate bid to salvage the match.
Then Buffon tipped over a Benzema special from the edge of the area which was heading into the top far corner.
The stuffing though had been knocked out of France and Italy were never going to be denied, the resounding win keeping alive their dream of Euro 2008 success.
After the match French defender Lilian Thuram and midfielder Claude Makelele announced their international retirements.
The 36-year-old Thuram, who won a record 142 caps but did not play on Tuesday, was the only member of the Euro 2008 squad to have started the 3-0 final win over Brazil at the 1998 World Cup.
“That’s the end of my career for France and of a very important part of my life,” Thuram told reporters. “There’s a lot of sadness.”
Makelele, 35, won his 71st cap in the Group C game.
“This tournament was my last for France,” he said.
GROUP C
P | GD | PTS | |
| 1.Netherlands | 3 | 8 | 9 |
| 2.Italy | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 3.Romania | 3 | -2 | 2 |
| 4.France | 3 | -5 | 1 |
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