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OITA, Japan (Ticker) -- Italy once again will try to scramble into the second round of the World Cup, when the Azzurri battle Mexico in a Group G clash. A three-time World Cup winner, Italy won its opening match for just the second time in the last six World Cups, defeating Ecuador. But after wasting a one-goal lead and falling to Croatia, 2-1, on Saturday, the Azzurri need a victory against the Tricolores to ensure a place in the last 16. The last time Italy did not qualify for the second round came in 1974, when the team was ousted by Poland in the final group match. The Italians will look to forget the debacle against the Croatians, which saw two potential Azzurri goals disallowed by English referee Graham Poll. That prompted Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni to proclaim, "We have been robbed." However, Trapattoni's biggest worry is the injury to star defender Alessandro Nesta. He left the Croatia match in the 23rd minute with a foot injury. Nesta's presence particularly was missed down the stretch, when its opponent mounted its comeback. Substitute Marco Materazzi was assigned blame for Croatia's winner. Midfielder Luigi Di Biagio, who sat out against Croatia due to a neck problem, injured his right calf during training and is questionable for the game. Italy comes into this game in a more pressurized situation than Mexico. The Mexicans the surprise group leader after defeating Croatia and Ecuador in their first two games. The Tricolores' success has been built upon their stingy defense. The Mexican backline has yielded just one goal and 15 shots in two games. Nicknamed "El Vasco," Mexico coach Javier Aguirre will look for goals from Jared Borgetti, who netted the equalizer against Ecuador, and fellow forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who scored the game-winning penalty against Croatia. Italy is participating in its 15th World Cup, while Mexico is in its 12th. They have met in World Cup action twice before. The countries played to a 1-1 draw in 1994, but Italy beat host Mexico, 4-1, in the 1970 quarterfinals. Italy is unbeaten against Mexico, posting a 6-0-3 all-time mark. |
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