Updated: Thursday June 13, 2002 09:59 AM ET	Thu June 13 Games Brazil 5 Costa Rica 2 - FINAL China 0 Turkey 3 - FINAL Croatia 0 Ecuador 1 - FINAL Italy 1 Mexico 1 - FINAL
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Mexico 1, Italy 1

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Italy Team Page Roster Team Spotlight Team History Group G Page

OITA, Japan (Ticker) -- Alessandro Del Piero came off the bench to hit the equalizer with five minutes left and send typically slow-starting Italy into the round of 16 with a 1-1 draw against Group G winner Mexico.

Del Piero, who had just entered the match minutes before, headed the ball inside the far post off Vincenzo Montella's cross.

Mexico played a magnificent game, controlling the pace, maintaining possession and scoring a fine goal. Jared Borgetti's looping 34th-minute header gave the striker his second goal of the tournament.

Mexico remains winless against Italy in 10 all-time meetings, but wins the group with seven points from three games.

Italy played without imagination, but thanks to Del Piero's goal and Croatia's 1-0 loss to Ecuador, the Azzurri advanced.

Mediocre play in the opening round does not eliminate the possibility of Italian success. At the 1982 World Cup in Spain, the Azzurri scraped through by virtue of scoring one more goal than Cameroon before going on to lift the World Cup for the third time.