11 brave Lions, one Balotelli. Super Mario's
second-half header sealed the Rumble in the Jungle as England's World
Cup opener against Italy ended in defeat.
Posted at
After the optimism comes the inevitable
disappointment. After the disappointment comes the reaction. And after
the reaction comes the analysis
The Italian press are full of it this morning,
and rightly so, as they've made a wonderful start to their World Cup
campaign. Mario Balotelli is the image leading most of the front and
back pages.
How do you think England's players played last night?
Just as in England's Euro 2012 defeat by Italy, Juventus' Andrea Pirlo played a major part in the downfall of Roy Hodgson's men.
The 35-year-old made 108 passes - the most so far in a 2014 World Cup match - of which 103 were completed.
He also hit the bar late on with an outrageous swerving free-kick.
Less obvious was his defensive work. Pirlo
recovered the ball six times - Giorgio Chiellini was the only Italian
outfield player to manage more.
You thought it was in didn't you?
Just four minutes into last night's game,
Raheem Sterling screamed a shot goalwards from 25 yards, rippling the
side-netting and propelling a million bums off sofas back in England.
The Liverpool teenager had three shots off
target by the time the final whistle blew, but his determination to
drive at the Italy defence impressed throughout.
He had four successful dribbles - more than any other England player.
No comments:
Post a Comment