Chapter 152 Forced into a Dead End
After switching positions with Iaquinta, Pepe finally became more active.
In the 53rd minute, Paraguayan midfielder Vela's long-range shot went wide, and Italy immediately launched a counter-attack.
Zambrotta dribbled forward down the right flank and, near midfield, crossed the ball to Marchisio. Marchisio controlled the ball, made a slight adjustment, and then launched another long diagonal pass, targeting Pepe on the left side of the penalty area.
Pepe received the ball and began to cut inside. Bonet immediately stepped up to interfere. Pepe's cut inside failed, and he passed the ball back to Criscito, who was making a run behind him. Criscito then crossed the ball to Fino near the edge of the penalty area.
At this moment, both of Paraguay's center-backs were blocking Fino's way, and Bonet, who had just been marking Pepe, had also retreated back into the penalty area, leaving Pepe with no one in front of him.
After receiving the ball, Fino immediately lobbed it high and passed it to Pepe, who was entering the penalty area from the left.
The ball passed over Bonnet, who jumped hastily but missed, and the ball fell smoothly to Pepe's feet.
Pepe made a diving header, heading the ball hard toward the goal with his forehead, but Paraguay's goalkeeper Villar made a clean save.
Italy's attack ended in failure.
The loss of Pirlo had a greater impact on the Italian team than expected; Italy's attacking tactics lacked creativity and appeared rather rigid.
Fino played his role as a target man very well in the attacking third, shielding the ball with his back to goal, attracting defenders, organizing attacks and creating opportunities for his teammates. He perfectly executed Lippi's tactics, but unfortunately, the three players behind him were not good at scoring.
After considering it for a moment, Lippi instructed his assistant coach to submit a substitution request.
Italy substituted Camoranesi for Marchisio, giving Juventus' only remaining player who hadn't started a chance to play.
Camoranesi, a naturalized Argentine, excels at the right midfield position but can also play as an attacking midfielder. Lippi hopes to utilize Camoranesi's technique and imagination to enhance the creativity of the Italian midfield and revitalize the right flank attack.
After Camoranesi came on, Italy's dry and stiff attack seemed to have been lubricated, and it became much smoother.
Seeing that the situation was improving, Lippi made another substitution, replacing Iaquinta with Di Natale, changing the formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2, widening the midfield coverage and unleashing Fino's scoring ability.
In the 72nd minute, Santana, who replaced Torres, dribbled the ball towards Italy's half. De Rossi immediately marked him. Santana passed the ball to Santa Cruz, who replaced Valdes. Chiellini precisely intercepted the pass and kicked the ball towards midfield, thus starting Italy's counter-attack.
Montolivo intercepted the ball and continued to pass it forward, allowing Camoranesi to break through down the right flank.
Fino gestured to Di Natale, instructing him to stay in the penalty area to receive the pass and draw away Paraguay's two center-backs, while he himself dropped back from the right flank to assist Camoranesi in his forward breakthrough.
Paraguay's left-back Rodriguez closely followed Fino out of the penalty area.
Vela relentlessly pursued Camoranesi from behind, while Caceres also began to close in on Camoranesi from the side. Before the two could complete their double-team, Camoranesi decisively passed the ball to Fino, who was positioned to his right.
After receiving the ball, Fino made a clever turn and switched positions with Rodriguez. Then, he swung his right foot and passed the ball straight to Di Natale in the penalty area.
After passing the ball, Fino immediately shook off Rodriguez and ran towards the center.
Di Natale, with his back to Paraguay's center-back, passed the ball back to Fino.
Fino met the returning ball with a direct shot, the ball grazing Villar's fingertips and nestling into the top left corner of the goal.
1-1, Fino equalized for Italy.
"Gooooal! Lippi's substitutions and tactical changes have paid off. Camoranesi has revitalized Italy's right flank, Di Natale's introduction has replaced Cabrini as a target man, and the Ballon d'Or winner has scored. Italy and Paraguay are back on equal footing..."
Fino's goal was the last goal of the match. Despite Italy's hard work in the final moments, Paraguay managed to hold on for a draw until the end of the game through solid defense.
The following day, another Group F match, New Zealand vs. Slovakia, also ended in a 1-1 draw. With all four teams in Group F tied, the qualification situation remains uncertain.
This match generated a great deal of interest in Italy.
Lippi's tactical arrangements, Montolivo's wasteful shots, and the decline in form of veteran players were all brought up for scrutiny. Coupled with the injury of midfield maestro Pirlo, there was a general pessimistic attitude in Italy towards the outcome of this World Cup.
A day later, even more heartbreaking news arrived: Buffon's test results showed that his injury was not a simple case of sciatica, but a herniated lumbar disc, which could no longer be treated conservatively and required surgical intervention.
In other words, Buffon's World Cup journey has come to an end.
After the news broke, Italy was in an uproar. First, the midfield maestro missed the group stage, and then the starting goalkeeper had to say goodbye to the World Cup. What a tragedy!
On June 20, Italy faced their second group stage opponent, New Zealand from Oceania.
Lippi fielded the exact same starting lineup as in the previous group stage match, except that he replaced the injured Buffon with Marchetti and moved Iaquinta to the striker position, playing a 4-4-2 formation.
New Zealand used a 4-5-1 formation, employing a dense defense to accommodate the defending champions.
The game took an unexpected turn when New Zealand scored in the 7th minute due to Cannavaro's fatal mistake in clearing the ball, putting Italy on the back foot immediately.
Italy's lack of creativity in midfield made it even harder to organize attacks and get the ball forward under New Zealand's tight defense.
With their defense no longer solid, the two defensive midfielders had to focus more on defensive interceptions, making it increasingly difficult for Italy to play.
Unable to pass the ball out from midfield, Fino could only watch helplessly. He frequently looked towards the sidelines, wanting to drop back into midfield to receive the ball, but he received no instructions from Lippi.
Lippi has always disliked players making decisions on their own, so Fino had no choice but to give up.
Italy played the entire match in a daze, and if they hadn't seized a penalty opportunity to pull one back, the defending champions would have been defeated by the generally considered weak New Zealand.
In another Group F match, Paraguay defeated Slovakia 2-0, putting Italy in a very unfavorable position to advance.
After two group stage matches, Paraguay leads the group with one win and one draw, accumulating 4 points. Italy and New Zealand both have two draws, accumulating 2 points, and even have the same goal difference. Slovakia is currently at the bottom with one draw and one loss, accumulating 1 point.
Italy's final group stage opponent is Slovakia. Italy must win to secure qualification. If they draw with Slovakia, the outcome of the match between Paraguay and New Zealand will be crucial.
Italy cannot have its destiny in the hands of others; if it wants to continue in the South Africa World Cup, it must win its third group stage match.
Italy has been driven to a dead end.
In the first two group stage matches, Italy's goals conceded were both related to captain Cannavaro, especially in the match against New Zealand. It's hard to imagine that such an outrageous mistake could happen to the Italian captain and Ballon d'Or winner.
Lippi's personnel choices have once again drawn criticism, especially given that another world-class center-back, Nesta, is on the bench, yet Lippi stubbornly continues to use the Juventus center-back pairing of Cannavaro and Chiellini.
The media are proclaiming: Lippi's nepotism is destroying Italy with his own hands!
Lippi's lineup also caused dissatisfaction among the players, with even his closest Juventus allies complaining.
In a media interview, Marchisio stated, "My best position is left winger, but the coach has placed me in the attacking midfield position, which has greatly hampered my performance. It's not just me; many of my teammates aren't playing in their familiar positions. The coach is constantly experimenting with us. For a year, we've been constantly changing positions, and that's why we're playing so poorly now!"
Marchisio's complaints were seen by Lippi as criticism and betrayal, and he immediately removed Marchisio from the starting lineup, preparing to replace him with Gattuso.
Gattuso and De Rossi partnered in the defensive midfield, while Montolivo was moved up to the attacking midfield position.
Montolivo suddenly felt immense pressure, and in an interview he subtly implied that he couldn't do it, while praising Pirlo highly.
"I'm not a typical attacking midfielder; I can't receive the ball with my back to goal and distribute it. I prefer playing as a defensive midfielder. I hope Pirlo can make a comeback soon. Pirlo is just too important to Italy; his technique, charisma, and influence are unmatched!"
Pirlo is still not fully recovered from his injury, but with the Italian team in dire straits, Lippi can't wait for him to fully recover.
Before the third group stage match, Pirlo had already joined the team's training sessions. If the match against Slovakia did not go well, then Pirlo would have to play.
Fino was very unhappy about this.
Italy has been forced into this predicament largely due to Lippi's nepotism and stubbornness.
Cannavaro's decline in form is clearly visible. It's not that he's not working hard enough or has the wrong attitude; it's just that he can no longer keep up with time.
Iaquinta is in the same boat; his form has declined significantly, and his efficiency is extremely low.
But Lippi insisted on using them.
Iaquinta was one thing, but the midfield was disorganized and his inability to contribute was understandable. However, Cannavaro directly caused two goals to be conceded.
They've already convinced Nesta to return to the national team, so why aren't they using him?
Now that they're backed into a corner, they want to have Pirlo play despite his injury.
Fino had been keeping a close eye on the situation with the Brazilian national team. Kaká's injury had severely affected his speed and explosiveness, and his performance was not ideal. His frequent frowns showed that he was enduring the pain.
Fino only has a few truly close friends, and with Kaká playing with an injury as a precedent, how could Fino want to see Pirlo do the same?
He plans to talk to Lippi about the lineup for the third group stage match, but before that, he needs to talk to Cannavaro first.
Fino showed no disrespect to his national team captain. He admired Cannavaro's professionalism and acknowledged Cannavaro's contributions to the Italian national team, but now was not the time to be sentimental. If things continued like this, Italy would have to go home.
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