“Italy fell behind, then lost its star goalkeeper for the second half. So a 1-1 World Cup draw with Paraguay should not have been all that disturbing for the defending champions. Yet the Azzurri’s underwhelming, rain-soaked draw hardly was pleasing to coach Marcello Lippi, the same man who guided the Italians to their fourth championship in 2006.” (ESPN)
Holders Italy on the defensive
“If Italy’s World Cup campaign doesn’t get off to a flying start against Paraguay tonight, it won’t be because the world champions have been dragged down by the weight of expectations. The nation is braced for failure after an uninspiring qualifying campaign, dreary performances in warmers and the loss of their main creative force, Andrea Pirlo, at least for the first two games with a calf problem. The core of the team are over-30s from the 2006 squad, several clearly past their best, including Gianluca Zambrotta and captain Fabio Cannavaro, who will play in Dubai for Al-Ahli next season after Juventus let the centre-back go.” (WSC)
Italy 1-1 Paraguay – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – World Cup – 14 June 2010
“The 2006 World Champions began their Group Stage of the 2010 tournament against CONMEBOL side Paraguay. Italy come into this World Cup with almost no one picking them to repeat as champions. Paraguay know that any result in this match would put them in good position to move into the knockout stage.” (The 90th Minute)