Slovakia 3-2 Italy as it happened

Slovakia, in their first World Cup, are through to the second round. Paraguay will top the group and Italy will finish bottom. It was the first time Italy had failed to get out of their group since 1974.

Incredible finish to the game, Italy were poor for most of the match but showed a great never-say-die attitude when they looked dead and buried. They could have snatched qualification at the last second, when Pepe missed a sitter and they also had a goal ruled off for offside (debatable decision).

Slovakia deserve to go through though, Hamsik in particular was outstanding. It was the best game of the World Cup so far. It’s hard not to feel sorry for New Zealand though, who went out despite not losing a game.

Thanks very much for joining us.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Goodbye

We are into the sixth minute of injury time.

Another Slovakian player goes down injured. Italians are furious. A long throw by Italy goes straight to Pepe on the far post and he misses an absolute sitter. Shocking.

Paraguay have qualified. Their match finished 0-0. New Zealand are out, despite ending their campaign unbeaten.

Mucha flaps at the ball, but the ref gives a free out. Mucha makes a meal of the foul and tries to buy some time.

Maybe I spoke too soon. Quagliarella scores an amazing goal from 25 yards. Mucha had no chance. They have about a minute to get the goal they need.

Goal Italy

Kopunek scores a minute after coming one. Dreadful defending, both De Rossi and Cannavaro switched off, leaving the substitute free to chip the ball over Marchetti, who should of done a lot better. Italy are definetely out now!!!!!!!!

Goal Slovakia

It doesn’t look like New Zealand are capable of getting the goal they need. Paraguay have had 17 shots to New Zealand’s four. Substitution for Slovakia, Kopunek on for Strba.

At least I thought there was, but it was ruled out for offside. It was very tight, Quagliarella might have been level. Nail-biting stuff here.

Goal Italy

Di Natale scores after after a Mucha saved Quagliarella’s shot. Quagliarella and Mucha got stuck in the net, there was a bit of kerfuffle and both players got booked. Mad scenes here, game on!!!

Goal Italy

“At least the Italians can look forward to the totti awaiting them at home!” says The Cam from Carlow. Don’t right them off yet because . . .

Pepe has had his first kick of the game. The only problem was that it was a Slovakia player he kicked, not the ball. He was lucky not to get sent off. Slovakia can’t celebrate yet. A goal from New Zealand will put them out.

Italy are going out. A corner is sent in by Hamsik. It is cleared, Hamsik crosses the ball back in and Vittek blasts the ball into the back of the net. Terrible defending, especially bad marking by Pirlo.

Goal Slovakia

“I think all the Italian fans will give their team a pizza their mind if they get knocked out – I bet they wish it could all come down to penne-lties instead,” says Derek from Waterford.

Another great pun, this time by Dave Brown, “Mucha do about nothing.” Italy have upped the pace considerably in the last few minutes, and an Italy goal looks inevitable.

Wonderful pass by Hamsik puts Stoch through, he strikes it decently but it goes over and wide. Really terrific chance there.

Italy go astonishingly close, Quagliarella’s shot is cleared off the line by Skrtel. The Italians believed that it crossed the line, but replays have shown that it didn’t.

It’s still 0-0 in the other match, despite Paraguay having 11 shots to New Zealand’s two. Come on New Zealand!!!! I immediately apologise for my bias.

“We pass the hour mark in Ellis Park,” says RTE’s Steven Alkin rather poetically. Di Natale shoots straight at Mucha in a rare shot on target. Italy don’t look like they’d score if they played in 76 consecutive matches. “This Italy team is pasta it. They’re a load of Buffoons. Gattuse-less,” says the puntastic Mark Keane from Castletownbere.

“How much do you reckon Lippi regrets coming back?” asks Tim from Cahir. A lot. “Howard Webb’s an excellent ref,” says Jim from Kildare. I can never tell if emails are sarcastic or not, but I think I’ll agree either way.

Great chance for Di Natale, who puts the ball wide from about six yards. It was a tight angle though. Pirlo comes on for Montolivo, who has been crap.

“Italy? More like Shitaly! No way they can get pasta this team, they’re really making a meal of it” says Derek from Waterford. “Azzuri, more like maunure-y,” I add.

Mucha got a slight kick from Quagliarella, but made a hell of a lot more out of it than it actually was. The ref ignored him, like he was a child looking for attention. Tonight he won’t get any pie after dinner, and will have to go to be before nine.

The New Zealanders have started brightly in the second half of their match, Elliot striking just wide. Iaquinta had a chance from a great Maggio cross, but headed harmlessly over.

Two substitutions for Italy at half time. Maggio in for Criscito, Quagliarella in for Gattuso. Italy are going all out for this, like they have to. Di Natale will switch to the wing, Quagliarell, will go up front alongside Iaquinta.

“The All-Whites are, strangely enough, playing in black today against Paraguay,” writes Bill Bailey on Twitter, “Maybe they’ve snuck the Rugby team in.”

Italy are in serious trouble here. If the other game stays 0-0, though, they’ll only need one goal to get through on goals scored. Slovakia have looked good, and they’ll be a dangerous opponent for Ireland in the qualifiers for the European Championship.

Kucha has a terrific shot from outside the area. It so easily could have been 2-0 to Slovakia there.

Strba has a change of mind, and decides he wants to play on. Jakubko doesn’t come on afterall.

The All-Whites, who are strangely playing in black, are holding on despite having only one shot to Paraguay’s seven. Gattuso tackles Strba, and he gets injured. It is a horrible looking gash, and he’ll have to go off. Jakubko will replace him.

Crossed towards Iaquinta (who dives) and Skrtel heads the ball over the bar. Italy get a corner, which is put behind. Their second corner is easily gathered by the Slovakian keeper Mucha.

“If Italy go out, it’ll be the first time the two finalists from the previous tournament have gone out in the first round,” RTE’s Steven Alkin informs us.

Cannavaro made a terrible tackle on Hamsik, but wasn’t booked. It would’ve been a second yellow card. Slovakia’s Strba has a great shot from the freekick, that is saved by Marchetti.

Looking at Italy and France in this World Cup, it really hits home what a missed opportunity it was for Ireland in the qualifiers. Watching France against South Africa made me wonder if Ireland’s performance in Paris was as good as we thought it was originally.

New Zealand have to go for it now. If Italy equalise they’ll go ahead of the All-Whites on goals scored.

De Rossi gives the ball away, it’s fed to Vittek who slides it past Marchetti. The Italy goalkeeper could probably have stopped that. The way things stand, Slovakia are going through and Italy are bottom of their group.

Goal Slovakia

Despite getting into some good positions, Slovakia haven’t had a shot on goal yet. They earn the first corner of the game, which clears all the players in the box and goes harmlessly out for a throw.

Di Natale passes a ball into Iaquinta, but Durica puts in a great tackle and it goes out for a throw. I hope there ends up being a lottery, it’ll be both exciting and massively unfair.

This game is both open and stop start. Howard Webb has had to blow his whistle nearly once a minute because of some cynical play. And yet there has been some decent chances.

Great ball into the box from Hamsik to Vittek, that is intercepted by Marchetti. Excellent play. In the New Zealand game, it’s still 0-0. If it stays like that, lots will be drawn to decide whether the All-Whites or Italy progress to the second round.

Stoch crosses the ball in, Marchetti flaps at it (not for the first time today) before Zabavnik blasts it into row Z from outside the box.

Di Natale takes a free kick for Italy. The Italians, as you would expect, were pulling in the box and a free out was given.

The Italians have a habit in World Cups of either getting to the final, or being rubbish. After winning it in 1938, they didn’t get into the second round again until 1970. In 1966, they even lost to North Korea.

Hamsik with a great chance that he blasted wide. Weiss Sr looked like he was having a heart attack on the sidelines. Very open game so far.

Awful awful shot from Iaquinta. But at least the Italian strikers are getting shots in this time. You gotta love Hamsik’s crazy hair.

A shot within the first 30 seconds by Di Natale. New Zealand game has kicked off nearly a minute after the Italian one.

Italy unusually starting with somebody who can score today, Di Natale scored 29 league goals for Udinese last season despite playing in a bottom half side. Interesting to see how Napoli’s Hamsik does. I built him up before the tournament, and he has disappointed me so far.

Paraguay are two points clear and look hot favourites to top the group but Italy and New Zealand can still gain that particular place, depending on events this afternoon.

The group winners, which should be Paraguay, will play either Japan or Denmark in the last 16 (barring an unforeseen collapse by Holland tonight, which even for them is unlikely). We expect Italy to get through in second place, which would mean a second round game against the Dutch on Monday afternoon.

Now, that’s all the formalities out of the way – onto the action.

Right, so this should be interesting. Lots of form-lines which should be of interest to Ireland. Our lads drew twice with Italy in the qualifiers, while Slovakia will be one of the buffers blocking our path to the next European Championship finals.

So if Italy win here, we should be tonking Slovakia. And if Slovakia win, it will compound the feeling that we should really have been at this World Cup all along.

Anyway, kick-off’s at 3pm. We’ll bring you all the latest from Ellis Park, and we’ll also be keeping an eye on events in Polokwane, where Group F leaders Paraguay take on New Zealand. Incidentally, it’s another group where all four teams can still qualify for the last 16, so there should be plenty of drama again.

The pigeon has arrived from Ellis Park, Johannesburg with all the team news.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has made two changes from the side which limped to a 1-1 draw with New Zealand the other day. Out go Claudio Marchisio and Alberto Gilardino, in come Gennaro Gattuso and Antonio Di Natale.

Slovakia show four changes: Salata, Weiss Jnr, Sestak and Kozak make way with Zabavnik, Stoch, Jendrisek and Kucha coming in.

Slovakia: Mucha; Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Zabavnik; Kucha, Strba, Hamsik, Stoch; Vittek, Jendrisek.

Italy: Marchetti; Zambrotta, Chiellini, Cannavaro, Criscito; De Rossi, Gattuso, Montolivo; Pepe, Iaquinta, Di Natale.