Czech Republic 0-2 Italy

**marcode** · 22nd June 2006

FULL-TIME: Czech Republic 0-2 Italy
Marco Materazzi and Filippo Inzaghi put Italy into the second round as group winners but it's Czech mate for their opponents who are out of the World Cup.

GOAL: 86 minutes Czech Republic 0-2 Italy
Filippo Inzagi makes it third time lucky, picking up the ball just inside the opposition half and running unchallenged before rounding Petr Cech and coolly slotting home. It's joy unconfined as he drops to his knees with arms held aloft. The Czechs are surely on the way out.

"I think Luca Toni will be back for the next game, don't you?"
John Motson, BBC1.

82 mins: Filippo Inzaghi misses his second open goal since coming on. Andrea Pirlo does a Ricky Villa-style shimmy across the area but can't tuck it away. The ball pops up nicely for Inzaghi but he somehow puts his header wide with 24ft of goal to aim at.

80 mins: Francesco Totti is whistled by his own fans after attempting a chip that ends up as a pass-back to Petr Cech when there were other options available.

77 mins: "This is the last throw of the dice for the Czechs. The body language says it all - everything seems to be going against them."
Mark Bright, BBC Sport pundit.

77 mins: Marek Heinz comes on for Radoslav Kovac.

74 mins: It's still 2-1 to Ghana in the other group. People propping up the bars and clubs in Prague will be willing the USA to knock in a couple of late goals to save their team's skin.

69 mins: The Czech Republic are refusing to give up the ghost and that man Pavel Nedved is there again with a blistering drive from outside the box - but again he is denied by Gianluigi Buffon, who pulls off another splendid save. Oh to be a fly on the wall of the Juventus dressing room when this pair report back for pre-season training.

68 mins: Comedy defending in the Czech penalty area presents Filippo Inzaghi with a gilt-edged chance but he flicks it wide of Petr Cech with the goal at his mercy.

64 mins: Milan Baros is subsituted, with David Jarolim coming on. Is this the end of Baros' World Cup?

63 mins: Francesco Totti whips in a corner and finds the head of Mauro Camoranesi. It couldn't have fallen better if Totti had placed it there with his hands but Camoranesi somehow puts it wide. Maybe the weight of his ponytail upset his balance.

61 mins: Marek Jankulovski swings in a tasty cross for Milan Baros, but the Villa striker cannot keep his header down.

59 mins: Filippo Inzaghi comes on to win his 50th cap for Italy, to delight of the crowd. Alberto Gilardino is the man to make way.

56 mins: "Totti's got the freedom of the park in the middle because Pavel Nedved can't afford to drop back."
John Motson, BBC1.

55 mins: Italy have a glorious chance to make it 2-0 with a beautifully worked free-kick. Francesco Totti's effort is nodded into the path of Fabio Cannavaro who hooks a left-foot volley just over. The Czechs breathe a sigh of relief.

52 mins: It's end-to-end stuff now. Pavel Nedved bursts into the box and unleashes a rocket but Gianluigi Buffon repels him yet again.

52 mins: Francesco Totti is beginning to find his range and Petr Cech needs to be at his best to turn away a stinging drive at full stretch.

50 mins: A counter-attack by Italy sees Alberto Gilardino feeding the ball into the box. Simone Perrotta suddenly finds himself with an open goal, but the ball flashes past him and Petr Cech and out for a corner.

48 mins: Francesco Totti is getting plenty of space - exactly what the Czechs don't want to be doing. The ball finds him unmarked in the area but his shot is straight at Petr Cech.

47 mins: Italy win a free kick 30 yards out and Francesco Totti clearly fancies it. After pacing out an exaggerated run-up he charges in and scuffs the ball about half a mile wide of the post. He looks down at the ground, no doubt wishing it would open up and swallow him.

45 mins: Jiri Stajner has replaced Karel Poborsky and will play wide on the right.

The Czechs need to find two goals with 10 men - against Italy. There's probably more chance of Sven-Goran Eriksson starting with Theo Walcott on Sunday.

HALF-TIME: Italy lead the Czech Republic 1-0 thanks to Marco Materazzi's goal. The Czechs are down to 10 men and staring down the barrel of elimination.

45 (+2) mins: It's going from bad to worse for the Czech Republic after news that Stephen Appiah has put the Ghanaians back in front.

45 (+2) mins: SENT OFF
Jan Polak gets his second yellow card for bringing down Francesco Totti from behind. It's terrible news for the Czechs and they now have a mountain to climb.

43 mins: Clint Dempsey equalises for the USA against Ghana. It's still not enough for the Czechs. As it stands, they would still be squeezed out by Ghana.

36 mins: Another shot, another chance goes begging for the Czechs. This time Pavel Nedved's effort is blocked by Marco Materazzi. The Czech Republic are creating the most opportunities but the table doesn't lie - if it stays like this they are joining Michael Owen on an early flight home.

34 mins: Another yellow card, this time for a Czech, as Mauro Camoranesi is poleaxed by Polak - Jan Polak that is.

31 mins: Pavel Nedved finds Karel Poborsky on the edge of the area, but the former Manchester United star hits it tamely towards goal and Gianluigi Buffon is untroubled.

30 mins: The first yellow card of the game and no surprise that it's gone to an Italian, as Gennaro Gattuso has one nibble too many at Pavel Nedved's legs.

27 mins: "The Czech Republic are in deep, deep trouble."
John Motson, BBC1.

26 mins: Marco Materazzi's goal means Italy now top the group with Ghana second. The Czechs need to find two goals from somewhere.

26 mins GOAL: Czech Republic 0-1 Italy
Substitute Marco Materazzi picks the perfect time to score his first goal for Italy, climbing above the defence to head home Francesco Totti's corner.

22 mins: News from the other group and it's bad news for the Czechs as Ghana have gone in front. As it stands the Czechs are going out and Italy will face Brazil.

22 mins: Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky dances across the penalty ares as he looks to improve on his two-goal tally for this World Cup but is squeezed out.

22 mins: Gennaro Gattuso slips one through for Gianluca Zambrotta who hooks the ball across the goal but no-one is in the area.

17 mins: Bad news for Italy as their best man-for-man marker Alessandro Nesta is forced off with a groin problem. Former Everton defender Marco Materazzi replaces him.

15 mins: Veteran midfielder Karel Poborsky feeds Pavel Nedved and his scorching drive burns Gianluigi Buffon's fingers. The ball comes out to Marel Jankulovski but the angle is too tight.

11 mins: A low drive from Pavel Nedved gives Juventus team-mate Gianluigi Buffon his first test, but the Italian goalkeeper is equal to it.

11 mins: Gennaro Gattuso goes in late on Pavel Nedved but Mexican referee Benito Archundia Tellez shows leniency again by keeping his cards in his pocket.

8 mins: Pavel Nedved puts Milan Baros through with a peach of a ball but his first touch lets him down and he can only find the side netting. Baros will no doubt blame it on being ring rusty following his injury lay-off.

7 mins: Italy win their first corner but Milan Baros, who seems to be everywhere at the moment, clears and then looks to burst forward but is stopped in his tracks.

6 mins: Milan Baros chests the ball down in the penalty are and is penalised, presumably because the linesman thought he used his hands. The Aston Villa man is distinctly unimpressed.

3 mins: The Czech Republic are having the better of the early exchanges - unsurprising given that they need a win to be sure of qualifying for round two.

2 mins: Alessandro Nesta clips Pavel Nedved's ankles on the touchline but gets away with a ticking off.

1 min: Milan Baros' first touch of this World Cup is to give away a free kick.