Good news for England from Tblisi last night, where Italy not only dropped two vital points in a goal-less draw with Georgia but also saw Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo pick up a yellow card that rules him out of the final, all-decisive Group Two Italy-England clash in Rome next month.
Before the match, Italy coach Cesare Maldini had seemed worried both by the suspension enforced absence of midfielder Demetrio Albertini and defender Alessandro Costacurta and by his squad's relative lack of match fitness. Those worries found expression in a defensive 5-3-2 Italian line up which conceded the initiative to the modest Georgians for long periods in the first half.
Indeed Italy's best moment in the first half came after only 30 seconds when Gianfranco Zola hit the bar with a splendid shot. While Italy hesitated, the Georgians blossomed and twice forced Juventus goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi into action.
By half-time coach Maldini had learned his lesson and it was a much more aggressive Italy which dominated the second half, hitting the woodwork once more through Angelo Di Livio and forcing Georgian goalkeeper Nikoloz Togonidze to make splendid, instinctive saves from Atillio Lombardo and twice from Dino Baggio.
Even the 73rd minute entrance of substitute Roberto Baggio, in place of Lombardo, failed to break the deadlock. Baggio could make little impression in a final quarter of an hour when Italy's dominance faded into exhausted frenzy.
Speaking after the game, coach Maldini defended his side's performance, saying: "We played very well in the second half but we simply could not break them down . . . As for the game against England, we'll talk about that in a month's time".
