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Slow starters Italy will have to peak earlier than usual if they are to overcome in-form Spain in their Euro 2008 quarter-final on Sunday.
The Azzurri traditionally sneak through the groups and the early knockout rounds in successful championships, building momentum bit by bit rather than wasting all their energies at the start.
In the 1982 World Cup in Spain, they drew their three matches in the first group stage but Paolo Rossi’s six goals eventually led them to the title.
During their triumph in Germany two years ago, a 1-1 draw with United States in the group stage threatened their chances while a 1-0 win over Australia in the second round was thanks to a debateable stoppage-time penalty.
This tournament is shaping up in a similar way, especially after midfielder Simone Perrotta missed Friday’s news conference because he overslept and had to take a fitness test instead.
The woeful 3-0 drubbing by the Dutch in the opening Group C game was followed by a 1-1 draw with Romania, where the world champions would have been eliminated had Gianluigi Buffon not saved a late penalty.
They played well in the 2-0 win over France which helped put them through but Roberto Donadoni’s side were still not at their best, as they will surely have to be to progress on Sunday.
“I don’t know whether the teams that have gone through fear Italy. All I can say is that Italy are there and will fight,” Donadoni said this week.
Spain won all three group games and livewire forwards David Villa and Fernando Torres will give Italy’s unusually wobbly defence a very tough time in Vienna.
Main striker Luca Toni sums up Italy’s troubles. He scored for fun when bagging 24 goals for new club Bayern Munich last season to top the Bundesliga scoring charts.
But at Euro 2008 the tall and powerful forward has failed to hit the net, missing the target with nine shots in total — more than any other player here.
Ominously for Spain, though, Rossi did not score in the first three matches in 1982 either.
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