Defending champ Italy ousted from World Cup in 1st round; Slovakia, Paraguay, Japan advance

Italy eliminated from World Cup in 1st round

JOHANNESBURG — From au revoir to arrivederci.

Italy joined France on the sidelines of the World Cup, the first time both previous finalists have been eliminated in the opening round when they qualified for the succeeding tournament.

The four-time champion Italians lost to Slovakia 3-2 at Ellis Park, allowing the Slovaks to advance to the round of 16 from Group F along with Paraguay, which drew 0-0 with New Zealand and won the group.

“I take full responsibility,” Italy coach Marcello Lippi said. “If the squad went out with fear in their legs and hearts it means the coach didn’t prepare the match well tactically or psychologically.”

Italy came into the World Cup with most of the same players who won the title four years ago in Germany under Lippi. But this year, defender Fabio Cannavaro was far from his best and the attack failed to produce goals until the team was facing elimination.

Too late.

“Tonight,” midfielder Gennaro Gattuso said, “we touched rock bottom.”

That’s a place the French reached earlier this week. Like Italy, they finished last in their group and went home in disarray.

Meanwhile, the celebrations for the Slovakian nation had just begun.

“We’ve shown that we’re not here for a holiday,” Slovakia forward Erik Jendrisek said.

Robert Vittek scored goals in the 25th and 73rd minutes. The second goal seemed to finally wake Italy’s struggling front line and Antonio Di Natale pulled one back for the Italians in the 81st.

Substitute Kamil Kopunek restored the two-goal lead for Slovakia with a smart lob in the 89th, and Fabio Quagliarella added the final goal for Italy in injury time.

“That’s my message to all fans at home: enjoy football,” said coach Vladimir Weiss: “Let’s celebrate … a present to all our fans at home.”

Paraguay won Group F despite a 0-0 draw with New Zealand at Polokwane, which went home with three ties. In its only other World Cup, in 1982, New Zealand lost all three matches.

In Group E, Japan advanced to the next round along with the Netherlands. The Japanese beat Denmark 3-1 in Rustenburg, while the Dutch defeated Cameroon 2-1 in Cape Town as Arjen Robben made his World Cup debut at this year’s tournament.

The Netherlands will next face Slovakia on Monday in Durban, while Paraguay takes on Japan on Tuesday in Pretoria.

Paraguay moved into the round of 16 for the fourth time in its history. The Paraguayans also reached the second round at the World Cup in 1986, 1998 and 2002.

“Obviously, the first goal was to advance,” Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz said. “We had some good moments in the first three games and obviously there are some things that we need to improve.”

Paraguay emphasized the strength of South American teams so far. They have won 10 times, drawn three and not lost a game.

For the Kiwis, the departure was much sweeter than for Italy or France.

“We are proud and disappointed at the same time now,” New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert said. “We remained unbeaten but are still eliminated. I am proud, and no one takes away from me what we have done here.”

Keisuke Honda and Yusuhito Endo scored from free kicks in the first half, and Shinji Okazaki added a late goal for Japan, which advanced to the round of 16 for the second time in history.

Jon Dahl Tomasson scored the lone goal for Denmark, tapping in a rebound after Eiji Kawashima saved his penalty kick.

“I’m glad we won but I am not satisfied,” Honda said. “The next game is more important. I want to show the Japanese that nothing is impossible.”

The Netherlands finally produced some flair at the tournament in South Africa, and Robben was one of the main contributors after coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute.

After misplaying a long pass, Robben took control of the ball and sent a bending shot off the post. Klaas Jan Huntelaar was there to tap it in and give the Dutch a 2-1 lead in the 83rd.

“Our play was good,” Netherlands winger Robin van Persie said. “We can be really pleased with this.”

Van Persie scored the first goal in the 36th, while Samuel Eto’o briefly equalized in the 65th by scoring from the penalty spot.