Italy Squad Report: It wasn't perfect, but boy was it fun

Mistakes were made. 

There were some shaky moments in defense where England looked as though they were going to make the breakthrough. Raheem Sterling asked questions of the back-line all evening long, and on more than one occasion the Azzurri, Gabriel Paletta in particular, had no answer.

Missing their best goalkeeper and top fullback, and forced to shift their best center-back out to the left to patch things up, there were concerns about how Italy would deal with a younger, quicker England attack.

The answer: Keep the ball.

Fueled as ever by the indomitable Andrea Pirlo and helped along by a brilliant performance from his Juventus teammate Claudio Marchisio, Italy dictated the pace, slowing it down when necessary in the grueling heat. They did just enough to come away with a 2-1 victory Saturday night in Manaus.

With those three points, the four-time world champions set themselves up very nicely to advance to the knockout stages.

Cesare Prandelli, whose tactics were right on the mark, got a fantastic performance out of star striker Mario Balotelli, who scored the winning goal in the second half. His choices to field Matteo Darmian and Antonio Candreva, in hindsight, look pretty good too.

But the manager isn't getting too carried away after the victory, urging his team to remain grounded ahead of their match against Costa Rica.

According to Prandelli, "Now we have to keep our feet on the ground and just focus on each game that comes."

Italy has a penchant for making things difficult on themselves in major tournaments. This time, they have a chance to do it the easy way.

Fixtures/Results

Group D — June 14 — Italy 2, England 1

Group D — June 20 — Italy vs. Costa Rica

Group D — June 24 — Italy vs. Uruguay

Squad News/Rumors/Injury Report

GK Gianluigi Buffon missed the match with an ankle injury, but his replacement Salvatore Sirigu was one of the best players on the pitch. The Paris saint-Germain goalkeeper made a handful of saves off venomous English shots from distance, and did a solid job commanding his area.

The health of DF Mattia De Sciglio continues to be of far greater concern, as Paletta was the obvious weak link in defense, and Giorgio Chiellini, as great a defender he is, was clearly uncomfortable on the ball in the left-back spot. The youngster is still recovering from a hamstring strain, but his addition would be a massive boost to the defense.

MF Matteo Darmian and MF Antonio Candreva are assured of a place in the starting lineup after Saturday's match, as the two men controlled the right side, combining to set up Balotelli's winning goal. Darmian was caught out of position on the England goal by Daniel Sturridge, but overall, his first game at a major tournament was an overwhelming success.

Team Leaders

Mario Balotelli, Claudio Marchisio — 1 goal each

Five Quick Notes

1. Andrea Pirlo was, as usual, a glorious embodiment of serenity with the ball at his feet. Is there a player in the world who accomplishes more while looking so nonchalant about it? Also, that dummy. My word.

[Courtesy: FourFourTwo]

2. Claudio Marchisio didn't get any of the plaudits on Mario Balotelli's match-winner in the second half, but he should have. Here's a tactical breakdown of how he created the space for the goal.

3. Gianluigi Buffon, who missed the match with an ankle injury, is challenging Pirlo for the title as coolest human on earth. It's a tight race.

4. Prandelli was none too pleased about the lack of water breaks afforded to the players, who endured the stifling heat of the Amazon. That said, he was overjoyed with the response of the men on the field, calling their performance "extraordinary" considering the conditions.

5. The attention now turns to Costa Rica, who actually top the group (on goal difference) after a thrilling, and unforeseen, 3-1 win over Uruguay.