World Cup 2006

EFE

Italy wins big.

With an early strike, a goal-saving scramble and an assist from defender Gianluca Zambrotta, Italy held off the World Cup newcomer 3-0 on Friday, setting up a Tuesday match against host Germany.

One minute after Zambrotta kicked a ball off his own goalline to quash Ukraine's last hope of an upset, Toni scored his first World Cup goal just ahead of the hour mark with a header and added a second when he slid in Zambrotta's pass in the 69th minute.

Zambrotta flew home early in the week to visit former Juventus teammate Gianluca Pessotto, who is fighting for his life after falling from a window. The defender poured his emotions into a 6th minute run on the right, setting up a one-two with playmaker Francesco Totti and finishing it off with a searing 20-yard left foot drive that was too hot for goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkosvskyi to stop.

Only his second goal in 56 games for Italy, it put the Azzurri in the situation they have perfected over decades of World Cup success: defending a slender lead. After a few narrow escapes, Toni made sure Italy did not have to worry until the final whistle.

After seven seasons in Italy's Serie A, Ukraine's lone star Andriy Shevchenko no longer held any secrets for Italy's expert defense and could not give his president Victor Yushchenko any reason to cheer in the stands.

In the end, Ukraine, the surprise team to make the quarterfinals in its maiden World Cup run, was finally exposed as a team which had too little to offer beyond a robust defense.

And even when the Italian defense fumbled on a rare occasion, there was Gianluigi Buffon slapping a header from Andriy Gusin onto the post in the 49th minute. World Cups are not only won on talent and Italy was lucky when a header from Andriy Gusin crashed onto the bar in the 62nd.

Qualification for the semifinal offered a welcome reprieve for Italy, which has been embroiled in a sensational match-fixing scandal at home. Pessotto, appointed Juventus team manager after much of its front office resigned, was in a drug-induced coma Friday when Zambrotta scored.

Totti regained his place on Italy's starting lineup for the quarterfinal against Ukraine, which fielded Artem Milevskiy in place of injured striker Andriy Voronin.

Italy went with a likely 4-4-1-1 lineup, with Totti behind lone striker Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino on the bench. Andrea Barzagli started his first World Cup game in defense, filling in for injured Alessandro Nesta and suspended Marco Materazzi.

Totti came on as a substitute late in the second-round game against Australia and scored the only goal in the final minute of the match. Coach Marcello Lippi had sidelined him because he looked fatigued in the last first-round match against the Czech Republic.

On Friday, he provided two assists.

Lineups:

Italy:Buffon; Zambrotta, Barzagli, Cannavaro, Grosso; Perrotta, Pirlo (Barone, m.68), Gattuso (Zaccardo, m.77), Camoranesi (Oddo, m.68), Totti and Toni. Coach: Marcello Lippi.

Ukraine: Shovkovsky; Rusol (Vashchuk, m.45+2), Svidersky (Vorobei, m.20), Nesmachnyi, Gusev, Tymoshchyuk, Shelayev, Kalinichenko, Milevski (Belik, m.73), Gusin and Shevchenko. Coach: Oleg Blokhin.

Goals: 1-0, m.6: Zambrotta, 2-0, m.59: Luca Toni, 3-0, m.69: Toni

Referee: Frank de Bleeckere (Bel)

Bookings: Svidersky (m.16), Kalinichenko (m.21) y a Milevski (m.67).