Italia Pukul Belanda

Foto : AP/Gregorio Borgia

BARI--Antonio Conte melakoni debutnya sebagai pelatih Italia dengan mulus. Eks pelatih Juventus ini mengantarkan timnya menaklukkan Belanda 2-0 dalam laga persahabatan di Stadion San Nicola, Bari, Jumat (5/9) dini hari WIB.

Conte memuji para pemainnya yang memberikan respons positif. “Tim ini lebih dari spesial. Saya punya beberapa lelaki spesial malam ini. Saya yakin dengan kerja keras kami bisa mencapai hal-hal bagus,” kata Conte dalam wawancara dengan Rai Sport seperti dikutip Football Italia.

Filosofi sepak bola Conte yang mengedepankan keseimbangan antarlini di Juventus diterapkan dengan mulus di timnas Italia. Setidaknya, tanda-tanda itu terlihat dari permainan gli Azzurri. 

Italia yang tampil dengan formasi 3-5-2, pakem kegemaran Conte di Juventus lebih dominan menghadapi skema 4-3-3 yang diterapkan Guus Hiddink, pelatih Belanda.

Italia tak butuh waktu lama untuk memimimpin. Baru tiga menit laga berjalan, Leonardo Bonucci mengirimkan umpan lambung dari tengah langsung ke jantung pertahanan Belanda. Immobile yang berlari kencang menyambut bola dengan sempurna. Setelah melewati kiper Jasper Cillessen yang keluar dari sarangnya, striker anyar Borussia Dortmund ini dengan mudah menyarangkan bola ke gawang kosong.

Enam menit berselang, serangan Italia kembali memecah pertahanan Oranje. Kali ini debutan asal Sassuolo, Simone Zaza yang masuk dari sisi kiri pertahanan Belanda. Bek Bruno Martins Indi yang sudah kalah langkah menahan laju Zaza dengan tangannya. Wasit langsung menunjuk titik putih dan menghadiahi Indi dengan kartu merah. De Rossi yang menjadi eksekutor menjalankan tugasnya dengan mudah pada menit ke-10.

Unggul 2-0 dan jumlah pemain, Italia merajalela. Hiddink terpaksa menarik striker Jeremain Lens dan memasukkan bek Joel Veltman pada menit ke-12 untuk memberikan keseimbangan di lini belakang.

Masuknya Veltman membuat Belanda tak banyak melancarkan serangan. Meski demikian lini belakang Oranje cukup solid menahan gempuran bertubi-tubi Italia hingga jeda.

Memasuki babak kedua, Italia tidak mengurangi tekanan. Sementara Oranje terlihat berusaha mengamankan pertahanan. Bermain dengan 10 orang, Belanda hanya meninggalkan Robin van Persie sendirian di depan. Van Persie sempat mendapatkan peluang emas pada awal babak pertama, namun sepakan keras kaki kirinya hanya menyamping tipis di sisi kiri gawang Italia yang dijaga kiper Paris Saint-Germain Salvatore Sirigu.

Lewat satu jam laga berjalan, Conte mulai mengutak-atik timnya dengan menggantikan lima pemain secara bertahap. Meskipun terus melancarkan serangan, pertahanan disiplin Belanda mencegah Italia menambah gol hingga laga berakhir.

Gol: Ciro Immobile (3'), Daniele De Rossi (10')

Susunan Pemain 

Italia: Salvatore Sirigu, Leonardo Bonucci, Matteo Darmian (Antonio Candreva 72'), Andrea Ranocchia, Davide Astori, Mattia De Sciglio, Daniele De Rossi (Marco Parolo 67'), Claudio Marchisio (Marco Verratti 63'), Emanuele Giaccherini, Ciro Immobile (Sebastian Giovinco 77'), Simone Zaza (Mattia Destro 73')

Jasper Cillessen, Daryl Janmaat (Gregory van der Wiel 72'), Stefan de Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi (kartu merah 9'), Wesley Sneijder, Nigel de Jong (Erik Pieters 63'), Georginio Wijnaldum (Leroy Fer 86'), Daley Blind, Dirk Kuyt, Robin van Persie, Jeremain Lens (Joel Veltman 12')

http://bola.republika.co.id/berita/sepakbola/internasional-2/14/09/05/nbeb9s-debut-conte-mulus-italia-bungkam-belanda

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Redaktur : Israr Itah

Di Maria dishes out Dusseldorf revenge

Photo : AFP

Angel di Maria inspired Argentina on a Dusseldorf mission over their 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Final conquerors Germany as the Manchester United new boy scored once and set up three goals in a 4-2 victory.

Only four members of the Germany team which started the biggest match in world football on 13 July were selected, and the transformation from the Rio de Janeiro showpiece was dramatic. Di Maria set up the first three goals for Sergio Aguero, Erik Lamela and Federico Fernandez before adding the fourth in a game filled with chances at both ends.

Argentina led 4-0 early in the second half but Andre Schurrle pulled a goal back for Germany before Fernandez turned a Mario Gotze effort into his own goal, on a night when only players from the English Premier League found the back of the net.

Mario Gomez had the first real chance of the game in the sixth minute, but his shot struck Sergio Romero in the face. It was the first of three excellent chances wasted by the Fiorentina forward, who received some boos from the home fans when his best opportunity on the stroke of half-time went begging.

By then, Germany were already two goals down due to the vision and precision of Di Maria. In the 20th minute, he curled a cross in behind the Germany defence with the outside of his left boot, serving the ball on a plate for Aguero to lift into the roof of the net from point-blank range.

Ten minutes later, Di Maria terrorised the Germany defence once more, choosing to shoot this time but placing his effort straight at Manuel Neuer. Five minutes before the break, Di Maria got to the by-line and lifted the ball back for Tottenham's Lamela to place perfectly into the top left-hand corner with a side-footed volley.

It became 3-0 for Argentina almost immediately in the second half when Swansea's Fernandez arrived to head Di Maria's cross past Germany's replacement goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller with the aid of the far post. Three minutes later, Di Maria crowned his excellent personal performance with a goal, racing in from the right before dinking the ball delicately past the onrushing Weidenfeller.

Germany grabbed a consolation just moments later when Schurrle was left in space in the centre to volley at Romero. The ball came back to the Chelsea forward off the Argentina goalkeeper and he converted at the second attempt. Marco Reus hit the post as Germany attempted a comeback with Gotze's wayward effort deflected into his own goal by Fernandez to bring the hosts back to within two goals.

There was not to be a dramatic comeback, though, as Argentina gained the merest modicum of revenge for defeat in Brazil, taking their chances in a way which will give them even more regret for the ones they wasted at the Maracana, when it really mattered.

www.fifa.com

http://www.fifa.com/world-match-centre/news/newsid/243/587/9/index.html