The US looked on course for a first ever victory over Italy on Monday when a young striker from Teaneck, New Jersey, stole it from them.
Giuseppe Rossi, born near New York to Italian immigrants and wearing the colors of Italy, scored a 59th-minute equalizer with a thumping shot from 25m less than two minutes after coming on as a substitute. He made his first appearance for Italy last October.
After Daniele De Rossi added a second with another long range strike, Rossi, sold to Spain’s Villareal by Manchester United two years ago, collected a pass from Andrea Pirlo with a powerful first time strike to complete Italy’s 3-1 victory at the Confederations Cup.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“Goals are always nice to score,” said Rossi, who scored his first for Italy against Northern Ireland on June 6.
“If you’re playing against the team which is the country where you are born it’s always a great emotion coming in. But when your on the field you have no plan. You just think about playing the game and trying to win your game,” he said.
Italy coach Marcello Lippi said Rossi made a difference to his ailing team.
PHOTO: EPA
“Rossi gave us a burst of energy,” said Lippi, who led Italy to its 2006 World Cup triumph. “He scored a great goal that calmed us down psychologically with a half hour still to go and then he finished the game off. He offers different characteristics.”
Landon Donovan had given the Americans a deserved 41st minute lead from the penalty spot with his 40th international goal even though Bob Bradley’s team was down to 10 men after a harsh red card given to Ricardo Clark a few minutes earlier for a foul on Gennaro Gattuso.
With the Italians looking uninspired even against 10 men, coach Marcello Lippi sent on Rossi and the game turned.
The 22-year-old striker’s arrival gave the Italians a far more potent threat in attack alongside Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta and the US defense, which had given barely a chance, came under strong pressure in the last 30 minutes.
They succumbed to the two long range shots and an inspired move and now the US has lost four times to Italy alongside three draws.
Bradley’s team didn’t look like a side down to 10 men as they continued to hold the Italians in midfield. But the emergence of Rossi changed everything.
“I know the Rossi family,” he said. “I hoped that Giuseppe would have played for the US, but he made his decision. He’s a very talented young player. Today’s a very exciting day for him and a very disappointing one for us.”
The striker with joint Italian-US citizenship took the ball from Benny Feilhaber on halfway and ran 15m before firing a powerful left footer that flew past Tim Howard inside the post.
De Rossi’s second matched Rossi’s goal, a 30m drive which flew past two defenders and inside Howard’s far post.
And in the fourth minute of injury time, Pirlo danced round a defender on the left and floated a ball back to Rossi who drove it powerfully past Howard for the third.
■BRAZIL VS EGYPT
REUTERS, BLOEMFONTEIN
Underdogs Egypt shook five-times world champions Brazil at the Confederations Cup on Monday but finally succumbed 4-3 when Kaka converted a controversial late penalty.
The Egyptians claimed English referee Howard Webb had awarded a corner when defender Ahmed al-Muhamadi diverted the ball round the post with his arm and only changed his mind when told by another match official who had seen the incident on a television monitor.
Video evidence is banned by world governing body FIFA for use by officials to make decisions during matches.
The controversy marred a great effort by African champions Egypt, who fought back from two goals down to level at 3-3 and looked likely to snatch a winner in the opening match of Group B of the eight-nation tournament for continental champions.
Kaka, Luis Fabiano and Juan had given Brazil a 3-1 half-time lead with one reply from Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan but Mohamed Shawky and Zidan put Egypt level at 3-3 with two goals in a minute early in the second half.
Kaka opened the scoring in the fifth minute as he steered a difficult bouncing ball through the defence with three deft touches before stroking home past keeper Essam el-Hadary.
But the African champions drew level just four minutes later when Mohamed Aboutrika broke free on the right and crossed for Zidan to head home.
Brazil struck twice from set pieces before half-time, Luis Fabiano glancing home a header from Elano’s cross in the 12th and Juan heading in a corner in the 37th.
Despite the scoreline, Egypt’s quick-passing game had troubled the languid Brazilians and they reaped the benefits soon after the break.
Shawky hit back in the 54th minute when he struck a powerful shot into the bottom corner from just outside the box and within a minute the scores were level as Brazil’s defense cracked. The excellent Aboutrika threaded the ball through for Zidan to notch his second.
In the end, Brazil were lucky to win. Al-Muhamadi’s goal line save with his arm from Alexandre Pato’s fierce shot just before the final whistle cost the penalty, defeat and a red card for the substitute defender.
Samir Zaher, the president of the Egyptian FA, confirmed that he would lodge an appeal with organizers.
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