Late-risers avoid nightmare after alarm bells

After three of the world8217;s best strikers failed for 85 minutes to find the back of the net, a fourth came on and saved the Azzuri from the blues.

Italy have a habit of waking up late at the World Cup 8212; they did so even in 1982, when they won 8212; and must now be considered as one of the favourites along with Brazil and Spain.

Indeed, Italy are set to meet Spain in the quarter-finals, a match that will pit two countries with the best leagues in the world against each other.

Before that, though, they will have to negotiate a second-round tie against any one of Korea, the US or Portugal, for any of these could top Group D this time tomorrow.

It8217;s getting to that stage, for sure, when computers are needed to carry out all the possible permutations of group standings. Before the match at the striking Big Eye stadium in Oita, journalists here counted six such possibilities to decide Group G.

Out in the middle, both teams decided to go out for a win, fielding three strikers each. Italy started the more creative, Vieri and Totti pulling their markers this way and that, but their nerves and tension showed through before long. They had to win; Mexico merely had to draw. But Mexico 8212; backed by a huge fan following, surely the loudest of all travelling fans in this tournament 8212; weren8217;t about to sit back and play for a draw.

Punching well above their weight, they were nevertheless the first team to settle down and when the goal came after the half-hour, a sublime flick of the head by Jared Borgetti, it was fully in keeping with the run of play.

They went into half-time with that lead and came out the more confident, pulling out the party tricks 8212; all the little flicks and back-heels. But when a team can replace Totti with Del Piero, you know they just have to score.

And so Italy did, with five minutes to go, Del Piero himself making sure his diving header was on target.

And, as news came in from Yokohama that Ecuador had won and both teams here were through if this result stood, they made sure the result stood, killing time by going through the motions, to the jeers of the crowd.

This will be their last chance at such tactics; they will now find life much tougher than before. But watch out for Italy; they8217;ve been down this road before.