Stalemate for Italy and Ukraine
Friday, June 2, 2006
Article summary
Italy 0-0 Ukraine Marcello Lippi's side made it 18 games unbeaten against their fellow finalists Ukraine in Lausanne, but not without a scare.
Article body
Italy 0-0 Ukraine
Italy made it 18 games unbeaten with a goalless draw against fellow FIFA World Cup hopefuls Ukraine in Lausanne tonight.
De Rossi denied
The Azzurri were not as bright as the team that had previously claimed friendly wins against the Netherlands and Germany but still threatened throughout. Midfielder Daniele De Rossi went closest to scoring for Italy just before half-time, when his header nearly beat Olexandr Shovkovskiy. Ukraine were in restrained mood for much of the contest but nearly snatched a late winner when forward Andriy Voronin went through on goal only to be denied by Gianluigi Buffon. Italy coach Marcello Lippi said: "I'm happy. They had a good 20-minute spell in the middle of the second half, but we finished in control, which was important."
