Materazzi prompts Czech exit

A Marco Materazzi goal and a first-half red card cost the Czech Republic dear as they bowed out of the FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 defeat by Group E winners Italy in Hamburg.

Czechs lively
The Czechs made the brighter start. Juventus star Pavel Nedvěd had tested Gianluigi Buffon with a 12th-minute shot and the Italy goalkeeper was called upon again four minutes later to save another Nedvěd strike before fending off Marek Jankulovski's effort from the rebound.

Materazzi header
However, the balance of power shifted as the half progressed and Materazzi - who had come on for the injured Alessandro Nesta after 17 minutes - found the target with a header low into Petr Čech's right-hand corner from Francesco Totti's corner. Things went from bad to worse for the Czechs as Jan Polák was sent off in first-half added time for a second bookable offence, a late challenge on Totti.

Inzaghi miss
Totti twice troubled Čech early in the second period and substitute Filippo Inzaghi, making his 50th international appearance, should then have doubled Italy's advantage when a defensive blunder left him one-on-one with Čech, but he screwed his shot across the face of goal.

Inzaghi strike
Karel Brückner's side were not quite finished, although Italy kept them well marshalled, and a Jirí Štajner's back-heel set Nedvěd up for a fierce drive which Buffon palmed wide with 20 minutes remaining. Inzaghi then missed the target with a free header after 83 minutes, but secured victory four minutes later, beating the offside trap to round Čech and score.