Bulgaria 0 - 0 Italy

October 16, 2008

Saturday’s game in Sofia was a rather dismal affair for both sides, with the final score reading 0-0. The majority of chances belonged to the Azzurri, who tested Bulgarian keeper Dimitar Ivankov with several near-miss free kicks, along a cracking strike from De Rossi outside the box that nearly dipped in later in the second half. Bulgaria’s best chance came from the spot kick as well, with Manchester City man Martin Petrov curling the ball slightly high and wide over the Italian net.

Marcello Lippi made use of some new faces to the Italian squad, including recent Liverpool signing Andrea Dossena and Udinese’s Simone Pepe, while also giving Giuseppe Rossi his first senior team cap as a substitute in the 68th minute. Marco Amelia also featured, replacing the injured Gianluigi Buffon in goal.

Unfortunately, a section of Italian supporters caused a great deal of commotion at the Sofia game, burning a Bulgarian flag while chanting racist remarks and making fascist salutes. The incident was not taken lightly by Italian officials, who have since put a police investigation towards the incident. FIGC president Giancarlo Abete was quoted stating “[those fans] will be punished… What happened in Sofia has truly damaged Italy, not only in football but the image of our country.”

The actions of these fans has prompted Abete to take drastic measures, indefinitely banning Italian fans from traveling to support Azzurri in their next away fixtures. The decision has been supported by the Italian players, including captain Fabio Cannavaro.

Justin Barrie

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.