Faroe Islands out to halt Italy's momentum
Sunday, July 31, 2011
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Comfortable 5-0 victors against the Faroe Islands last September, Cesare Prandelli's Italy head to Torshavn with a big lead in Group C and UEFA EURO 2012 qualification in sight.
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The Faroe Islands will look to do their other UEFA EURO 2012 Group C rivals a favour and slow section leaders Italy's progress towards the finals in Poland and Ukraine.
• Italy are five points clear at the group summit, but while the Faroe Islands are bottom, they have taken points from two of their last three home qualifiers, drawing 1-1 against Northern Ireland and beating Estonia 2-0.
• Brian Kerr's men were beaten 5-0 when these sides met in Florence on 7 September last year; Cesare Prandelli's first game as Italy coach at the stadium he once called home with ACF Fiorentina. Alberto Gilardino headed the hosts in front after 11 minutes. Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Cassano added further first-half strikes before Fabio Quagliarella pounced nine minutes from time and Andrea Pirlo curled in a last-minute free-kick.
• The Faroe Islands' record in three games against Italy reads W0 D0 L3 (W0 D0 L1 at home).
• The teams first came together in Torshavn on 2 June 2007, when Italy secured a 2-1 victory courtesy of a Filippo Inzaghi double, with Rógvi Jacobsen pulling one back for the home side 13 minutes from time.
• The sequence of events was similar in the return match at the Stadio Alberto Braglia five months later. Fródi Benjaminsen's own goal gave Italy an early lead and the Azzurri struck twice more before the break through Luca Toni and Giorgio Chiellini, before Jacobsen hit another late Faroese response.