Casiraghi thankful to Montolivo
Friday, September 1, 2006
Article summary
Iceland 0-1 Italy The ACF Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo scored the only goal as the Azzurrini began the Pierluigi Casiraghi era with an away victory.
Article body
The ACF Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo lived up to his billing as the star attraction in the Italy squad by scoring the only goal as the Azzurrini won 1-0 in Iceland.
Point needed
The 21-year-old's decisive strike came in the 56th minute, although the perennial finalists were unable to relax as Iceland fought to keep alive their hopes of qualifying from Group 5 after drawing their opening game 0-0 in Austria. Pierluigi Casiraghi had said before his first game in charge that Italy "could not afford to underestimate Iceland" and he will no doubt repeat those words before Tuesday’s visit of Austria, despite needing just a point in Forli to earn a place in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs.