卫冕冠军意大利悲情告别南非

Soccer is not religion in Italy. It is opera. And at Ellis Park Thursday the fate of the defending World Cup champions took a tragic turn that could have been borrowed from 'Il Trovatore.'

For the first time since 1974, the Azzurri have met the executioner in the group stage following a lackluster performance in a 3-2 loss to Slovakia.

'I take all responsibility, all responsibility,' said Marcello Lippi, the same coach who guided Italy to the 2006 World Cup title. 'If a team shows up at such an important game with terror in its heart and terror in its legs, and a team is unable to express its ability, it means a coach has not done what he should have done.'

During a rambling post-game lament, Mr. Lippi apologized to fans, his players, the people of Italy and his bosses at the Italian Football Federation. 'I failed to train the team properly,' he said.

In Rome, thousands of fans who packed into Villa Borghese to watch the game on a jumbo screen quickly turned against the defending champions when Slovakia scored its first goal. 'Lippi go home! Shame on you!' the crowd chanted.

The Italians entered the match dead even in Group F with New Zealand, each having two points and the same number of goals and differential. Some observers expected the Italians to drop their signature defensive approach in favor of forcing action. But during the first half anyway the Italians displayed little flair or energy on either offense or defense.

Four hours away in Polokwane, Paraguay and New Zealand's match Thursday turned into a blase, scoreless draw, so the Italians knew they needed a victory to avoid drawing lots for survival. Yet time and again the players struck the classic pose of this defensively minded soccer nation -- sprawling on the ground, palms up, pleading with the referee, or perhaps God, for help.

The Slovakians began the game in last place in the group but with the victory leapfrogged the Italians and Kiwis to earn a spot in the knockout round as the runner-up in Group F. The result was jubilation for a team that had been maligned in the Slovakian press for a loss and tie in its first two games. 'After the birth of my son, this is the greatest day of my life,' said Slovakian coach Vladimir Weiss. 'I want to say thank you to all of the people of Slovakia.'

It was an unlovable group of Italians that displayed such malaise Thursday. They played without the joy and swagger of the Paolo Rossi/Roberto Baggio squads that made so many fans across the globe fall for the Azzurri, whose blue jerseys became a worldwide icon.

They looked like the 2007 New York Yankees, a team of aging veterans to whom Mr. Lippi (think Joe Torre with a soccer ball) stayed faithful even as fans pushed for new blood.

Slovakia, meanwhile, chased every ball in every zone, acting every bit the part of a team on life support. It paid off in the 25th minute as Juraj Kucka intercepted a sloppy pass from the Italian backline, nudged a through ball to a cutting Robert Vittek, who then rolled a beautiful shot inside the left goal post past a diving goalkeeper.

Finally waking up to the impending disaster, Fabio Quagliarella nearly hit the equalizer in the 67th minute as goalkeeper Jan Mucha rolled on the ground out of position. But in a play typical of their effort, Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel was on the goal line to block the shot with his knee.

In the 73rd minute Mr. Vittek stuck a dagger into the Italians when he out-hustled defender Giorgio Chiellini to a cross and tapped the ball into the corner of the net.

Then the Italians mounted a furious effort, breaking through in the 81st minute as Antonio Di Natale knocked in a rebound. The goal set off the longest 10 minutes in Slovakian sports history, as the Italians attacked relentlessly leaving back just a single defender, and only a controversial offsides call in the 85th minute kept Mr. Quagliarella from equalizing again. Three minutes later Kamil Kopunek sent the Azzurri faithful to the exits, beating two defenders and Mr. Marchetti to a throw-in and hitting in a one-touch loop for the final insult.

Mr. Quagliarella's goal in stoppage time was too little too late. Mr. Mucha bounded off his line to punch two more Italian attacks out of harm's way. As the Italians shuffled off in shock, the Slovakians joined arms in a folk dance at midfield.

In Rome, fans walked away from group viewings in silence. 'This is a humiliation for the world champs,' said Giuseppe Teano, a 59 year-old who works for the Italian carrier Alitalia and watched the match in Villa Borghese.

His 14 year-old son, Luigi, called the match 'a 90-minute nightmare.'