Confederations Cup 2013: Mexico vs Italy - Five Talking Points

A brilliant free kick from Andrea Pirlo and a gutsy finish by Mario Balotelli earned Italy all the three points in their opening Group A encounter against Mexico at Rio de Janeiro.

The Azurris were definitely the favorites in this tie but they had to wait till the final quarter of the match to find the eventual winning goal through Milan striker Balotelli. The match kicked off in brilliant fashion as both sides gave proof of their intent to get all the three points from their opening group fixture. Italy, not surprisingly, dominated more of the possession but the Mexicans always looked dangerous on the break. But it was Italy who ran out eventual winners and deservedly so.

Moment of pure magic from Pirlo

With the scores tied at 0-0, Italy earned themselves a free kick a few yards outside the box as Balotelli was unfairly felled. As Pirlo stepped up to take the kick, there was a sense of impending doom among the Mexican fans at the Maracana stadium. The midfield master delightfully curled the ball over the top of the wall and swung away from a diving Corona into the back of the net.

The Juventus midfielder was playing his 100^th cap for the Azurris and celebrated it with style as his free kick was power and technique wrapped into one.

Javier Hernandez had a real quiet game

The United striker worked tirelessly up front but apart from the penalty kick that he converted, he barely got to see much of the ball due to poor service from the Mexican midfielders or lack of it. ‘Little Pea’ had a chance early on to play the ball through to a charging Andres Guardado but eventually managing a feeble shot on goal which failed to test Gianluigi Buffon.

With the Mexican hopes firmly resting on his shoulder, Chicharito needs to up his performance in the remaining games if they are to advance from the group stages.

Mario Balotelli continues to sparkle for the Azurris

The Milanese forward had a good game as he showed worked hard up front and went close to scoring in the initial stages of the match. Every time Pirlo and his counterparts had the ball, he seemed to be on the move trying to time his run to perfection. One particularly impressive thing about Mario’s performance was he stuck to his basics and never tried fancies; he held on to the ball and rode quite a few tough challenges from the Mexican defenders. His fine close ball control earned Italy the free kick which Pirlo converted with much aplomb.

He seemed to have withered away in the second half as the Italian midfield looked a bit leggy but did exceedingly well to score the winner as he wrestled off Rodriguez to shoot past Corona. He showed great desire to fight off the Mexican defenders for the ball and rocketed the ball past the goalkeeper, a perfect striker’s goal.

Alessio Cerci could be a super sub

Cerci was brought on by Cesare Prandelli for the ineffective Claudio Marchisio around the seventieth minute mark and he instantly injected a bit more pace and purpose into the attack. The Torino winger has had a good season for the Serie A side earning him his international call up. And it won’t be surprising at all if Prandelli uses Cerci as a potent surprise weapon in the later stages of the game when the opponent look a bit jaded and rusty.

Re-Igniting the old Pirlo debate

Andrea Pirlo, now 34-years-old, continues to put in match winning performances week in week out. A year on from Euros’12, the Juventus midfielder doesn’t seem to have lost any of his touch and still holds the aces if Italy are to win the Confederations Cup. Last evening, Pirlo was at his delightful best as he threaded open the Mexican defense with ease and pulled the strings like he always does.

With the disappointment of having lost the Euros’12 last year still looming large over his head, there is no guessing how much he would want to win this trophy. And if he does, it would once again add fuel to the now dormant debate of who has been the finest central midfielder of this generation.