| This was one of the most interesting play-off matches. Italy had an excellent record against the big three of Jamaica, Greece and Switzerland during the round robin, not losing a match to any of them. Jamaica on the other hand has an excellent record in big matches, and the play-off format was expected to suit them. All the predictions of a close game were proved right as neither side gave much away. The Italian defence impressed against a disappointing Jamaican side, but their attack failed to fire and the match tended to be a slightly sloppy midfield battle. It ended 0-0 at full-time, and after 30 minutes of extra-time the teams could still not be split. It came down to penalties, with Jamaica to go first. Both sides showed nerves of steel to each calmly convert their first 3 penalties. Jamaica went 4-3 ahead and Italian defender Alessandro Nesta, one of the stars of their dogged defensive effort, stepped up to attempt to tie the scores. Unfortunately, a diving save from Warren Barrett blemished Nesta’s fine performance, and Nesta’s miss turned out to be the defining moment of this enthralling match. Jamaica was now in a strong position, while if Romania could pull off a shock victory over Greece, Italy would be eliminated. Jamaica 0 Italy 0 (5-3 Jamaica on penalties) |
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| JAMAICA VS. ITALY PREVIEW |