Del Piero delivers

June 20, 2000
Juventus Official Site

Italy concluded the group stage of Euro 2000 with their third win out of three. The Azzurri's triumph was characterised by a stunning display from Alessandro Del Piero which more than lived up to the promise of his brief showings against Belgium and Turkey.

In his first full appearance of the tournament, Del Piero struck the corner from which Luigi Di Biagio headed home Italy's first. Then, in the second half, with just two minutes of the match remaining, he blasted home the goal from open play which had proved so elusive during the Serie A season. Add to that the usual generous dose of exquisite skill, and it's easy to see why Dino Zoff has a selection headache for the quarter-final against Group A's as yet unknown runners-up.

But it wasn't just Del Piero who shone on Monday night. Fellow striker Vincenzo Montella also had a good game while the Juventus posse of Ciro Ferrara, Gianluca Pessotto and Mark Iuliano performed well, although a neck injury to the latter forced him off the pitch at the end of the first half. It still isn't clear whether Iuliano will be fit for Saturday's quarter-final.

The first round phase of the tournament comes to an end on Wednesday in the biggest clash of the event so far. Holland and France - Edgar Davids and Zinedine Zidane - will go head-to-head in a bid to secure top spot in Group D.
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