12 June 2013
Tuesday evening saw a total of six Bianconeri champions involved with their respective national sides in various parts of South America.
Two members of Antonio Conte’s squad (Emanuele Giaccherini and Leonardo Bonucci) were handed starting roles in Italy’s friendly match against Haiti last night, while Claudio Marchisio came off the bench to net the second goal of the match.
It was truly a night to remember for Giaccherini, who went into the Azzurri record books when he found the back of the net after just 19 seconds of the encounter. This strike officially made him the fastest ever goalscorer for the national side, surpassing the 20-second effort of Salvatore Bagni in a friendly match against Mexico in 1984.
Cesare Prandelli’s men were in firm control of the match for 85 minutes as Marchisio had also provided the two-goal cushion midway through the second period. However, Haiti upset the odds in the dying stages and managed to find the back of the net twice inside the final five minutes to secure a 2-2 draw.
Bianconeri stars Mauricio Isla and Arturo Vidal had plenty of reason to celebrate last night as both represented Chile for the entire 90 minutes of a 3-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Bolivia. Vidal scored his second goal in two games for the national side and Isla celebrated his 25th birthday just a few hours after the final whistle. The result saw Chile climb to 21 points and consolidate their fourth place position in the qualification table.
Martin Caceres also received a starting berth for Uruguay, who recorded a crucial 1-0 away success over Venezuela thanks to a first-half goal from Edinson Cavani. The result saw Uruguay overtake their opponents in the table and they now occupy the final qualification spot with a game in hand over Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the Italian under-21s were held to a 1-1 stalemate against Norway in their final match of the European championship group stages and are now waiting with baited breath to find out whether they will face Spain or Holland in the semi-finals.
