Italian national soccer team’s Angelo Palombo, right, is challenged by Levan Kobiashvili of Georgia during their World Cup group 8 qualifying soccer match at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Efrem Lukatsky)
TBILISI, Georgia - Two own-goals from Georgia captain Kakha Kaladze gave world champion Italy a crucial 2-0 victory Saturday that snaps a three match run without a win.
Kaladze, who plays in Italy for AC Milan, twice headed past goalkeeper Giorgi Lomaia in the second half to change the course of the match.
Italy leads Group 8 with 17 points, while Georgia has three. Italy’s next match is against Bulgaria in Turin on Wednesday.
"If we had to rely on two own-goals to win, then so be it," Italy coach Marcello Lippi said. "But such was the way we were playing we would have scored anyway as we were creating many chances."
Neither team created much in the first half as Georgia’s defence and midfield harassed Italy strikers Vincenzo Iaquinta and Giuseppe Rossi, while playmaker Andrea Pirlo was afforded little time on the ball.
Iaquinta was played through on goal in the eighth by Rossi, but slipped and lost control of the ball as he bore down on Lomaia’s goal.
Winger Mauro Camoranesi and defender Giorgio Chiellini both went close with headers, while Georgia midfielder Amiran Sanaia forced Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon into a sharp save with a long range shot.
"We had a young team out there and if we had more time then we would have scored," Lippi said. "The own-goals were a result of our pressure. We had a different team out tonight, but I had to mix it up because we have an important match on Wednesday."
Early in the second half, Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro forced the Georgia defence to scramble the ball to safety after he reached Pirlo’s cross first and went close with a header.
In the 56th, though, Kaladze’s own-goal turned the match. Angelo Palombo shot from long range and Kaladze turned the ball into his own net while trying to head the ball away for a corner.
Two minutes later, substitute striker Fabio Quagliarella should have doubled the score, but shot low past the post following Gaetano D’Agostino’s through ball.
Kaladze’s second own-goal came in the 66th. Fullback Domenico Criscito whipped in a low cross from the left wing and under pressure from Iaquinta the 31-year-old Georgian again failed to clear the ball, instead diverting it past the wrong-footed Lomaia with a diving header.
Italy was then able to relax, though Buffon had to push the ball over for a corner after a wild back pass from Criscito.
In injury time, Quagliarella hit the post, with Iaquinta unable to turn the rebound into the empty net.
