QINHUANGDAO, China (AP)
Italy secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the men's Olympic football tournament yesterday, beating South Korea 3-0 on goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Tommaso Rocchi and Riccardo Montolivo.
Rossi scored his second goal of the Olympics in the 15th minute, pouncing on the deflection of a shot from Rocchi and slotting a left-footed strike past goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong from 10 metres.
Rocchi, who plays for Lazio and is the Italian Olympic team's only player over the age of 23, doubled the lead in the 32nd. Defender Marco Motta slipped between South Korea's Kim Jung-woo and Kim Dong-jin and into the box, then fed back to the unmarked Rocchi to finish from 10 metres out.
The win gives Italy six points and assures it one of the top two spots in Group D.
"I thought it was a great match and that my players did a great job," Italy coach Pierluigi Casiraghi said. "South Korea was a harder test than Honduras. We're now guaranteed a place in the quarter-final, but we now want to finish first in our group."
Park Chu-young almost pulled one back for South Korea just before half-time, heading a cross from midfielder Kim Jung-woo onto the crossbar.
But that was a rare quality opportunity for the South Koreans, as Italy dominated possession and dictated the flow of play in the first 45 minutes. The Italians' talented attacking trio of Rossi, Rocchi and Sebastian Giovinco were a constant threat, while the team's well-organised back line effectively shut down a South Korea side that was undefeated in Olympic qualifying.
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