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After the end of the E group matches, it became clear that the Italians, who took first place, and the surprising Ghana team had advanced to the next stage. After the match between Italy and the Czech Republic, which Italy won 2-0, the moods of the teams were very different - the Czechs were sad about the early end of the championship, while the Italians were happy with their successful performance and were already thinking about the upcoming matches.
"It's very difficult to change anything when playing ten against eleven. Playing as Jan Polak did today, shows that he doesn't feel responsible towards his teammates," said Karel Bruckner after the match.
"Italy didn't play exceptionally well, but they didn't make mistakes in defense and took advantage of the opportunities they got. They knew how to use their advantages. The more important match for us was against Ghana, where we had to secure three points, but we didn't," said the coach.
Tomas Rosicky was also disappointed with the poor performance of the Czech Republic: "I'm very sad and disappointed that the championship is already over for us. The Italians weren't stronger, they didn't have many opportunities. Although we played for a long time with ten players, we were able to fight. I don't want to think about the championship anymore, as it's already over for me."
Meanwhile, Pavel Nedved, who plays in Italy, admitted that he will support Italy: "After the holidays, I will discuss my future with the coach. I will support the Italian team for the remaining part of the tournament."
Team goalkeeper Petr Cech didn't hide his disappointment: "I'm very disappointed, as Italy wasn't a stronger team. Czech Republic played well and had opportunities to secure a place in the next stage, but they didn't take advantage of them."
Italian coach Marcello Lippi admitted that Jan Polak's expulsion also influenced the result: "The main goal was to reach the next stage. We knew that to avoid a meeting with Brazil, we had to take first place. The match was between two strong teams fighting for the right to continue in the championship. Quantity can really change a lot in football - as we saw in the match against the USA."
"Alessandro Nesta was substituted because he showed he couldn't continue playing. I would be lying if I said I replaced Marco Materazzi so he could score."
Francesco Totti was already thinking about the upcoming matches and named Brazil and Spain as the strongest opponents: "Now important matches will begin, where the outcome can be determined by a simple mistake. I would like to score myself and gain more confidence. We finished the group stage in first place and that can help us avoid the Brazilian team in the next stage. Spain also looks very threatening."
The author of the second goal was not inclined to think about the next matches and was happy with his performance: "It was a great match for me and I don't want to think about the future. I want to thank the team, the coach, and the fans for their support. I'm very happy because it was my 50th match for the national team and I scored my first goal in the World Cup. After the match, I talked to my family on the phone, my dad cried tears of joy."
Gennaro Gattuso, like many other teammates, hoped not to meet Brazil in the next stage: "It was a tough match. Both teams knew that a loss means the end of the championship. The World Cup only happens every four years, so we wanted to not disappoint our country. In the next stage, I would like to play against Croatia."
