Uruguay will treat Italy clash like World Cup final, says Azzurri coach / Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT - AFP
-
French authorities fear new street violence at Halloween protests
-
Chelsea manager Alonso dismisses talk of Estevao loan deal
-
Rickelton, Mulder centuries lift South Africa's chances in Test decider
-
Thousands of students, workers hold peaceful protests in Italy
-
Maresca adamant Donnarumma can be dropped but first name selected
-
Iraola glad to raise Liverpool fans' hopes but says hard work ahead
-
EU and Canada to 'withstand shocks together' with new alliance
-
Pope Leo makes history with US midterm vote
-
Flick praises Yamal 'mentality' after missing out on Ballon d'Or
-
Arsenal boss Arteta fires 'Disneyland' warning at Dowman after Fleetwood red card
-
Binance heist: How were cryptocurrency billions stolen?
-
Russia's ice hockey stars come in from the cold after CAS ruling
-
France boards up ahead of Halloween protests
-
Wall Street tech rout deepens on doubts over AI spending
-
Is Bukele's troop deployment in Haiti just a rescue mission?
-
'Life in the old dog': German economy grows more than expected
-
Relatives' anguish grows as Spain identifies train crash dead
-
England great Anderson asks what's 'wrong with me?' after Lancashire exit
-
Italy inflation surges to 5.4% as economy stalls
-
Markets lashed by tech rout as earnings fan AI fears
-
US jury hands win to Bayer in weedkiller cancer case
-
Germans to join Europe's youth protest wave
-
Scotland's Kinghorn hails Toulouse move for enhancing career
-
Novaya Gazeta closure part of Russia's 'giant military campaign': Muratov to AFP
-
Eala aiming to finish season with bang after Tokyo exit
-
US oil giants report profit surge again on Iran war
-
Bournemouth boss Rose vows to be patient with Kroupi
-
Tech sell-off deepens as earnings fan AI fears
-
Eurozone growth holds up despite energy crunch
-
Carmaker Audi cuts outlook again on China, US woes
-
Thousands of students, workers protest in Italy under heavy security
-
Chase sparks Bangladesh collapse as West Indies on top in Mirpur
-
New Zealand's Phillips hits sublime century in 87-run win over India
-
BP net profit quadruples as Mideast war lifts oil prices
-
'Get them there alive': Ukraine's railways under Russian barrage
-
Kulusevski says 'nervous system changes' behind Spurs return
-
Dakar Rally moved to Portugal and Morocco following Houthi attacks in Gulf
-
Marquez crashes, then tops second practice in Malaysia
-
German economy logs 0.2% growth, faster than expected
-
New home for orangutans rescued from Indonesia's burning forests
-
Crypto platform Binance confirms 'complex' $6.3 bn hack
-
Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta shuts under Kremlin pressure
-
Spanish inflation stays at three-year high before election
-
Thailand extends activist's jail term to more than 34 years
-
Drugs giant AstraZeneca reveals higher profits, savings plan
-
China denies spying on Nvidia's Jensen Huang
-
French economy 'headed for a wall' as GDP shrinks
-
BP net profit quadruples on higher oil prices
-
South Korea to prosecute students cheating with smart glasses
-
Kiss backs 'hungry' Beale to push for Wallabies game time
Uruguay will treat Italy clash like World Cup final, says Azzurri coach
Italy will face a team playing in their own personal World Cup final when the Azzurri take on Uruguay in Nice, defence coach Marius Goosen said on Sunday.
Italy are the third ranked team in Pool A and began their World Cup campaign with a comfortable 52-8 win over Namibia last week, while Uruguay shocked a lot of people in a spirited display when losing to hosts France 27-12 on Thursday.
And while Uruguay have no realistic hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals from a group that also features New Zealand, South African Goosen believes that beating Italy would represent the ultimate achievement for the South Americans here in France.
"This is their World Cup (final) game," Goosen told AFP at the Italy training camp in Bourgoin-Jallieu in eastern France.
"They're not the lesser team (in the group), but if you look at Namibia, Chile and all those (underdog) teams who, when they play the so-called third-ranked team in the group, that's their World Cup (final).
"I'm sure Uruguay, if you speak to them, they will say (playing) Italy is everything for them. They don't really look at France and New Zealand probably.
"We know what's coming and we're ready for it. If we don't front up properly, we'll get beaten. It's as simple as that."
The two sides met in Parma two years ago, with Uruguay leading two thirds of the way through the match, before Italy rallied late on to win 17-10.
But Goosen said Uruguay have improved markedly since then.
"They are a fully professional team now. We've been tracking them since we knew we would play them in a World Cup," said Goosen.
"The investment money-wise and resources that they've had in the last three years is massive and you can see that in their results and the way they play."
Italy's Welsh-born scrum-half, Stephen Varney, said he was impressed with the Uruguayans in their France defeat.
"Uruguay played really well, they're a physical side and they like to play from anywhere, a bit like us," Gloucester halfback Varney told AFP.
"We know what to expect from them and hopefully it will be a good physical match."
L.Durand--AMWN
