Italy have knocked a ten-man Czech Republic out of the World Cup after beating them 2-0 in their World Cup Group E match on Thursday in Hamburg.

A first-half goal from substitute Marco Materazzi and a strike from Filippo Inzaghi in the dying minutes of the second-half have seen the Azzurri win Group E, with Ghana qualifying in second-place.

The Czech’s started the game the stronger team having a few half-chances on goal and knowing that they must win the game to be guaranteed a place in the last sixteen.

But their attacks hardly tested the Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon, with Milan Baros and Pavel Nedved both having shots off-target, with Karel Poborsky and Tomas Rosicky tamely shooting.

Alessandro Nesta was forced-off with a groin strain and was replaced by Marco Materazzi, who turned the game round within ten minutes of coming on, latching on to a corner from Francesco Totti and heading past the Czech keeper Petr Cech.

The substitute saved the day for the Azzurri later on in the half, blocking a goal-bound shot from Poborsky after the Czechs continued their pressure.

It all went horribly wrong for the Czech’s in injury-time when Jan Polak was sent-off for his second yellow-card of the match after a tackle on Totti.

The game went into half-time 1-0, with the Azzurri looking very happy to sit on their one goal advantage.

The second-half had the ten-men of the Czech Republic pushing hard for an equaliser with Baros and Nedved forcing saves from Buffon, but Totti and Simone Perrotta also having spurned chances at the other end.

Mauro Camoranesi had a quality chance to double the score-line after Totti played a pin-point cross to him, but he somehow shot wide.

Filippo Inzaghi came on for Alberto Gilardino in attack on the half-hour mark and had a host of great chances to score, with the Czech’s beginning to look tired.

Inzaghi made no mistake in the last minutes of the game, when he broke free from the now very thin Czech defence and took the ball round Chelsea keeper Petr Cech and passed the ball into the net to make it 2-0.

The game finished that way, with the Italians topping Group E and facing the runner-up in Group F on Monday.

The Czech’s will be left to lick their wounds after having life made difficult with a string of injuries in the run up to, and during the tournament.

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