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England national football team
World Cup | Group Stage
Jun 14, 2014 at 11pm UK
 
Italy national football team

1-2

Sturridge (37')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Marchisio (35'), Balotelli (50')

Roy Hodgson: 'England not just focusing on Andrea Pirlo'

Roy Hodgson claims that England will not just be focusing on stopping Andrea Pirlo when they face Italy in their World Cup opener this weekend.

England manager Roy Hodgson has claimed that his team will not just be focusing on Andrea Pirlo when they face Italy in their World Cup opener on Saturday.

It has been suggested that the Three Lions will need to thwart the playmaker if they want to get a positive result against the Azzurri in Manaus.

However, Hodgson has insisted that the Italians have players in their ranks who are just as good as the 35-year-old.

"It is quite normal people focus on Andrea Pirlo for them, but there are a lot of other quality players also worthy of attention," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"We are not hung up on one player because his team does not depend totally on one player."

Pirlo was part of the Italy squad that won the World Cup in Germany eight years ago.

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Roy Hodgson addresses the England squad during a training session in Rio de Janeiro on June 9, 2014
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

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Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

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Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

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Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

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Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

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Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

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Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023


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