Trinidad & Tobago had recharged their energy after their heavy quarter-final loss to Ireland and were quickly on the offensive, earning a couple of penalty-corners in the opening minutes of the cross-over against Italy, but to no avail. The Italians promptly regained their composure and play became more balanced, with Francesco Padovani making his usual miracles in the Italian goal to clean-up behind his defense.

He could however not do much on T&T’s fourth penalty-corner, slotted high in the corner by Kwan Browne in the 11th minute, the only goal of first quarter. Play became very much equal in second quarter, both teams favoring long runs with the ball rather than patient passing build-up. Italy took advantage of a Trinidadian green card to earn a penalty-corner, well converted with a low flick by Thomas Keenan in the 26th minute, for an even score at half-time.

Thomas Keenan had another chance on penalty-corner early in second half, but this time his low shot did not fool Ron Alexander, on duty in the Trinidadian goal today. The ball stayed tantalizing close to the line for what looks like an eternity, but was finally cleared by the defense. Tempo slowed down in this period, possibly because the players were starting to feel the physical toll of their fifth high level match in a week, or even suffering from the blistering Californian heat now baking the Chula Vista venue.

Trinidad & Tobago had four penalty-corners in third quarter, all cleanly defended by the Italians. Play was starting to lose its structure, with long runs from one end to other, and score remained tied at 1-1 going in the last quarter. Umpires had to distribute a few cards and Italy had a period of domination during a Trinidadian yellow card. After two unsuccessful penalty-corner attempts, the Italians finally took the lead in the 50th minute by Daniele Cioli with a diving shot.

Tension was high during the final minutes of the match, on the pitch, on the bench and amongst the Italian fans on the sideline. Trinidad & Tobago pushed as hard as they could, and nearly scored a fraction of second before the horn, but the Italians, keeping an eye on the clock ticking down oh so slowly, held tight and were soon celebrating a win that ensures that they will finish at least two spots above their entry ranking.