Euro 2012: Mario Mandzukic strikes again as Croats hold Italy

POZNAN, Poland – Italy sat back and paid for it Thursday in a 1-1 draw with Croatia at the European Championship.

Andrea Pirlo gave Italy the lead with a curving free kick in the 39th minute but Mario Mandzukic was left unmarked to equalize in the 72nd.

Having opened with a 3-1 win over Ireland, Croatia has four points in Group C. Italy has two points after its opening 1-1 draw with defending champion Spain.

In the final round of group matches on Monday, Italy faces Ireland and Croatia meets world champion Spain.

Italy had numerous other first-half chances from Mario Balotelli, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Cassano, but the Azzurri lacked finishing quality.

At the start of the second half, Italy rarely threatened, instead choosing to absorb Croatia’s attacks. The tactic backfired when Ivan Strinic launched a long pass from the left flank to Mandzukic, who had time to control at the edge of the box and shoot in off the post.

Mandzukic, who appears on his way out from German club Wolfsburg, scored twice against Ireland.

For his goal, Pirlo placed the ball over Croatia’s three-man wall and just inside the near post. Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa could only get a weak hand on it once the ball was already inside his net.

Italy remains winless against its Mediterranean neighbour in all six meetings since Croatia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The Azzurri are also now winless in their second matches at their last six major tournaments.

Before the match, Croatian fans burned a European Union flag and paraded around Poznan’s main old town square with posters of a convicted war criminal. Police, some in riot gear, monitored the situation, but did not intervene.

Already being investigated for fan behaviour in the first match, Croatian supporters again threw flares on the field several times in the second half. After Croatia scored, the smoke was so intense that Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon complained he couldn’t see and the match was briefly suspended.

On a damp and cool evening at the Municipal Stadium in Poznan, Croatian fans outfitted like their red-and-white checkered flag vastly outnumbered Italian supporters.

Both sides used the same lineups from their opening matches, and it was Italy that created the better chances early on, mainly through Balotelli.

Cassano placed a perfect pass at Balotelli’s feet in the 11th minute, but the 21-year-old Manchester City forward hesitated a moment too long and couldn’t get a shot off. Still, the ball found its way to Marchisio, who sent a long shot just over the crossbar.

In the 16th, Balotelli wasted another opportunity with a shot directly at Pletikosa.

Croatia didn’t really threaten until fullback Darijo Srna appeared to surprise Buffon with a long shot from the far right flank in the 20th.

Marchisio was stopped twice by Pletikosa in the 37th. Another set piece from Pirlo nearly produced a second Italy goal in the 43rd, but Cassano headed just over the bar following a corner.

Balotelli had another decent chance in the 61st but sent a long-distance effort high. For the second consecutive match, Balotelli was replaced by Antonio Di Natale, this time in the 69th.

After Croatia’s equalizer, Italy’s only real chance to restore the lead came with a long, powerful effort from Montolivo that was blocked by Pletikosa in the 71st.

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Lineups:

Italy: Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Daniele De Rossi, Leonardo Bonucci, Emanuele Giaccherini, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Thiago Motta (Riccardo Montolivo, 62), Christian Maggio, Antonio Cassano (Sebastian Giovinco, 83), Mario Balotelli (Antonio Di Natale, 69).

Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa, Darijo Srna, Vedran Corluka, Gordon Schildenfeld, Ivan Strinic, Ivan Rakitic, Ognjen Vukojevic, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic (Danijel Pranjic, 68), Nikica Jelavic (Eduardo, 83), Mario Mandzukic (Niko Kranjcar, 90).

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Think purpose, then colour, when choosing a couch

Q: What should people keep in mind when shopping for a new couch?

A: The most important consideration is lifestyle, says Abigail Valladares, a design consultant at McElheran’s Fine Furniture.

How are you going to use the couch? Reading quietly with feet on the floor? Watching movies with kids and the dog?

“Most of the time, when people come in, they start with the wrong questions,� she says.

Be clear about your expectations, she adds. “How long are you wanting to use this? If you’re saying, ‘This is a forever sofa,’ come with a forever budget. If you just want something that’s fun and functional for sticky kid fingers for the next five years, it’ll help determine what you’re looking for.�

Grey tones are the popular neutrals now, which can be dressed up with hits of colour in throw pillows, rugs and accessories. “You can add in upholstered ottomans in really funky fabrics or really great lamps or paint on the walls,� Valladares adds.

But don’t be afraid to go bold, she says. “I really encourage people not to shy away from colour in their sofa. It’s really not something they should be afraid of,� she says.

“Sometimes less is more, and sometimes less is just less.�

In the same way a neutral couch can be brightened with colour, a bold or colourful couch can be toned down with the right accessories in the rest of the room, she says. Accent colours like purple are still popular, along with bright green, hot pink, deep orange and turquoise or teal. Neutral gray looks great with a pop of yellow, too.

Proportion and dimension are critical when choosing furniture for a room. Make sure the sofa isn’t so big, you have to squeeze by it, or so small that it’s dwarfed in the space. Consider the height of the walls, whether the room is open-concept and how much sunlight it receives, she adds.

Also think about the room’s focal point, whether it’s a fireplace, a television or an antique desk, and work around that.

Fabric choice is important, especially for people looking for a long-lasting, durable couch. No longer does that mean leather or microfibre, says Valladares. New technology makes some cotton and other fabrics virtually stain-proof.

Nor does durable have to mean rock-hard. “You can get a really great, long-lasting sofa that’s fabric and that’s soft and that will last you 25 years and that won’t cost you an exorbitant amount of money.�

Don’t be afraid to ask an expert at the store to help you with those choices, she adds. “Design consultants are for any space. Sometimes when you have a smaller space and a smaller budget and a more awkward space, that’s when you really need the help.�

Ultimately, choose something you love and spend some time accessorizing and adjusting.

“You want, at the end of your work day, to smile and think about that room that you’re racing home to, or that book that you’re going to read there, or snuggling up and watching a movie in that space,� she says.

“You’re going to be making memories on it, so make sure you want it in your home.�

mgold@edmontonjournal.com

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To read Marta Gold and Amanda Ash’s blog, The New Black, go to edmontonjournal.com/blogs

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