Lippi in upbeat mood

Italy coach Marcello Lippi was upbeat after the Azzurri completed their pre-World Cup programme.

The Italians played out a 0-0 draw with Ukraine in Lausanne on Friday - and despite a pretty modest encounter, Lippi was still pleased.

"I thought we played better than we did (in the 1-1 draw) against Switzerland on Wednesday," he said.

"My players haven't played much competitive football since the Serie A season finished on May 14, it's only natural they are going to take a little time to get into the game.

"As far as this evening goes, I'm happy. They had a good 20-minute spell in the middle of the second half, but we finished in control, which was important."

Striker Luca Toni was also pleased with how Italy fared.

"We played well in the first half and had some good chances, but you can't always score a goal and the result might make it seem worse than it was," he said. 

"We're on the right track and it's important to be ready when the tournament kicks off.

"There are 10 days to work on our sharpness, which is obviously lacking a little bit after such a long time without playing competitive games.

"Our objective is to be ready for that date and we'll do everything we can to have a great World Cup."