Italy 2: Di Biagio 39, Del Piero 88

Sweeden 1: Larsson 77

Referee: M Pereira (Portugal)

Soccer managers always say that they like to have the sort of problems created by having too many talented players in competition for team places. If that is really true, then Italian coach Dino Zoff must be a happy man this morning since Alessandro Del Piero's 89th minute winning goal against Sweden in Eindhoven last night was Roy of the Rovers stuff.

Zoff will now have to handle a nationwide debate if he excludes Del Piero from the Italian first 11 which will line out in next Saturday's quarter-final in Brussels.

As for the second 11 that strolled past Sweden last night, they only served to underline the serious nature of the challenge for outright tournament victory being mounted by Italy. Last night was an evening when class counted. An Italian side containing seven changes from Italy's first choice Euro 2000 team beat Sweden with a contained performance in which, when necessary, they raised their game with the minimum of fuss and maximum effectiveness.

It is tempting but perhaps unwise to read too much into this performance. Frankly, Sweden are not a good team. Their overall performance was full of typical Scandinavian endeavour, strong on athletic commitment but short on skill.

Even when substitute Kennet Andersson had sent Henrik Larsson away for a 77th minute equaliser, Italy barely batted an eyelid. That Swedish goal had owed much to a dreadful midfield blunder by Luigi Di Biagio and, the Swedes returned the favour in the 89th minute when a hesitation by Patrick Andersson allowed Vincenzo Montella steal the ball and send Del Piero away.

Having shimmied first one way and then the other, Del Piero glided into the Swedish penalty area, evading two defenders, before hitting a magnificent left-footed shot that left Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hedman with no chance.

Earlier, Del Piero had played a part in Italy's first strike when sending in a precise 39th minute corner kick for Di Biagio to head home from a situation in which the Swedish defence fell asleep entirely allowing the Italian midfielder an untroubled run onto the six-yard line.

That goal had been the fitting Italian response to a first half of Swedish huff and puff - they knew that only a win could keep alive their remote chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Sweden opened up with a bustling approach which not only won a number of early corner kicks but also set them up for at least three clear chances in what was to prove their best spell of the game. From one of the corners, midfielder Johan Mjallby forced Angelo Di Livio to take an excellent 10th minute header off the line. Two minutes later, Yksel Osmanovski had a half chance blocked by defender Mark Iuliano.

Sweden's best chance in this opening spell however came in the 14th minute when midfielder Fredrik Ljunberg made the most of a clever combination of passes between Mjallby, Hakan Mild and Henrik Larsson to break clean through with a run which took him past Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo. Just when he needed to keep his balance most, however, Ljunberg lost his equilibrium and shot wide.

Even in that relatively bright Swedish spell, however, the writing was on the wall. When Italy hit them on the break four minutes after Ljunberg's miss, Del Piero and Montella combined with awesome facility to set up the classic Italian counter-attacking chance which eventually saw Montella denied only by an excellent save from Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hedman.

The Swedes stuck to their task and midfielder Magnus Svensson made the most of a rare Italian defensive error to pounce on a loose ball on the edge of the area and burst through for probably the best Swedish chance of the first half. Toldo, however, came across to narrow the angle and make a good save.

If Italy had a difficult moment at all last night, that came after Di Biagio had made Sweden a present of an equaliser. Bologna striker Kenent Andersson, the man who robbed the ball to send Larsson away for the equaliser, had been on the field only a matter of minutes.

If the Italian defence has a potential weakness, it concerns their aerial game. In the circumstances, it was perhaps a pity for Sweden that an injury prevented them making more use of Kennet Andersson who came on for Tomas Gustafsson in the 75th minute, immediately setting up a half chance for Larsson.

For 10 minutes after their equaliser, Sweden took heart and sent in cross after cross for Andersson to knock down to those around him. Andersson himself almost scored a second Swedish goal when benefitting from a Larsson knock down in the 82nd minute, only to shoot narrowly over the bar.

With Sweden throwing everything forward, an Italian goal on the counter attack was inevitable. It was even more inevitable that Del Piero should score it, and in spectacular fashion. Most certain of all is the fact that now we are set for four days of passionate nationwide debate about Del Piero's right to lead the Italian attack in Brussels next Saturday.