Italy and France make unwanted history

Italy and France’s miserable World Cup campaigns were complete on Thursday as they became the first finalists from the previous World Cup to exit at the first hurdle of the following one.

Champions Italy were eliminated after a stunning 3-2 defeat by Slovakia, and even finished bottom of the group below the rank outsiders New Zealand.

France, who lost on penalties to Italy in the final in Berlin in 2006, had exited on a suitably low note on Tuesday, bottom of their group like Italy, with a 2-1 defeat by hosts South Africa.

Never in the previous 18 editions had the two finalists shared such an ignominious fate.

Ironically Italy emulated France’s lame defence in 2002 when the French had gone out at the first hurdle, though at least the Italians managed to score whereas the French failed to fins the net in three games.

The Italians had also failed to progress from the group stage in 1950 although few if any of the squad that won the 1938 edition would have been there with World War II intervening from 1939 to 1945.

Brazil also surprisingly failed to make it out of the group stage in 1966 having arrived with hopes of making it three World Cup titles in a row.