Italy?s Olympic bid got off to a shaky start with a 2-2 draw against Ghana, but Coach Claudio Gentile claims he was expecting worse.

?The Azzurrini went above and beyond expectations, considering we were 2-0 down at the break,? noted the tactician. ?The players showed great character to recover a situation that had seemed to be doomed.?

The dismal first half performance was cancelled out by a more impressive second, as goals from Giampiero Pinzi and Alberto Gilardino earned them a point.

?The lads had a very guarded start to the match because they didn?t know how long their fitness levels would hold up,? explained Gentile.

?Ghana have played a good five or six competitive games more than our players and it was inevitable we would be lacking match fitness. This is why I am truly happy with the result and the exemplary reaction the boys showed in the second half.?

However, they will need more than a point against Japan on Sunday evening if they are to have any hope of qualifying from Group B.

Paraguay currently lead the standings on three points, followed by Ghana and Italy on two and Japan yet to get off the mark.

As the two games are so close together, it is likely Gentile will make several changes to the starting eleven, most likely introducing Reggina fullback Giandomenico Mesto.