Vieri’s very happy

Christian Vieri reflected on a job well done after his first-half double strike secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Ecuador in Sapporo.

Vieri’s goals in the seventh and 27th minutes ensured that Italy, notoriously slow starters at World Cup finals got off to a flying start in Group G.

Vieri, who scored five goals in five games at the 1998 finals, wasted no time in underlining his credentials as a contender for the Golden Boot.

But afterwards he was just relieved Italy had got a win under their belts with games against Croatia and Mexico to come.

‘‘We played a good game, we managed to score two goals and we didn’t suffer that much which was important,’’ said Vieri.

‘‘The whole team played well not just me,’’ he added modestly.

Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni was understandably satisfied with his side’s performance.

‘‘We took the lead immediately, after which everything became easier,’’ he said.

‘‘In the second half we felt a bit tired, but we hung on in there. To start in a stadium like this in Sapporo wasn’t easy. The humidity and the closed in atmosphere left the players breathless.’’

Ecuador coach Hernan Dario Gomez was not too disheartened despite Italy’s comfortable win.

He said: ‘‘It’s tough to come to a World Cup and play Italy in the first game and we certainly paid the price in those first few minutes of the game.

‘‘We were a little nervous and weren’t quite ready for that but we played well in the second half and we are not discouraged. We have the strength and the preparation to go on for the next match.’’