Lippi looks for omens

Holders Italy needed a little bit of luck to qualify for next year's World Cup finals and coach Marcello Lippi hopes some other omens will point towards a successful campaign in South Africa.
Substitute Alberto Gilardino struck in the last minute to give the Azzurri a 2-2 draw against second-placed Ireland in Dublin on Saturday and seal their passage to the finals as Group Eight winners.
With the final group game against Cyprus in Parma on Wednesday, a normally cautious Lippi allowed himself to dream of a repeat of Italy's 1982 and 2006 World Cup triumphs.
"The only other times Italy have qualified with a game to spare was in 1982 and 2006. We won't talk about it, but we know how we finished up. But I'd say it's a good omen," Lippi told Italian television.
A draw was a fair result after an entertaining game and Italy showed a real desire that has not always been apparent in the qualifying campaign, especially after slipping 2-1 behind following Sean St Ledger's 87th minute header.
Fiorentina forward Gilardino was particularly motivated to grab the leveller having failed to properly mark the Irishman.
"We qualified a bit riskily but it is more fun that way," he said. "In the end we deserved a draw, for 2-1 I lost a bit of concentration. This is my most important goal for the Azzurri."