The victory secures a spot in the Round of 16 for Italy with one match still to play in the group stage.
New Zealand enjoyed the better chances and had the Italians pinned back into their defensive third early on, showing no signs of intimidation after stumbling to a 7-0 loss to Uruguay in their opening Group B match on Thursday.
The match came to life in the 18th minute when Stuart Holthusen was brought down by Italy goalkeeper Simon Scuffet at the far edge of the penalty area, awarding the All Whites with an early penalty. Monty Patteron stepped up to the spot and fired to Scuffet’s right, but the Italian No1 guessed correctly and then was able to quickly react to see New Zealand’s follow-up effort on the rebound pushed wide for a corner.
Two notable chances in the first-half followed the missed penalty. Three minutes after Scuffet’s stop, Vittorio Parigini saw his effort beat Zac Speedy but not the post, and in the 29th minute New Zealand struck the woodwork as well when Holthusen’s shot looked to have Scuffet beaten, but the Italian managed to get a finger on the ball and watched it glance off the upright.
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