Prandelli: USA defeat was undeserved

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli was disappointed but not distraught after his side's 1-0 friendly defeat against USA in Genoa. Clint Dempsey's second-half strike ensured the Azzurri lost to the Americans for the first time in their history tonight, but Prandelli was quick to play down the result. "With 100 days to go before the European Championship, I am not worried, absolutely not," he said. "I liked the way the team played and the defeat was undeserved. We were more incisive after the break and raised the tempo. "The only mistake we made was to attack deep, but at the wrong time, thus ending in an offside position often," he said.  "With this spirit we will certainly have a great EURO 2012." Italy finished unbeaten and top of Group C in the qualifying campaign, but tonight's loss was their second straight defeat following their 1-0 setback against Uruguay in Rome in November. "Playing once every three months is tricky," Prandelli said. "We did some interesting things, although we lacked the finishing touch." Italy were without injured strikers Antonio Cassano and Giuseppe Rossi, while Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli and Roma striker Daniel Osvaldo were omitted after breaching Prandelli's code of conduct due to recent indiscipline with their clubs. Prandelli played Alessandro Matri alongside Sebastian Giovinco in attack and handed Roma forward Fabio Borini his debut. "Giovinco is always dangerous on a one-on-one," Prandelli said. "Borini has grit and personality and is a very interesting player."