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Vienna: Luca Toni has been backed to end his Euro 2008 goalscoring duck and send Italy into the semifinals on Sunday.
Although the striker has scored 24 goals for Bayern Munich since his £8.5million switch from Fiorentina last summer, he has wasted a whole host of chances at the finals, with three going begging in as many minutes against France on Tuesday. He will be in opposition to the tournament's top scorer, Spain's four-goal David Villa, in Vienna on Sunday but Italy midfielder Massimo Ambrosini has no worries about his man.
"I'm sure Toni will break out soon," said Ambrosini. "He's had his chances."
At the last World Cup, Toni also failed to score in the group games before netting twice against Ukraine in the quarterfinals. Toni must not be discounted having proved the doubters wrong time and again. The tall, powerful striker the perfect chance to show that his mini-drought has been due to bad luck rather than bad form.
"Luca has been really good and played very well," coach Roberto Donadoni said.
Toni is not the archetypal Italian striker, with power and aerial ability his key assets rather than great skill or pace.
At times his big frame makes him to look ungainly and the ball occasionally gets stuck under his feet. But when he is on song, there are few better.
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