Inzaghi out of opener

Inzaghi out for the opening of the World Cup

YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Italy striker Filippo Inzaghi is likely to miss his country's first World Cup match due to an injury he sustained to his left knee in Sunday's 2-1 friendly win over Japan's Kashima Antlers.

A scan showed no torn ligaments, but Inzaghi will almost definitely miss the match against Ecuador on June 3, coach Giovanni Trapattoni said on Monday.

Last December the AC Milan player had an operation on the same knee and was out for three months. But Sunday's scan, which revealed no serious injury to the leg, suggests a much shorter lay-off.

"Our objective is to have him ready for the second game. It will be difficult to have him ready for the first game," said Italian team doctor, Andrea Ferretti, quoted by Reuters.

Teams have until 24 hours before their first World Cup game to make injury replacements in their 23-man squads.

After playing Ecuador in the Japanese city of Sapporo, Italy will face the other Group G teams Mexico and Croatia.