Goal hero Toni turns on Italian media

DUISBURG, Germany, July 1 (Reuters) After scoring twice in Italy's 3-0 World Cup quarter-final win over Ukraine, striker Luca Toni fired some volleys in the direction of his critics today.

Toni was criticised in Italian media during his barren spell of six Italy matches without a goal and he did not miss the chance to set the record straight after training.

''To be honest I felt that I was being targeted. I received a lot of criticism. I read that I wasn't training properly and that I didn't get on properly with my team mates,'' said Toni.

''I can accept comments about my play but not about my behaviour. It is so easy for those journalists to heap praise on me now,'' he added at a news conference.

Toni was particularly angered by reports during Italy's pre-World Cup training camp near Florence, home to his club Fiorentina, that he was looking for a move to a new team.

''I only said that I wanted to speak to the (Fiorentina) president and then it was -- 'Toni wants to leave Fiorentina', 'Toni wants to go to Inter, to Barcelona' and so on. I never said that I wanted to leave Fiorentina....it is not right to put words into my mouth that I didn't say,'' he added.

The striker said that while some people may have doubted whether he would come good at the World Cup, he always believed he would rediscover his scoring touch.

''I never lost faith, there are moments for a forward when you don't score goals although I certainly felt some of those around me had lost faith,'' he said.

Coach Marcello Lippi was not one of those who lost confidence in the big forward who struck 31 goals in Serie A last season.

''The coach always had confidence in me, even when I wasn't scoring. I was playing for the team as a whole and Lippi told me 'you've always got goals and they will come', he was constantly reassuring me.

''I will always be grateful to him because he gave me a chance with the national side when I was with Palermo,'' said Toni, who has scored nine times for his country in 22 games.

The Italy striker said he was relishing the semi-final against Germany in Dortmund on Tuesday and felt the victory over Ukraine will have made the hosts take notice.

''They were afraid of us before and maybe after a 3-0 win over Ukraine they will be more afraid. They are an organised and tough side but we are organised and tough too,'' he said.

REUTERS PM KP2030