BARI, Italy (AP) _ The more pressure and controversy, the more Italy seems to thrive.

A 2-0 win over Scotland put the World Cup champions back into contention of qualifying for the European Championship. It was also an emphatic response to critics who were calling for coach Robert Donadoni's job.

``The controversy brought us together even more, although that's not to say I wouldn't mind a calm week of preparation next time,'' Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro said.

After its third straight victory Wednesday _ courtesy of two headers by Luca Toni _ Italy now trails Group B leaders Scotland, France and Ukraine by only two points.

``Italy is not satisfied after winning the World Cup,'' Donadoni said Thursday. ``This team deserves respect and so do I. It's not nice to feel like you're being bounced around on the stock exchange.

``The relationship between me and this team was never in doubt. The disturbances come from outside.''

Italy won its fourth World Cup title last July amid a widespread match-fixing scandal.

``Despite the criticism, we showed _ and we want to continue to show _ that we're the world champions,'' Italy defender Marco Materazzi said. ``We're still in fourth place, but the other teams still have to face each other and so will drop points.''