Radio 5 Live's Ian Carter as the match dramatically ends

The decisive action came in a dramatic opening rubber, as Magnus Norman won an epic five-set marathon - but only after his opponent Andrea Gaudenzi retired hurt with the score at 6-6 in the final set.

It was a heartbreaking way for Gaudenzi and a 12,000-strong partisan home crowd to lose after a keenly fought match which the Swede twice levelled from a set down, and then led 4-0 in the decider.

With the momentum firmly in Sweden's favour after that first victory, Magnus Gustafsson then wrapped up a comfortable straight sets win over Davide Sanguinetti in the second match of the day.

Victory in Saturday's doubles rubber will now bring the Davis Cup back to Stockholm.

Injury robs Italy

Gaudenzi was playing his first match since undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in early October, and took the first set on a tie-break before losing the second in a simlar manner.

He then took a 2-1 set lead with a 6-4 score in the third, before Norman took the fourth, 6-3.

Norman overcame the Milan crowd's fanatical support

Gaudenzi had needed extensive massage on his upper back at the start of the fifth set.

Then Norman looked set for victory in the final set before Gaudenzi's final effort, roared on by the fanatical home crowd.

But at 5-5 with the scene set for a tremendous finale, the Italian No 1 "heard a crack".

"It felt as if I'd torn a tendon," he explained. "I was only playing at 50 percent anyway becauuse of the injury."

The incident happened as he held serve for a 6-5 lead.

Norman levelled at 6-6, but at the next point Gaudenzi pulled up and threw his racket into the net in disappointment and disgust.

Unable to hold back the tears, the Italian kept repeating: "I can't make it, I can't make it. I've been taking cortisone for months, but I know what's happened now. I tried but it was impossible in the end."

Gustafsson gets a grip

By contrast, Sanguinetti was never in his match against Gustafsson, as he slumped to an empathic 6-1 6-4 6-0 defeat.

The Italian put up a final flurry when he fended off three match points before finally ploughing a return into the net.

The match had lasted just an hour and a half, with Sweden left poised for their seventh Davis Cup title and Italian captain Paolo Bertucci facing a decision over who to play for the rest of the weekend.