Forza Italia!

Italy are champions of the world following their penalty shoot-out victory over France in the World Cup final, played in Berlin, last Saturday. The best squad may have won the trophy but how will the 2006 tournament winners be remembered?

The Italians began the tournament in fine style with a hard fought 2-0 victory over the impressive Ghana. A subsequent 1-1 draw with the USA and another 2-0 win over the Czech saw Italy top Group E with seven points. The second round encounter with Australia went right to the last minute of extra time. A hotly disputed penalty was converted by Francesco Totti and that last kick of the game saw the Italians safely into the quarter finals.

Ukraine was no match for the hard working Italian team in the quarter finals. The 3-0 demolition turned out to be the Italians most comprehensive performance in tournament. A cracking goal from full back Zambrotta followed by a brace from Fiorentina’s Luca Toni saw Italy into the semis. The semi final with hosts, Germany in Dortmund will go down as one of the games of the tournament. Both countries played out a pulsating end-to-end encounter which had fans on the edge of their seats.

Ninety minutes couldn’t separate the two sides and at half time in extra time, the possibility of penalties loomed large. Italy found an extra gear in the second half of extra time and a wonderful goal from left back Grosso put them ahead. As Germany pressed for an equaliser, the Italians broke from defence and secured victory with a classic goal. Cannavaro, who was superb on the night, broke up yet another German attack and set the Italians on the counter attack. Gilardino found Del Piero in the German penalty box and the diminutive Juventus striker chipped the ball into the far corner for 2-0.

The final may well be remembered for Zinidine Zidane’s acrimonious sending off but Italy’s Marco Materazzi should be remembered as the central character in the match. The ex-Everton defender gave a way a penalty early on which Zidane duly converted. Materazzi then equalised with a towering header for the Italians. The confrontation between Zidane and Materazzi will be replayed for years and we may never find out what was actually said that caused the violent reaction from the French Legend. Historians will recall the result that Italy won 5-3 on penalties. All five goals were expertly dispatched and the shoot out banished the memory of 1994 when Brazil defeated the Italians on penalties to claim the World Cup.

Overall, the Italians are deserving champions. They played the most consistent football throughout the tournament and had the best squad at the tournament. Italian manager, Marcello Lippi, used every squad player at his disposal (except for his two reserve goalkeepers) during the tournament. All of Lippi's strikers scored and the Italian defence lead by the exemplary Cannavaro conceded a meagre two goals in the whole tournament.

The only goals to rattle Buffon’s net were an own goal and a penalty from Zidane in the final itself. The pairing of Pirlo and Gattuso surpassed any other midfield combination in the tournament. The full-backs Grosso and Zambrotta consistently joined the attack at every opportunity and defended resolutely whenever called upon. Cannavaro was the player of the tournament with his consistent displays. The stocky centre back kept Thierry Henry of France and both Ronaldo and Adriano of Brazil scoreless.

Italy’s achievement is all the more remarkable against the backdrop of the current scandal hitting Italian football. Serie A teams Juventus, Lazio, AC Milan and Fiorentina have been accused of influencing referee appointments and as a result face possible relegation from Serie A. No less than thirteen of Italy's World Cup-winning squad are playing for the four clubs involved.

Italy’s success was built on a hard working team ethic. This year’s squad was short on superstars and built around lesser known players from smaller clubs such as Palermo and Livorno from Serie A. In four year’s time, the World Cup road-show moves on to South Africa. Few would bet against the Italians having a say in the destination of the trophy then, such is the strength of the Serie A and the seemingly endless conveyer-belt of young players coming through the youth and Under-21 squads.

Forza Italia