It was always going to be a great match. With Brazil already out of the world cup, Germany and Italy represented the next two greatest teams in the world. Both are three time champions, both hunting for that elusive fourth. Germany had been riding on the wave of euphoria, and had taken full advantage of their role as hosts/organiser by staging this epic semi-final on their impenetrable ground, Dortmund's Westfalenstadion. Impenetrable, of course, until today.
It is easy to get caught up by the emotions of a match like this and say that it will go down as a world cup classic - it might. It's definitely the most riveting game of the finals up till now, and perhaps the most memorable in the last two world cups. It would surprise those who weren't there to see it that for the best part of 120 minutes, Germany and Italy were locked in a goalless chess game.
Still, it wasn't cagey - it was a remarkably open game for two great sides. Of course, the benefit of hindsight tells us that the semi was Germany's to lose, and Italy - grounded by their rock solid defence - actually threw in some sparks in attack. Tactically, everything did go according to plan. Germany was to attack with pace and width, calling on men like Schneider and Lahm to supply crosses to stretch the defence. Italy was always going to be tough to break down, and their reliance on the counterattack and beating the offside trap with through balls went right down to script.
Italy would dominate the first half, sit back in the second, and then burst into unrecognisable life in extra time. Substitutions played a key role, and a post-mortem of the game will reveal that Klinnsmann's lack of options in attack perhaps foiled his ability to shift gears, or create new problems for Italy. Marcello Lippi, however, decided for once to turn on the style, replacing the undereffective, ran-ragged midfielders Camoranesi and Perrotta for strikers Iaquinta and Del Piero.
Was Italy the more positive of the two sides or were their substitutions merely clues as to Lippi's choice of penalty takers? Regardless, Italy did press much harder during extra time, and though they looked for large parts of the 30 minutes like they as much wanted to go to penalties as the Germans, they nonetheless attacked harder. Two goalpost misses later and the tide was firmly swinging Azzurri way. Penalties, for all intents and purposes, would have been a tasteless way to end a match that, in spite of its 0-0 character, was box to box and anything but dull.
Italy received their just rewards when Germany appeared to finally quieten down and play out for penalties. Their marauding runs forward earned them fruitless corner after corner, yet it was their last corner that yielded their first goal. That man - leftback extraordinaire - Fabio Grosso curled a left foot shot that would have made Faschetti, Cabrini and Maldini blush with pride. Grosso's keen eye for late drama had won the game for Italy. When Germany threw 9 men forward and Gilardino broke for a counter, it was syrup on the cioccolatta. Del Piero looped over a resigned Lehmann to gloss the score.
The flattering scoreline ultimately reveals what the tale of the tape was screaming all night. Italy had 10 shots on goal - Germany had 2. Italy had 57% posession - Germany 43%. Italy had 12 corners - Germany 4. What it came down to was perhaps the massive pillars in defence, spearheaded by the one and only Fabio Cannavarro, who must now surely be of the legend of Claudio Gentile and Franco Baresi. Genarro Gattusso had another outstanding match in front of the defence, and he kept Michael Ballack quiet for large parts of the game.
Italian fans celebrate as football in Italy crumbles in the wake of scandals. The similarities to 1982 are stunning. The defeat of Germany by two goals just makes the link all the more intriguing. It is a shame that Germany must go out so soon - we've all enjoyed their free-flowing brand of football, Klinnsmann's revolution of the German ethos, and the brilliant strike partnership of Klose and Podolski. Everone's favourite after the quarterfinals became the first team out thereafter. Italy are through to the final of the world cup - as they were 12 years ago, 12 years before, and 12 years before that. They wait for France or Portugal.
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1 comments:
I would've preferred Germany over Italy to win it to be honest. Which speaks volume about what Klinsmann is doing since I am an England fan. But kudos to Italy. They've played good football.
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