Italy Shows It Has a Finishing Kick
Italy has some tremendous soccer players, the sort who never give up, never stop running, never stop seeking ways to win.
All of that was evident Tuesday, when Italy overcame Germany and almost 65,000 German fans at the caldron of noise that is Westfalen Stadium in a World Cup semifinal that crackled with tension and that was not decided until overtime itself had all but expired.
A goal by Fabio Grosso in the 119th minute and another by Alessandro Del Piero in the 121st were the twin stilettos that ended Germany’s dream and lifted Coach Marcello Lippi’s Italian team to a 2-0 victory and a place in the championship match.
In Sunday’s final in Berlin, Italy will play the winner of today’s semifinal between France and Portugal.
History was against the Italians on Tuesday. Germany had never lost in Dortmund, compiling a 13-0-1 record in the city over the last 71 years.
But Italy had a reply to that. It has established a pattern of sorts by reaching the World Cup final every 12 years. Italy defeated Germany to win the World Cup in Spain in 1982, lost to Brazil in the final in 1994 and now has reached the final again in 2006.
No matter how vociferously German fans might argue the point, the fact is that Italy deserved its victory Tuesday.
Lippi, to his immense credit, kept his players on the attack throughout the match. Every one of his substitutions was offense-minded, with one striker following another off the bench in a seemingly endless supply line of talent.
First it was AC Milan forward Alberto Gilardino, then it was Udinese forward Vincenzo Iaquinta, and finally it was Juventus forward Del Piero.
Italy dominated every statistical category. It took 15 shots to 13 for Germany. It put 10 of those shots on target, compared with only two for Germany. It had a 12-4 edge in corner kicks.
It even hit the woodwork twice in overtime -- first when Gilardino beat German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann only to see his shot rebound back off the foot of the left post, and then when Gianluca Zambrotta slammed a shot off the crossbar.
But the game was not about numbers and near misses. It was a struggle between two superbly matched teams, each representing a country that has won the World Cup three times.The game was about passion and commitment and everything else one would expect from a clash of two European powers -- thrust and counter-thrust for 120 pulsating minutes.
And just when it seemed as if it would take penalty kicks to separate the two, Italy made two lightning forays and came away with two excellent goals.
Perhaps the Germans tired from their lengthy win over Argentina. Perhaps they were looking ahead to penalty kicks. Whatever the reason, the Italians took advantage.
An angled left-foot shot from Grosso, a defender who is frequently involved in the attack, beat Lehman and found the net at the far post. A minute or so later, Del Piero broke free and curled in another shot, this one into the upper right corner.
Germany, which had advanced much further than many had predicted, was finished.
“It’s bitter to lose so close to the end of the match,” said defender Philipp Lahm, who denied that fatigue had caused the loss. At the end, the scenes were heart-wrenching for the home fans. German captain Michael Ballack was sitting on his heels, disbelieving. Lehman, with head bowed, was staring at the ground. Miroslav Klose, the tournament’s top goal scorer, was shaking hands with the officials, including Mexican referee Benito Archundia, who performed splendidly.
Germany Coach Juergen Klinsmann walked over and lifted a weeping David Odonkor to his feet.
Finally, while the crowd sang the old Liverpool team song “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the German players walked around the field and thanked the fans. As they trudged off, Klinsmann applauded each of his players.
“We are hugely disappointed,” he said later. “But you can only compliment the team. It’s a young team. It’s amazing the spirit they showed, the character. They made the whole country really proud.
“It’s very, very special to play a World Cup in your own country. It has been a huge success for us as a team and for the country itself.” Earlier in the day, a story in England’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Klinsmann was in preliminary talks with U.S. Soccer to become the U.S. national team coach, but a U.S. Soccer spokesman Tuesday afternoon denied that, just as Klinsmann himself did when the rumor surfaced.
“I need time to let this sink in,” Klinsmann said. “I haven’t made a decision. I was only thinking so far as the final, not beyond it. I’ve asked the federation to give me time.”
Klinsmann’s contract ends after the World Cup, and he has said before he wants to consult his family before making a decision. Klinsmann has resisted calls to move back to Germany from his adopted home in California.
“My own situation is not the most important thing right now,” he said.
On Tuesday night, Franz Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner as coach and player and now head of the Germany 2006 World Cup Organizing Committee, said he wanted to see Klinsmann stay on as Germany’s coach at least through Euro 2008.
“He started a job that he hasn’t finished. He wanted to be world champion, and he didn’t manage it, so he has to continue,” Beckenbauer said. “He’s formed a young team that he trusts and that trusts him. He has to carry on this work. He has no choice.”
Lippi, known as the “Silver Fox,” will be continuing. He now has five days to get his Italian team rested and ready for Sunday’s final.
“This is the realization of a dream,” he said. “We suffered at times, but I felt that if one team was going to win it, it was us. Territorially, we dominated, and in the end we took a few risks that paid off.”
*
At a glance
TUESDAY’S RESULT
* Italy 2, Germany 0 (OT)
TODAY’S SEMIFINAL GAME
* France vs. Portugal
at Munich, noon PDT (ESPN, Ch. 34)
STAR
* Fabio Grosso scored one of two late goals two minutes apart for Italy in a victory over Germany to vault the Azzurri into the World Cup final for the first time since 1994. Grosso’s left-footed strike from 11 yards curled just inside the opposite post in the 119th minute.
Source: Associated Press
