How good was the 2006 World Cup?

Here are some interesting articles that I picked up from various websites. Take a look and ponder..


New stars are born...

In 1990 it was Roberto Baggio. In 1994 it was Romario. In 1998 it was Zinedine Zidane. In 2002 it was Ronaldinho. Great players have a tendency to emerge at the World Cup, where people from across the globe can watch them express their talent on the biggest stage of all.

It happened to the great Pele in 1958, the mercurial Johan Cruyff in 1974 and the legendary Diego Maradona in 1986. This World Cup in Germany has witnessed plenty of promising players, but there has been a genuine dearth of quality.

If the world's richest club in the transfer market, Chelsea, was looking for the player of the tournament to add to its illustrious squad, who would it choose? Ghana's Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan stood out, as did Ivory Coast's Bakari Kone and Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez - scorer of one of the most wonderful World Cup goals in living memory. But none of these players was even among the 10 shortlisted for the Golden Ball award, given to the tournament's outstanding player. Of those 10, three are over 30 and the average age is 29.3. Going into the World Cup they all had major tournament experience.

While Messi and his fellow young Argentine striker Carlos Tevez were limited to bit parts, the stand-out for the South Americans was Maxi Rodriguez, the 25-year-old who scored three goals.The highlight was a breathtaking volley that gave Argentina their winner in extra-time against Mexico in the second round.It was all the more remarkable for coming from his weaker left foot - "the one I use for getting on the bus," he said.

Maxim Kalinichenko, a 26-year-old battling back after injury, looked outstanding on the wing for Ukraine in their quarter-final defeat by Italy, whipping over a series of crosses from the right that had the Italy defence in real trouble.

Philipp Lahm, the 22-year-old German full-back, scored the first goal of the tournament and was excellent in defence and dangerous in attack throughout.

The 2006 World Cup featured an official award for best young player but it must have been hard to come up with a shortlist.The award went to Lukas Podolski, the 21-year-old German striker who scored three goals but missed too many clear chances, especially when it really mattered in the semi-final defeat against Italy, to be considered a real success.

Other players tipped as contenders, including Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi, had little impact but there were a few older newcomers, as it were, who did shine at these finals.

The 23-year-old Franck Ribery had not started a game for France before the World Cup and ended up playing a major part to their run to the final.The winger, despite finishing on the losing side, did not let his side down in the final against Italy, almost scoring in extra time before he was substituted.

"The most important thing is to have lots of fun," he had said with refreshing calm before the semi-final win over Portugal.
"I'm young, I've got a great job and I'm enjoying myself. I don't see why I should put myself under any kind of pressure."

Ribery scored a fine goal in France's 3-1 win over Spain in the second round and impressed everyone with his skill on the ball.

The man who made the most spectacular breakthrough was arguably Italy's left-back Fabio Grosso, a 28-year-old late developer who was playing fourth division football five years ago.
Grosso played an impeccable role in the Italian defence that conceded just one goal on their way to the final.He also won the late penalty that gave Italy their victory over Australia, and curled in the goal that put the Azzurri ahead late in extra time in the semi-final against Germany. Grosso sealed his hero status by sealing Italy's World Cup win by netting the decisive spot-kick in the shootout.

In a World Cup that was so low on goals, it seemed fitting that it was a defender who made the biggest impact of any previously unknown player.

Classic goals...

Barely six minutes were on the clock in the opening game between Germany and Costa Rica when Philipp Lahm cut in from the left and curled a beauty into the top corner of Jose Porras' net.

That goal set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

Argentina lit up Group C with some great efforts, most notably Esteban Cambiasso's clinical finish against Serbia & Montenegro after a mouth-watering team move of 24 faultless passes.

Bakari Kone ran the length of the pitch before scoring against Holland; Joe Cole chested down and thumped home from 35 yards; Rodriguez wrote his name into World Cup folklore.

Yet, Rodriguez apart, the knockout stages failed to provide the kind of inspiration the World Cup is crying out for. Nine of Match of the Day's 10 goals of the tournament came from the group stages.

Goals dried up and players stopped shooting from 30 yards, preferring instead to pass the ball square so the team did not concede possession.

Even Fifa president Sepp Blatter raised concerns about the lack of goals produced by the world's finest footballers.

"The football isn't that bad, but there aren't enough goals - and, when there are too few goals, the public isn't very enthusiastic," said Blatter.
"The essence of the game is goals. If it's an open game, there is enough room for 11 players, but with 11 defenders there is not enough space."

Thank goodness then for Italians Fabio Grosso and Alessandro del Piero, scorers of the beautifully-taken semi-final goals against Germany that took Italy into the Finals.

Shock value...

Every World Cup needs a seismic shock to get the tournament going and warn the big teams they are not going to have it all their own way.

Cameroon stunned holders Argentina in the opening game of 1990, Senegal did the same to France in 2002.

Ghana did their best with a terrific 2-0 win over the Czech Republic to open up Group E, before tamely exiting the competition 3-0 at the hands of Brazil in the second round. Was Ghana even that much of a shock? We know all about the midfield dynamism of Chelsea's Michael Essien, and in captain Stephen Appiah they had a player who enjoyed a hugely successful two-year spell with Juventus.

Maybe that is the problem. Football has become much more global, and what might once have been a shock barely even registers now, so well do we know the major characters of even the lesser teams. The same can be said of the bigger teams - the Brazilians, the Argentines.

Whereas once the players would mostly play for teams in their own country, these days the vast majority of them already play in Europe by the time they feature in their first World Cup.
There is little or no mystique left, and the globalisation of football shows no sign of slowing down.

Why did we expect so much from Ronaldinho? Because we can see him play week-in, week-out for Champions League winners Barcelona and know him to be the finest footballer on the planet. Blanket coverage of English and European football all-year-round has left little to the imagination.

Iconic images...

It is never just about the games and the goals.

Cast your mind back to 1974 and Johan Cruyff's turn that so bemused Swedish right-back Gunnar Olsson. Or 1990 and Cameroonian Roger Milla's twinkle-toes celebrations.

These are images that will forever linger in the memory, that will be used time and again on television archive to show the World Cup finals in all its glory.

This year's World Cup may have been bereft of iconic players, but it has certainly had its fair share of iconic images.

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann kicked it all off, the former Spurs striker jumping around deliriously whenever his team found the back of the net - 14 times in all, making them the tournament's leading scorers.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo may have been cast as the villain of the piece, but his gesture to the referee after Wayne Rooney's foul and subsequent wink to the bench after Rooney's red card have come to define another England exit.

Not forgetting Rooney's temper tantrum after being substituted against Sweden, Luis Figo's headbutt on Mark van Bommel, Philippe Senderos being covered in blood after scoring against South Korea or Fabio Grosso's impression of Marco Tardelli after his semi-final strike.

But Zidane saved the image that will haunt him for the rest of his life until 10 minutes from the end of extra-time in a remarkable final against Italy.

His last act as a footballer was to shove his head into the chest of Marco Materazzi, and with that his career, and France's World Cup dream, ended.

Azzurri show the other face of Italian game...

From shame and scandal to fame and glory in a month -- never have the two faces of Italian football been so sharply contrasting as in the past weeks.

While Italian prosecutors and defence lawyers picked through the details of a domestic match-fixing scandal, at the World Cup Italy's players delivered the perfect reminder of why, despite everything, their game is so respected.

The technique, the flair, the discipline and the passion of Marcello Lippi's team demonstrated all that is best in Italian football and rightly won plaudits crownded by their World Cup triumph over France on penalties.

Back home in Italy though, club officials, referees and Football Federation functionaries faced charges at a disciplinary tribunal with four top clubs facing possible demotion from Serie A if they are found to have tried to influence the outcome of games via interference in refereeing appointments.

Italy's success at the World Cup cannot cancel out what has been revealed about the shenanigans of recent years and nor should the scandal take anything away from what the Azzurri achieved in Germany.

But what Lippi's 23 players did is even more remarkable given the conditions in which they were forced to operate.Right from the moment the team got together at their plush Coverciano training complex near Florence -- where, according to the transcripts of telephone intercepts, some of the deals under investigation were struck -- the Azzurri had to deal with the fall-out from the scandal.

There were calls for Lippi to resign when his son became involved in a probe into a management agency and demands that captain Fabio Cannavaro be stripped off his position after he publicly defended former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, who is at the centre of the scandal.

Keeper Gianluigi Buffon even had to leave the training camp to talk to a magistrate about his gambling on foreign games.

Every news conference centred on the scandal but once the Azzurri landed in Germany, Lippi pleaded for the attention to be placed on his team and their job at the World Cup -- it never quite happened.

After weeks of insisting his players were unaffected by the ongoing scandal back home, Lippi said, after the semi-final win over Germany, that his team had actually come together as a result of the affair.

"Certainly, initially, all the confusion that came out two or three months ago created a desire and a determination to respond, to show that Italian football is effective, real and strong on a technical and moral level. It helped to create a tight group," he said.

There was certainly a resentful feeling from the players that they, who have never been accused of any wrongdoing or any kind of involvement in the scandal, did not deserve to be viewed as guilty by association.

"Every time I have gone on the field, I have sweated and given my all," said midfielder Gennaro Gattuso when asked about the scandal.

Gattuso was among those who rejected calls from some politicians for a World Cup win to be rewarded with an amnesty for those accused of wrongdoing.

The performances of Italy's players at the World Cup surely demonstrate that they deserve better from those who run their game.

Third placing...

First up, we have Germany-Portugal for a meaningless third place game — so meaningless, in fact that FIFA was forced to say that, yep, they're keeping this match in future Cups. Why?

We have no idea. The last time a team actually played like it mattered was in 2002 when the Turks stormed a disappointed Korean side. Ok, that was four years ago, but still ...

Truth is, this is a sucker bet on Germany: Klinsi's boys want to go out with a bang and they face a team revealed as having little to no offense. This is a shame, because Portugal can play gorgeous football — they just cannot score when it counts. We have to think their heads will not be in this one despite it being Luis Figo's last game and that the hosts will run rampant.

Is this fair? That's a good question: We still think the German side — despite being young (along with all the other reasons we've heard from their passionate fane base telling us how wrong we are) — is not very good. We still think we saw a truer version of this side outside the World Cup and that it took the hosting bounce and ran with it. That's not to cast aspersions — we said the same about France in 1998 and South Korea in 2002 — but we fear for their chances in the upcoming European qualification rounds.

Final match...

A France-Italy final, of course, is a classic in the making. Never mind the romance of Zinedine Zidane; there's a ton of history here.

There's the 3-1 win for Italy in 1938 that served as a de-facto anti-fascist rally; the 1998 World Cup quarterfinal win for France when Luigi Di Biagio rocked his penalty attempt in the tie-break phase off the bar. And, of course, there's the infamous 2000 European Cup final, with an extra time 2-1 win for France from Juventus boy David Trezeguet.

The Italians haven't beaten France in their last six meetings, and a sentimentalist has to give the nod to a team with Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry. But the Italians have a lot of grit and power: Betting against Gennaro Gatttuso, Alessandro del Piero and the sublime Luca Toni could be foolhardy.

Certainly the Italian fans we talked to think so. They feel (as does the Italian press) that this matchup plays to their strengths: They know the French players from Serie A and the Champions League and feel that the battle will be won on technique, not grit. We think William Gallas, Willy Sagnol, and Claude Makelele may make them think twice. Any way you look at it, if both teams can shake off the tension and expectations of a final, this could be a superb game for a Cup that sorely needs one.

The Italy vs France match in a glimpse

Here's my very own review on the final match played in Berlin, which marks the end of the month-long world cup season. These are just my honest remarks and are not meant to be offensive towards anyone. Your critics and comments are welcomed. To all soccer fans, keep the footie spirit as we await the start of the English Premier League, Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga and the other domestic titles up for grabs in countries all round the world!!

6 years ago, David Trezequet scored a Golden Ball in the EUFA Euro 2000 and ousted the Italians for the title of European Champion. He was the toast of the nation. Ironically, 6 years later, his spotkick crashed against the crossbar and refused to cross the line, unlike Zidane's earlier penalty kick, and handed the Italians the title of World Champions. Talk bout getting from hero to zero. Well, was it just a matter of nerves as he takes on his Juventus teammate and best buddy, Gianluigi Buffon, or was it fated that the Italians would lift the world cup this year as it is the year of the dog, according to Chinese horoscope? Only Brazil and Italy had ever won the World Cup in the year of the dog which comes around every 12 years. Guess we'll never know the truth but it is Trezequet who gifted the Italians the victory and title.

The French team started rather strongly in this match and went 1 up when Florent Malouda was felled in the Italian penalty box by Materazzi. Italian fans cried foul when a penalty was awarded and many accused Malouda of diving. I would say that it was a clumsy challenge by Materazzi and yes, Malouda was diving a little but which footballer doesn't? Anyway, Zizou stepped up to take the spotkick and converted, much to the relief of the French fans. It hit the crossbar but bounced back down and over the line. Zizou took a different penalty kick ( in terms of style ) compared to the one against Portugal. This time, he decided to lift the ball which is a risk as even experts in penalty-taking such as Beckham had blasted it off to the stands and out went England in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2004. We will see that happening to Trezequet much later in the match. But, at least, the luckless Trezequet's strike shook the crossbar. Another coincidence - they both have David as their 1st name *chuckle*

After the penalty, Italy knew that they had to find the equalizer. Italy had never trailed a game in this world cup and many thought they might crumble but they showed no signs of that at all. France fell back to defend. 12 minutes later, Italy finally found the back of the net from a set piece after many unsuccessful attempts which included one that rattled the crossbar. Italy was really putting pressure on France as they were on target thrice from 3 corners. It was Camoranesi’s persistence and tight control near the touchline that forced the corner that yielded the 19th-minute equaliser. Andrea Pirlo’s delivery was inch-perfect and Materazzi Materazzi rise above Patrick Viera and powered his header home. The scores are now tied at 1-1 and remain so until extra time.

After an enthusiastic display in the first half, more action was expected in the second half. But, instead, it turned into a lacklustre performance by both teams. There were creativity in the midfield, near-misses but still no goal. The Italians had a disallowed goal ruled for offside early in the second half with Luca Toni heading pass Barthez. Well, that was the exact same way France scored against Brazil - Viera was in an offside position but Henry wasn't. So Henry’s goal counted. This time, Toni was in an onside position, but his teammate to the nearside (i.e. farther away from goal, and not interfering with play) was offside. Toni’s goal was brilliant but the linesman flagged it away. Well, it is really rather hard to judge if Toni was offside as so many players were standing close to each other in the penalty box. It looked like Toni's head was offside though his legs weren't. Can't be real sure, though. *shrugs*

Anyway, the game continued with the Italians having more possession but lack the strike force in front of the goal. As the game plays on, France came out of their shell and took a different approach. France had always been well-known for being defensive and it was evident during the qualifying and group stages. Low count of goals scored and low count of goals conceded. No doubt France have the best back four in Lilian Thuram, Willy Sagnol, William Gallas and Lizzarazu ( replaced by the young but talented Abidal ). Experience comes with age, though, with Thuram and Gallas called out of retirement for this World Cup.

It was near impossible to penetrate the French defence and Toni did not justify himself as the top scorer in Italian Serie A and the first man in 40years to score more than 30goals for one season. Toni, like nearly every striker in every team ( ie Pauleta, Henry, Ronaldo of Brazil, Van Nistelrooy, Wiltord, Gilardino etc. ) was way below par.

Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian captain, at the other end was driven to near insanity by Franck Ribery, Henry, Zidane and Malouda. Materazzi, the hard-tackling central defender, Fabio Grosso, the versatile leftback, and Rino Gattuso, the defensive midfielder, struggled to hold on the defence alongside Cannavaro. Even Camoranessi, Totti, Perotta and Pirlo were forced to play on their own side of the pitch. However, France did not take their chances and the Italians forced the match to go into extra time. There was several incidents in the Italian penalty box but the referee was not going to reward another penalty after giving a rather harsh one in the first half. Surprisingly, Elizondo, shown so few yellow cards in this match. He was the referee who sent off Wayne Rooney for stamping on Carvalho.

Anyway, back to the match.. On it went into extra time. 1st half, no goals... 2nd half, still no goals... Just at that moment the sun had reappeared from behind a cloud to throw light on Italy’s spirited recovery and stoke up the temperatures inside the arena, Henry began to emerge as a key performer, seemingly impossible to shrug off the ball, and that also brought the best out of the dynamic newcomer Frank Ribery. France came close on several occasions and in extra time Zidane would have scored with a header had Buffon not denied him. The night was soon to take an even more devastating turn for Zizou, a moment of madness ensuring that his retirement began at least nine minutes earlier than it should have done. The French wizard was shown a straight red card for headbutting Materazzi. Everyone thinks that only the young players lose their head but it seems that the older ones lost their cool even more frequent! Figo did the same thing against Mark Van Bommel of Holland. Figo was lucky to escape with a yellow card. But not Zidane. It is really disappointing to see such a brilliant player like Zidane to react so immaturedly especially when the match looked like it was heading down to penalty shootout and he is France's most trusted player to convert the spotkick. Materazzi definitely said something really offensive and filthy but Zidane could've kept his composure and ignore such a foul-mouthed player. What Materazzi said remains a puzzle until and unless Zidane or Materazzi wants to reveal it but here's what the Inter Milan defender offered :

“I’m not cultured and I don’t even know what an Islamic terrorist is,” Materazzi was quoted as saying in Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport. He didn’t specify what he said to Zidane.
"I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned round and spoke to me, sneering," the Italian defender said. "He looked me up and down, arrogantly and said: 'If you really want my shirt, I'll give it to you afterwards.' "

Finally, the match headed to the old nemesis - penalty shootout. Brutal to the loser but it does settle the score and a winner emerges. Both the goalkeepers were unimpressive and did not manage to save a single penalty kick. Most of the time Buffon dives the wrong way. Barthez, on the other hand, was better at picking a side ie right or left but the balls were either too fast for him or too far from his reach. So, it came down to the penalty-takers themselves and on that fateful night, Trezequet fell from hero status to zero in bout 1 minute. He was the 2nd player to take the spotkick for France after Wiltord converted the first one. The ball rattled off the crossbar without crossing the line and Buffon pumped his fist into air while Trezequet stares in bewilderment. De Rossi made up for his four match ban by converting the 3rd penalty for Italy before Abidal drove home the 3rd for France. Quite a surprise to see Abidal stepping up to take the penalty but he is indeed a fitting replacement for Lizarazzu. Next came Del Piero and the Juventus captain fired the ball into the back of the net. It'll be all over if Willy Sagnol misses but the ice-cool defender chipped the ball in neatly. The 5th and final spotkick for the Italians will be decisive in crowning them world champions. Fabio Grosso, the unknown defender before the World Cup who marked his place in the squad by scoring against Germany in the semifinals, took his place in front of Barthez. Like all defenders, he was composed as he took the spotkick. A no-nonsense left-foot strike into the right-hand corner of the net underlined the contribution the Palermo defender has made to the Italian cause this past month. Italy was crowned world champions for the fourth time, after a gap of 24 long years. Forza Azzurri!!

All in all, I wouldn't say that it was a pretty victory for Italy but they are the worthy champion judging by way they performed throughout this world cup. France is a fantastic team with sensational players. Kudos to France! Trezequet should not be blamed for the defeat as taking a penalty not only requires skill but also lots of luck, which apparently, he lacked. All the 5 players who were handpicked to take the spotkicks had come out tops during practice session otherwise their respective coaches would not have selected them. Lifting the ball had always been risky though it is a guarantee that the goalkeeper would be unable to save it. Quite evident as Buffon was clearly beaten only for the crossbar to deny Trezequet a goal. Hence, most players opt for a curled, fast ball, preferably just 1cm away from the goal post. Most of the time, the goalie will be beaten unless he picks the right side and manage to cover the entire goal mouth. Rolling-on-the-grass and to-the-centre spotkicks are the ones goalkeepers always hope for, especially when it could barely tear a tissue paper!

Italy had always been a powerhouse in football and Italian Serie A is one of the most acclaimed league. However, the national team had been nothing but disappointment. Even the illustrious Paolo Maldini did not get the honour to lift the world cup as Italian captain with a squad packed with skill&quality. Italy usually play stylish games with classy passings but the results are often against them. However, Marcello Lippi changed the approach and tactics in transforming the Italian team into a world-beating team, concentrating on getting the goals and winning matches. Most importantly, Lippi does not select his squad only from big clubs like AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan and AS Roma. Instead, he included Luca Toni of Florentina , the top scorer of the Italian Serie A, and Fabio Grosso of Palermo ( moving to Inter Milan next season ) in his first team.

Well, that marks the end of the World Cup and it'll be another four years of waiting. Until then, the World Cup stays in Italy. Campioni Italia!

Review of the final match - France vs Italy

What an occasion the 18th final produced with excitement at the start and incredible drama at the end as Zidane, on his farewell to the game he has graced for so long with his artistry skill, was shown the red card. On it went to a penalty showdown and five unerring Italian spot-kicks delivered them the title of world champions, with David Trezeguet the luckless player to miss.

Zidane will remember this night for as long as he lives. It was supposed to be his swansong and France had promised to repeat their success of 1998 for their retiring captain. Only he will know what possessed him when he thrust his forehead into the chest of Marco Materazzi like a billy-goat. Zidane had to go, accompanied down the tunnel by the glare of thousands and thousands of flash bulbs and the tears of the legions of French supporters.

“Allez les Blues” they had chorused again and again. The Blues came through all right but it was the blue of Italy that held sway. France were wearing white as it looked the luckier colour compared to blue in this World Cup.

It had looked good for France early on and for long periods of the game when they looked the more creative side. Their penalty came after Florent Malouda drove into the box and was felled by a clumsy challenge from Materazzi. Zidane opted to nonchalantly chip his spot kick above the diving Gianluigi Buffon and the ball struck the bar before bouncing down behind the line to put France ahead. The linesman signalled a goal and Zidane celebrated the first and only time an opponent had scored against Italy in the tournament. Previously they had conceded just one own goal. Zidane, who headed two goals in the 1998 showpiece match, became only the fourth player to score three times in World Cup finals after Brazilian duo Vava and Pele and England's Geoff Hurst, who got a hat-trick in the 1966 final.

Italy equalised 12 minutes later when Materazzi atoned for his earlier misdemeanour by rising magnificently above Patrick Vieira to head home an Andrea Pirlo corner from the right. It was the first time both teams had scored in the final in 20 years and Italy went close again in the 36th minute when striker Luca Toni headed against the bar from Pirlo's cross.

France started the second half full of running with their lone striker Thierry Henry, who was a frustrated, unused substitute in the 1998 final against Brazil, looking dangerous. Fabien Barthez was beaten again in the 62nd minute by a Toni header which was ruled offside but France remained the more adventurous amid the tiredness as the error count rose. They could not force a way through, though, and the final went into an extra 30 minutes for the fifth time.

Zidane could have finished the night as a two-goal hero, just as he was eight years ago, when he forced a spectacular save from Buffon after 105 minutes as he met Willy Sagnol's cross with a stunning header. However, Zidane, who opened the scoring with a penalty after seven minutes, was sent off nine minutes from the end of extra-time for a head butt into the chest of Marco Materazzi, who had equalised for Italy with a 19th-minute header. It was certainly not the way Zidane would have wanted to end his glorious career but the Italians did not care.

Instead, it was Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, exemplary again in his 100th international, who lifted the trophy to add to the Azzurri's successes of 1934, 1938 and 1982. They have become the second most successful team in World Cup history after Brazil, who have won it five times.

Photos from the final match of the 2006 World Cup

The Italian team and their World Cup trophy..

Marcello Lippi grasping the World Cup trophy... my precious... lol

The Italian hat looks fittingly in place on the World Cup trophy..

Henry and Barthez receiving their silver medals while being consoled..

The Italians reeling off in delight after winning the penalty shootout..

David Terzequet's reaction after missing France's 2nd spotkick.. A beautiful strike, lifted to the top corner of the net but it's just not Terzequet's day.. Same thing happened to Zizou's spotkick, only different is Terzequet's did not pass the line.. What a dismay!!

Campioni Del Mondo Italia

Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian captain who has belied his diminutive stature with some giant performances this past month, fittingly closed the 2006 FIFA World Cup by holding the biggest prize in football aloft. Fireworks proclaiming a fourth FIFA World Cup for Italy exploded into the black skies above the Olympiastadion as the Azzurri party began, leaving France – and a disconsolate Zinedine Zidane – to their own thoughts.

It took seven solid matches -four knock-out round victories- and some luck to win a World Cup. People can whine and moan all they want, but at the end of the day it was Italy who got it right this time around.. After 24 long years and many past World Cup disappointments. Even the illustrious Paolo Maldini, well known for influential captaincy, ice-cool temperament and flawless defending, had not lifted the World cup, the only spoil in his career after winning four European Cups and seven Italian titles with AC Milan.

“Inno di Mameli”

Fratelli d’Italia

L’Italia s’è desta

Dell’elmo di Scipio

S’è cinta la testa.

Dove’è la Vittoria?.

Le porga la chioma;

Chè schiava di Roma

Iddio la creò.

Stringiamoci a coorte,

Siam pronti alla morte:

Italia chiamò!

Noi siamo da secoli

Calpesti e derisi,

Perchè non siam popolo,

Perchè siam divisi;

Raccolgaci un’unica

Bandiera, un speme;

Di fonderci insieme;

Già l’ora suonò.

Stringiamoci a coorte,

Siam pronti alla morte:

Italia chiamò!

Uniamoci, amiamoci;

L’unione e l’amore

Rivelano ai popoli

Le vie del Signore:

Giuriamo far libero

Il suolo natío;

Uniti per Dio

Chi vincer ci può?.

Stringiamoci a coorte,

Siam pronti alla morte:

Italia chiamò!

Dall’Alpi a Sicilia

Dovunque è Legnano

Ogni uom di Ferruccio:

Ha il cuor e la mano.

I bimbi d’Italia

Si chiamano Balilla:

Il suon d’ogni squilla

I vespri suonò.

Stringiamoci a coorte,

Siam pronti alla morte:

Italia chiamò!

Son giunchi che piegano

Le spade vendute:

Già l’Aquila d’Austria

Le penne ha perdute.

Il sangue d’ItaliaE il sangue polacco

Bevè col Cosacco

Ma il cor le bruciò

Stringiamoci a coorte

Siam pronti alla morte:

Italia chiamò!

Forza Azzurri!!