4 July 2006: Germany 0-2 Italy AET (Dortmund)
Stunning late extra-time strikes from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro del Piero took Italy into the World Cup final at Germany's expense with a 2-0 win. An absorbing semi-final seemed set for penalties until Grosso curled man of the match Andrea Pirlo's pass past Jens Lehmann with just one minute left. Del Piero then finished an Italy break with a delicate chip into the corner. Germany's Lukas Podolski earlier sent a header wide and saw a shot saved, but the hosts' Cup dreams were shattered. There were, unsurprisingly, tears among German players and fans after the extraordinary end to an enthralling encounter - in which Italy also hit the woodwork twice in extra-time. The opening 90 minutes were intriguing - but goalless - and it was in the extra period that the game truly exploded into life.
Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Metzelder, Mertesacker, Lahm, Borowski (Schweinsteiger 72), Ballack, Kehl, Schneider (Odonkor 83), Klose (Neuville 111), Podolski.
Italy: Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso, Camoranesi (Iaquinta 90), Perrotta (Del Piero 104), Gattuso, Pirlo, Totti, Toni (Gilardino 74).
Ref: Benito Archundia Tellez (Mexico).
FIFA man of the match: Andrea Pirlo.
ONE YEAR ON AS CHAMPIONS: [HOME] - [PICTURE REVIEW] - [VIDEO REVIEW]
No comments:
Post a Comment