Germany 0 Italy 2 (AET)
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MARCELLO LIPPI’S team had more ideas than Germany in the first half.
In particular, Italy had thrust from midfield, with surging runs by Zambrotta and Perrotta, in a game which Mexican referee Benito Archundia Tellez allowed to flow.
It was the stylish Blues against the functional Whites and for an hour it looked like a one-goal game.Then it started to look like a no-goal game.
BOTTOM LINE, Jurgen Klinsmann is not blessed with a generation of gifted footballers. His young side did well to get this far.They might be the most average side ever to contest a World Cup semi, but they made Italy work very hard for thoir victory.
The Germans had already beaten one technically superior side, Argentina, on penalties, but they could not overcome another technically superior outfit.
Germany had scrapped ferociously for every 50-50 ball, and played soundly, but they lacked the flair to open Italy up.
Tonight, they were found out. Klinsmann’s new Germany were beaten fair and square by an Italian team who defended magnificently and pulverised them in extra time.
Podolski is 21 and looked raw, Ballack was utterly average and never got into the box, Schweinsteiger came on for Borowski and was worse than the player he replaced. Klose rarely threatened.
Inside 40 seconds of extra time, sub Gilardino twisted inside Ballack and hit a left-foot shot which smacked the inside of the post and rebounded across the goalmouth with nobody there to tap it in.Within a minute of that, Zambrotta rattled the crossbar with a fierce shot.
Then Italy scored two fabulous goals at the end of two hours of intensely competitive action.
As pressure mounted in 28 of extra time, Lehmann saved a terrific shot by Pirlo, then Grosso, left alone by Schweinsteiger, curled a marvellous shot round Lehmann and into the far side of the goal.
And a minute later, Gilardino slipped a killer pass to Del Piero, who applied the coup de grace like the matador he has always been.
2-0 seemed cruel, at that moment. But it was a fair reflection of the game and the abilities of both teams.
EXTRA TIME was fantastic. Extra time was quite incredible.It will be a long, long time before we see extra time as exciting as that.
ITALY have a chance against France, and will beat Portugal, if it is Portugal.