Italy are through to the World Cup final. In what will go down as one of the finest finishes ever in a WC knockout game, Italy scored two gorgeous goals in the dying minutes of extra time to book a place in Sunday’s championship match. I was down on Italy going into this match; they’re often overly defensive and boring to watch.
But last night they played upbeat, positive, attacking football — and in the 119th minute, just sixty seconds from full-time, when even the never-say-die Germans seemed resigned to settling the affair with penalties, Fabio Grosso — a full back! — received the pass of the tournament from Andrea Pirlo and curled a wonderful first-time, left-footed strike just inside the far post, past a sprawling Jens Lehmann. When Alessandro Del Piero finished the game off with a chip over the German goalkeeper in the next minute, it was game set and match. Absolutely incredible stuff.
Kudos to Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann for showing true leadership, doing things his way throughout the competition and then picking his fallen players up off the field after the final whistle. (I’m honored to have him as a US resident.) Lehman was fantastic throughout the tourney; Buffon was brilliant in the opposing goalmouth and Italy couldn’t have won without him.
Tonight: France take on Portugal. I like the sound of a France-Italy final.