Special report: 2006 FIFA World
Cup
DORTMUND, July 4 (Xinhua)
-- Two goals in the last two minutes of extra time awarded Italy a 2006 World
Cup final berth on Tuesday.
In the pulsating and dramatic semifinal duel against
hosts Germany here, Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo found defender Fabio Grosso
who lashed an spectacular curling shot into the far corner with just one minute
to go.
Pirlo was named
Man of the Match by the FIFA Technical Study Group.
With Germans pushing forward desperately for an
equalizer, Italy unravelled the German defense again in the last minute when
striker Alberto Gilardino set up Alessandro Del Piero on the left before the
substitute scored with a clinical finish.
The two goals settled the match which had appeared to
head for a penalty shootout.
"It was tough but we are delighted that we have done it. It is a dream, we have
achieved something huge here," said Italy coach Marcello Lippi.
There was more drama in the extra time than regular
time.
Only one minute into the extra time, Gilardino, who
replaced Luca Toni in the second half, squeezed into the box on the right,
turned past Christoph Metzelder and sent Jens Lehmann the wrong way but his
stabbed shot rebounded off the post and trickled away to safety.
After only two minutes, a corner was sent to Italian
defender Gianluca Zambrotta outside the area but he lashed a screamer on to the
crossbar.
Just
before the end of the first half of extra time, German substitute midfielder
David Odonkor's cross was inch perfect but striker Lukas Podolski failed to test
Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon with a header.
In the second half of extra time, the ball was worked
to Podolski on the left. He lined up his shot but Buffon made a great one-handed
save pushing the fierce drive over the bar.
In the first half, Germany came closest to scoring in
the 35th minute when a give-away in the midfield led to Miroslav Klose finding
Bernd Schneider open in the area, but his powerful shot flew over the
goal.
On 42 minutes, Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo's free-kick was right at Mauro
Camoranesi, but he could not direct his glancing header on goal.
The hosts fortified their attacking from the
beginning of the second half.
In the 50th minute, Klose dribbled between three
Italian defenders, forcing a desperate save from Buffon.
Defender Arne Friedrich burst into the area in the
69th minute after a one-two with Michael Ballack, but Marco Materazzi was on
hand to end the danger.
Totti flicked one to Simone Perrotta who broke into the area all alone in the 86th minute but collided hard with advancing Lehmann. Enditem
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