Monday July 10, 08:50 AM
Italy to make triumphant return with trophy
Click to enlarge photo
By Andrew Gray
BERLIN (Reuters) -
World Cup winners Italy make a triumphant return home on Monday, with a penalty shootout victory over France in the final having restored pride to their scandal-tainted national game.
Marcello Lippi's team are sure to receive a tumultuous welcome when they parade their prize at Rome's Circus Maximus, even with the verdicts due at any moment in a
match-fixing case which could see four leading clubs demoted from the top league.
The Italians held their nerve before a television audience of more than a billion people on Sunday night to convert five flawless penalties, after a disappointing final finished 1-1 in Berlin's Olympiastadion at the end of extra
time.
Fullback Fabio Grosso scored the decisive kick. France's David Trezeguet had handed the advantage to the Italians by hitting his penalty against the crossbar.
"The
players have unlimited heart, character and personality," Lippi declared after the win.
"This is the most satisfying moment of my life."
With glittering fireworks exploding around the stadium, Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro lifted the golden trophy to bring the curtain down on the World Cup for another four years, after 64 matches around Germany over the past month.
Sunday's match gave Italy their fourth World Cup title and deprived France of a second, eight years after their first.
It was also notable for the dismissal of France's talismanic playmaker Zinedine Zidane in his last ever competitive match.
The 34-year-old was sent off in extra time for a butt into the chest of Italian defender Marco Materazzi after the two players had exchanged angry words.
The match was doubly bitter for France's squad, featuring several players unlikely to get another shot at a major title, as they played the better football most of the time.
"I've said it from the start -- only victory is pretty," declared losing coach Raymond Domenech. "You can say what we did wasn't bad but it's Italy who are the champions."
Zidane gave France an early lead with a penalty after seven minutes but Materazzi equalised with a header 12 minutes later.
FEELING FLAT
Germany will feel a little flat after a month of sun-soaked celebration with fans from around the world, dubbed the "biggest party on earth" by world soccer chief Sepp Blatter.
Organisers put in place an unprecedented programme of Fan Fests around Germany to spread the World Cup atmosphere, showing the matches on big screens and providing cheap food and drink.
They proved a huge hit with locals and visitors alike, drawing in some 14 million people during the tournament.
Around a million German fans gathered at the biggest Fan Fest site, in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, on Sunday to applaud their team, which finished third.
Coach Juergen Klinsmann's side, featuring many young players, surpassed expectations and won widespread affection in Germany and beyond with a brand of bold, attacking football.
The next World Cup takes place in South Africa in 2010.
More reviews about the Italy to make triumphant return with trophy