Germany v Italy: The Azure Blue Monkey

Dortmund, 2006: The Blue Blur

The 2006 World Cup was held in Germany, and once again it was Italy that would end up as the focus of every German supporter’s nightmares. In the buildup to the tournament the Azzurri had pounded Jürgen Klinsmann’s side into submission in Florence, a late consolation effort from defender Robert Huth making the score a little more respectable after Italy had stormed into an almost incomprehensible 4-0 lead.

The result in Florence had seen Klinsmann’s head being placed firmly on the chopping block, and only a 4-1 victory in the Mannschaft’s next friendly against the United States would save the coach’s neck.

Coming into to the tournament, hopes were not particularly high for a German side that was looking short of ideas and even shorter on confidence. However a thrilling 4-2 win over Costa Rica had brightened the mood of the home fans, and things would get even better following a hard-earned single-goal win over Poland and an emphatic three-goal dismissal of Ecuador that saw the Mannschaft through to the knock-out rounds with maximum points.

A convincing 2-0 second phase win over Sweden was followed by a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Argentina – a team that had been seen by many as one of the potential favourites. Suddenly, the bright mood among German supporters had been transformed into genuine confidence: for some, there even seemed to be a sense of destiny.

The moment of truth would come in a semi-final in Dortmund, a ground long seen as a fortress for the German national side. Klinsmann’s young team were on a roll, fuelled by a new-found sense of desire and motivated by a rejuvenated nation. Germany had never been beaten in Dortmund. Destiny called, and a glorious finale in Berlin awaited them.

Just one thing stood in their way: Italy, the blue beast. Italy, unbeaten in six competitive matches. Italy, Italy. Despite – or even because of – the sense of expectation whipped up in the German media, the burden of history clearly weighed heavily on the German psyche. It mattered not a jot that the Italians had looked far from impressive on reaching the last four; whenever they played Germany, it was always the same old story.

In contrast to the ebullient Germans, the Italians had made their way to the last four in familiar fashion. More scandal back home, some lucky breaks en route, performances that were solid without ever being impressive.

Seven points from nine in a group that included the Czech Republic, the United States and Ghana was enough to take Marcello Lippi’s team into the second phase, where they would almost come unstuck against an unlucky Australian side with the match only being settled five minutes into injury time with a controversial Francesco Totti penalty. The Italians had to survive the last forty minutes with ten men after defender Marco Materazzi was shown a straight red card, but somehow managed to survive everything the brave Socceroos threw at them – somehow, one just knew they would make it through.

Having struggled past Australia the Azzurri would have it easy in their quarter-final, brushing aside a dire Ukrainian side that was probably the weakest team to make the last eight.

German confidence before the big match in Dortmund had been dented with the late suspension of midfielder Torsten Frings, banned for one match after being involved in a scuffle at the end of the match with Argentina. The Argentinians – graceless losers as always – had quite literally kicked things off following the penalty shootout, and Frings’ waving arms were enough to see him miss out on what would be the Mannschaft’s most important game for ten years.

As always, there was little love lost between the two sides – well, as far as the media were concerned at least. The German tabloid press ripped into the Italians, which arguably only served to goad their opponents further. Again, nobody was paying any heed to the weight of the historical burden: there was no way that the Italians, a team that should have been eliminated by Australia, could come to Fortress Dortmund and win.

Everybody had forgotten that Italy never lose to Germany when it matters.

The encounter was as exciting as everyone has predicted, with neither side able to do that extra little bit and break the deadlock. Both sides looked to attack, but were unable to find the man to execute the finish in the final third. Going into half-time the Italians had done that little bit more, but there was not much separating the two sides.

The second half picked up where the first left off, as both sides continued to attack but come to grief against defences that held up incredibly well. As the ninety minutes came to an end, it completed the fourth goalless finish between the two sides in major tournaments: the only difference this time was this time things would have to be settled in extra-time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.

The home crowd tried their best to push the Mannschaft on, and the team responded by playing in much the same way as they had for the first ninety minutes. The first period of extra time saw the play switch from end to end: Gianluca Zambrotta crashed a shot against German crossbar before German subsitute David Odonkor delivered a fantastic cross from the right, only to have the profligate Lukas Podolski head it wide with the goal at his mercy.

Oh, for Miroslav Klose to have been in that position at that moment. The groans could be heard in the crowd, and as far and wide as Saarlouis, Munich, Cottbus and Stralsund.

As the match edged closer to a penalty shootout, both sides continued to press. Then, less than two minutes from the end, the blue beast struck the mortal blow. Italy win a corner, the impressive Andrea Pirlo found left-back Fabio Grosso just inside the box… A glorious first-time shot, and Jens Lehmann was beaten. A thousand flashlights went off as the ball flew to the German ‘keeper’s right, before thundering into the top left-hand corner of the net. Grosso charged off like a deluded maniac, arms waving, blubbing á la Tardelli.

Fabio Grosso’s shot flies past Jens Lehmann in Dortmund, and Germany’s magical World Cup dream comes to an end

For Italy, it was a moment of pure ecstasy. For Germany, the end of a dream. Fortress Dortmund had been breached. The dying seconds saw Alessandro del Piero add a flattering second for the Azzurri on the break, as if to press home the point and twist the knife even further. World Cup, Euros, home, away: Germany just couldn’t beat Italy.

Lippi going insane on the touchline. The German fans knocked senseless by the suddenness of it all. The German players flat out on the pitch. The final whistle blows. Der Spiel ist vorbei.

Germany would of course go onto to beat Portugal in the third-place playoff, with Italy taking their fourth world title in Berlin against France in a final that will mainly be remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt on Marco Materazzi. Their victory on German soil would be sweet revenge for one of football’s great contradictions: despite the Mannschaft’s poor record against the Azzurri, they had managed to win the last two tournaments played in Italy in 1980 and 1990.

FIFA World Cup semi-final, Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, 04.07.2006
Italy

0-2 aet (0-0, 0-0)
– / Grosso 119., del Piero 120.+1.

Germany: Lehmann – Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm – Schneider (83. Odonkor), Kehl, Ballack (c), Borowski (73. Schweinsteiger) – Klose (111. Neuville), Podolski

Italy: Buffon – Zambrotta, Materazzi, Cannavaro, Grosso – Perrotta (104. Del Piero), Pirlo, Gattuso, Camoranesi (91. Iaquinta) – Totti – Toni (74. Gilardino)

Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)
Assistants: José Ramírez (Mexico), Héctor Vergara (Canada)
Fourth Official: Toru Kamikawa (Japan)
Fifth Official: Yoshikazu Hiroshima (Japan)

Yellow Cards: Borowski, Metzelder / Camoranesi
Red Cards: – / –

Attendance: 65,000

Of course, we all know what happened at Euro 2012. It is hard to comprehend, but after the most recent defeat in Warsaw Germany has now not beaten Italy in a major tournament for fifty years. Will we have to wait another fifty years to see the azure blue monkey finally thrown off the German back?

Germany v Italy: The Azure Blue Monkey

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