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Italy v Australia review Wizards of Oz Francesco Totti came off the bench to convert a winning penalty with the last kick of the game, as controversy raged in a dramatic finale against Australia. Susy Campanale examines the heart-stopping revenge on Guus Hiddink



Few would’ve expected such a dramatic ending to the second round clash in Kaiserslautern, but hearts were in mouths and some couldn’t bear to look as Francesco Totti stepped up to bury a penalty and eliminate Australia. It had been a story worthy of a Hollywood movie, with the Roma man first dropped and then returning to save the day. The shadow of Guus Hiddink again hung over the Azzurri with an extremely harsh red card for Marco Materazzi, yet the decisions evened out with the spot-kick as Fabio Grosso fell over Lucas Neill’s mistimed challenge with three seconds left before going to extra time. If not technically a Golden Goal like Ahn Jung Hwan’s for South Korea in 2002, it was as good as, leaving no time for the valiant Socceroos to respond. “Now I’m waiting for all the critics to give their opinion,” smiled Totti, whose poor form had dominated headlines all week. “They’ve murdered me and I’m looking forward to seeing what they are going to say now,” revealed the Roma hero. “They said I was only half a player after breaking my ankle in February. Maybe now they will say that in 15 minutes I have become a whole player. It may only have been a penalty but it was a big one because of the circumstances. I hadn’t scored in a World Cup before but now I feel a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Er Pupone also revealed how an unexpected visit from wife Ilary Blasi gave him inspiration. “I wasn't expecting to see her but she got some time off and came to the game. Knowing she was watching kept me calm. I wanted to score it for her and for our son Cristian. “This may be my last chance to play in a World Cup, I don't know. But my only wish is to be a star player at the World Cup at least once. The only thing I can remember from 1982 when we last won it was the partying in the streets. I was only a child back then but I know how much it meant to the Italian people and I would love to give them such joy again. I was relaxed and knew I’d score. I admit I considered chipping it, but then realised it was very hot out there and it probably wasn’t wise.” All of Italy held its collective breath, with some unable to stand the tension. “I couldn’t bear to look, especially after we went down to 10 men and everything was going wrong,” confessed Gianluigi Buffon. “Some ghosts were coming back to haunt my mind. Even after the final whistle I was still in shock.” Although the victory arrived in dramatic fashion, it came after a defensive performance of rare precision and professionalism. “I definitely wouldn’t say we were lucky,” noted boss Marcello Lippi. “We really respected Australia, as we’d seen them run and take advantage of spaces, so we didn’t give them any opportunity to go near our goal and managed to create several clear-cut chances of our own. With 10 men in the entire second half, we brought out the great heart of these boys. In the last minute, Grosso went forward and earned this penalty, a decision there really can be no doubt about.” It’s not an interpretation shared by Hiddink and his men, who had never previously reached the second round of a World Cup Finals. “You can have doubts about the penalty, it was questionable,” said the Coach who took South Korea to a controversial victory over Italy four years ago. “We are very disappointed because we were so close. I think the only thing we can blame ourselves for is that we were not deadly enough in the area.” Even if Grosso’s penalty was a little soft, it was more than evened out by the extremely harsh dismissal of Materazzi for a foul on Parma’s Marco Bresciano that was late, but by no means violent nor a last man situation. “I certainly don’t think it was worthy of a straight red, but I saw the referee’s eyes were determined, so decided not to argue and risk a longer ban,” said Matrix. “The important thing is that the world saw what happened.” So did FIFA, who only handed the Inter hard man, standing in for the injured Alessandro Nesta, the regulation one-match suspension. Although Buffon – FIFA’s Man of the Match – performed a couple of fine saves on Scott Chipperfield, it never really looked as if the Aussies would break through. “I wasn’t nearly as busy as I was against the Czech Republic and never for a moment thought I’d concede,” added the ‘keeper. It was another magnificent performance from the men at the back and again disappointing for the forwards. “I went close today and can’t wait to do my goal celebration, but the important thing for a striker is to get into those positions, as that means you’re doing something right,” assured Luca Toni. What impressed about the victory was the way the whole side clubbed together after going down to 10 men, as Palermo youngster Andrea Barzagli showed remarkable calmness under pressure in central defence, meaning after four games the only outfield player yet to feature was Massimo Oddo. “I have always believed in the team as a collective. It’s a shame for those injured and Materazzi’s red card seemed very harsh, but I’m happy that everyone has had the chance to take part in this fantastic World Cup experience,” explained Lippi of his Club Italia. “Totti’s fracture, the injuries for Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta and Gennaro Gattuso all piled up, but when you have this great character in a group of players, you can overcome these obstacles.” It’s something that Australia learned the hard way. STAR MAN – GENNARO GATTUSO When you’re down to 10 men, you want Ringhio on your side. He harried opponents, repeatedly won back the ball and – vastly improving in recent years at Milan in the company of Andrea Pirlo – has become adept at starting attacks with some impressive passing. Special mentions go to Buffon, the immense Cannavaro – who deserves this title every game – and Totti if only for keeping his emotions under check – and choosing not to chip the penalty!