Italy World Cup Team History (Pt. IV: 1998-2006)

May 5th, 2010 | by: chris | View Comments

We have trudged through to the final part, a portion which is vaguely familiar to many in the peninsula – some good, some bad. In fact, they just about ran the gamut of Italian emotions from ‘98 to ‘06: disappointment, anger and ecstasy.

It all may change in June, but as of right now, this long labor of love that is Italian football history has an awfully nice bookend: they won their first and they won the last.

World Cup 1998 – France

If ‘82 was Rossi’s and ‘86 was Altobelli’s and ‘90 was Schillaci’s and ‘94 was Baggio’s, the art of Italian finishing belonged to Bobo Vieri in ‘98.

Though not without a good bit of help from Roberto Baggio, back for a third tour, a little older, a little more gimpy, but still with exquisite technique, and it took him all of minutes to put it on display.

From there, Bobo would score four more – two in the 3-0 over Cameroon, one in the final group win over Austria and the only goal in the round of 16 1-0 win over Norway.

And then it was back to the same ol’, same ol’ for Italy: an awfully bitter taste. They were afforded another matchup with hosts France in the quarters, just as in 1938, but instead of reviving the tale of their second, they succumbed to recent disappointment: another 4-3 loss on penalties.

World Cup 2002 – South Korea/Japan

The southern Mediterranean aren’t very big fans of the 2002 World Cup. In fact the mere mention is likely to drum up lots of naughty words and suggestions of placing things in unmentionable places.

It got off to a bright enough start, however, against Ecuador, and it was Bobo who would do the scoring – a brace in the 2-0 win – off two lovely assists from Francesco Totti and Luigi Di Biagio.

Bobo would get back to scoring immediately against Croatia, but it was ruled for offside when replays showed he was on. From there, the tournament would nosedive for Italy and conspiracy theorists of the peninsula would unite.

The Mexican offside calls were fair – Montella’s surely and Inzaghi’s was a hair either way – but the others were tough to swallow.

Suffice it to say, this one isn’t looked upon fondly by the peninsula. The ref of their loss to South Korea which saw them head back home, Byron Moreno, was later suspended by FIFA for 20 matches for questionable refereeing in another game, before a second suspension brought forth a premature retirement in 2003. Ahn Jung-Hwan, who scored the eventual winner for South Korea, was playing for Perugia on loan at the time and the president had some mean words, just to be sure, and Ahn wouldn’t sign a permanent deal. There’s not a conspiracy theory which hasn’t been posed and though 2006 went alright, it’s unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon.

Still, at least Italy wouldn’t walk away without drama. Again. So that’s something.

World Cup 2006 – Germany

This one, on the other hand, is perfectly alright for discussion in Italia. Fancy that.

There were early shades of ‘82 with the brewing Calciopoli scandal taking shape back home while they were off in Germany doing World Cup things. Many of the players were on teams under suspicion, particularly Juventus, and thus their club futures very much in doubt. Not to mention Totti was in a race for inclusion after breaking his ankle just months earlier. But they would turn the lemon trees into lemonade.

Lippi, like Enzo Bearzot, marches to the beat of his own drummer and isn’t much a fan of public opinion, so his squads were often based around “team”, not “names’. At the fore would be that oft-mentioned Italian defense, a stunning performance in particular by Fabio Cannnavaro, the driving force behind their tournament. Furthermore, it would be the lack of expectations which helped them continue their roll with that unified team spirit and slight chip on their shoulder.

The opener against Ghana was a commanding 2-0 win with a wonderful Pirlo goal and Vincenzo Iaquinta taking a Ghanaian gift to put the game away late. The posts rattled would seem to be dramatic, but that was nothin’ compared to the second game against the US.

It began well enough, with an early Gilardino sliding header off the golden right foot of Andrea Pirlo, but Cristian Zaccardo nicely hit the only Italy conceded from open play past Buffon to even it out within five minutes. And then the cards came out. Daniele De Rossi was sent off for an elbow on Brian McBride, and a studs showing lunge by Pablo Mastroeni equaled numbers shortly thereafter. Another US red within minutes descended the game into, well, not quite brilliant football.

Disappointing that they couldn’t capitalize and assure progress after two games, but the De Rossi red, for which he’d earn a four game suspension, and Zaccardo own goal, which would see Grosso return to the fold, were two of three incidents which would shape the team throughout the knockouts.

In terms of football minutes, it didn’t take long for that third incident to show: not long into the third group game against the Czech, the oft-injured Alessandro Nesta would get injured, forcing Marco Materazzi into central defense. Added to the submission of Gennaro Gattuso for De Rossi, the mad men of Italian football were now lining up right down the middle, and they’d play their hearts out in Germany.

And Materazzi didn’t take long to show either: within ten minutes of entering, Marco would rise above the defense, 1-0 Italy. Buffon was monumental and a very late second from Pippo Inzaghi – an odd second which earned the ire of many because he took the far more difficult route around Cech rather than passing to the open Barone – clinched the group.

Next up was Australia, but perhaps more poignantly: Guus Hiddink, the man who’d led South Korea against Italy in 2002. This one had no less drama.

Nesta was hurt and thus Materazzi would be given a starting nod, and he would do what he’d done so often in his career: attract cards and get sent off. In the 50th minute, it was Italy down to ten, with Australia now posing the questions. Into injury time, Lucas Neill would go in early for a tackle, blocking the path for Fabio Grosso, who would go down and earn one of the more controversial penalties in the tournament. It was handed to Totti, yet to score in a World Cup, and he would put it high left to the chant of Fabio Caressa back home, spawning thousands of YouTube comeback montages including the soundtrack from Gladiator. The game was over, and Italy were on to the quarters.

A day after the Australian game, Italian morale would take another blow. Former Azzurri midfielder and friend to many Gianluca Pessotto had attempted suicide back home in Torino, leaping off a building at the Juventus facilities. This combined with Calciopoli drew the squad even tighter, and together they had a singular purpose.

The quarterfinals would be far less controversial and far more emphatic, a 3-0 thumping of the Ukraine, with Luca Toni, Europe’s reigning Golden Boot winner with lofty expectations heading in, finally getting onto the scoreboard. Twice, even. The third, or chronological first, was a lovely strike by Gianluca Zambrotta, one of the umpteen Italians who rose to his lofty best throughout.

They would then meet the hosts in Dortmund, the city where Fabio Grosso would become a national hero.

It was an extraordinary game from both sides, a valiant effort which would shake the grounds, and the goal posts, all the way to extra time. It was there that Pirlo, ever the magician throughout, would lay the ball off to Grosso, who would curl the ball into the back of the German net and unleash a celebration of disbelief second to none. With Germany pressing, captain Canna would burst out of defense and launch the break which saw Del Piero nail the coffin which brought forth Fabio Caressa’s now infamous saying: Andiamo a Berlino.

They were going to Berlin.

There they would find France, the nemesis to whom they lost in ‘98 and in the final of Euro2000, spearheaded by a Zinedine Zidane playing his final ever football games. The lineup would remain the same from the semifinal, a rather cautious one.

It would take only minutes before Italy had conceded a controversial penalty of their own, with Florent Malouda going down and Zidane just hitting the ball inside the line off the crossbar. It was only the second goal they’d conceded all tournament, a testament to that phenomenal defense, and the first off the foot of the opposition. The man who’d come in for Nesta way back in the would once again rise to the occasion – literally – and score the equalizing corner before the 20′ mark.

Buffon then saved Italian dreams with the save of his life off the same head of Zidane which would become so famous minutes later:

And then came the Zidane headbutt. Years later we know it was Materazzi’s comments about Zidane’s mother which prompted Zizou to turn around and plant his head into Marco’s chest, getting himself sent off in his final ever game. It was one of the more shocking moments in World Cup history, much less final history, and gave the game an almost surreal feel.

This meant penalties, which Italy would not, once again, lose 4-3: they would hit them all. Pirlo, Materazzi, De Rossi, Del Piero and then the hero from Dortmund Grosso. Italy were champions once again, for the fourth time.

It was the defensive strength of Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi and Grosso which vaulted them to the top of the world, along with a brilliant show from Andrea Pirlo and his Milan midfield partner Rino. However, no one shone brighter than Cannavaro in one of the great individual performances in World Cup history, earning him the Ballon d’Or later on in the fall. The collective strength and an impenetrable back line – mirroring the mentality fostered by Lippi throughout.

Lippi was to step down immediately after, but it was no matter – four years of joy as champions could commence.

- More World Cup histories.