CAIRO: For any teams looking to advance in the next World Cup, thinking that an assortment of talented strikers and attack-minded midfielders are enough, this World Cup may cause them to think again.
As goalkeepers turned out to be the hero’s in the quarter-finals, the defenders prevailed during the semi-finals. In the first semi-final between hosts Germany and Italy, the Italian defense contributed a great deal to the victory. In the other semi-final, the French defenders should be congratulated for their performance against Portugal.
It was a unique match between hosts Germany and a determined Italian side. Throughout the game, many thought the Italians could snatch away a victory. It was quite apparent that the Germans were struggling to break through the back four, solidified by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Since the start, as anticipated the Germans pushed hard for the win, although the Italians managed to prevent any goals. The German team was comprised of almost the same lineup as the previous games, although they seemed to miss the services of Torsten Frings, who was suspended from the game for being involved in a fight following the end of the Germany-Argentina match in the quarter-finals. The Italians, on the other hand, didn t make any changes to their usual lineup. The presence of Luca Toni, Francesco Totti and Mauro Camoranesi upfront put noticeable pressure on the German defense.
Italy primarily depended on defensive midfielders Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo to supply the trio with accurate balls upfront. Italy s left-back Fabio Grosso was remarkable throughout the first half, as he stood firmly against Germany s right midfielder Bernd Schneider – moreover, he made a number of crosses, all of which were well handled by Germany s keeper Jens Lehmann. The great duo of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski did not live up to the high expectations placed upon them.
It was after 34 minutes that the Germans had a chance to take the lead, as Miroslav Klose, near the 18-yard box, made a neat pass to Bernd Schneider, who fired a shot just off target. Italy s set pieces alongside the flanks caused continuous pressure on the German goal. Italy should have scored right before the interval through Mauro Camoranesi, who headed Andrea Pirlo s swinging cross just over the bar. Into the second half, the Germans had the upper hand at the beginning.
Italy s goalkeeper saved the day for the Italians as he swept away the ball during a one-on-one confrontation with Klose. Minutes later, a great shot by Lukas Podolski was denied by Italy s solid keeper. In an attempt to raise the pace of play, Germany s head coach introduced winger David Odonkor. As both teams failed to break the deadlock, extra-time was needed to separate the two teams. Italy s Alberto Gilardino, who replaced Luca Toni, should have scored, as he surged through the German defense before his shot inside the six-yard box hit the post. A minute later, Italy almost scored again as a terrific shot by Gianluca Zambrotta hit the German bar.
The pace of the game was absolutely remarkable, with both teams looking for the winner. It was Italy s Fabio Grosso who took the lead for his side just a minute before the end of the extra-time period. A corner-kick was rebounded to Andrea Pirlo, who sent a great pass to Grosso, who curled a wonderful swerved left-foot shot into the net. Things became worse for the Germans as the Italian defense stood firm against a series of German attacks before Alessandro Del Piero rapped things up for the Italians as he made no mistake in a one-to-one situation against Lehmann, sending the ball into the upper right corner of Jens Lehmann s net to dash the host nation’s hopes of reaching the final.
Into the other semi-final the well-experienced French team led by Zinedine Zidane beat a rather ineffective Portuguese side. In a rather fast-paced first half, the French managed to make optimum use of Thierry Henry s great ability to dribble within the penalty area – in one such case, he was tackled by Portugal s Ricardo Carvalho, and the referee on the spot awarded France a penalty. Zinedine Zidane converted the penalty despite the d desperate attempt by the Portuguese goalkeeper.
It was an even first half, with both teams sharing equal ball possession. Following the goal, Portugal kept attacking in hopes of equalizing. With a talented Portuguese mix upfront constituted of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Maniche and Pauleta, alongside key players Deco and Costinho, the Portuguese should have had more chances to score. However, a resilient French defense, solidified by Willy Sagnol, Lilian Thuram, William Gallas and Abidal Eric, managed to successfully prevent all attempts by the Portuguese side.
As the second half began, the French chose to focus on defense in order to keep their lead, while the Portuguese continued to attack. The Portuguese didn’t seem to gel during their attacks, as the majority of passes were to lost even before reaching the 18-yard-box of the French. With the introduction of striker Helder Postiga, the Portuguese were desperately looking for an equalizer. However, French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez stood firm, although a a loose ball rebounded off his hands saw Luis Figo head the ball over the French bar. It was the last and almost the only real test to the French keeper throughout the game.
Sixty-two games have been played so far in the tournament, and many are anxiously awaiting the Italian-French final. For Germany, it is rather a pity to lose right before the penalty-shoot out, but they still have a chance to make amends to their devoted fans as they play Portugal in the third-fourth place encounter.
