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'Miracle' Doubts silenced, Italy seeks more good fate
Posted: Friday June 30, 2000 02:10 PM
GEEL, Belgium (AP) -- Considered an overrated, uninspired group before Euro 2000 began, Italy has suddenly become soccer's team of destiny. Combining gritty play with a few well-timed strokes of luck, the Italians have defied all doubts to arrive in the European Championship final against France. Thursday night's semifinal win in Amsterdam over favored co-host the Netherlands was the pinnacle of the Azzurri's down-and-dirty determination. Italy played down a man for 87 minutes, survived two failed Dutch penalty kicks in regulation and overcame a dreaded shootout after the game ended in a scoreless draw. "I am proud of this team for pulling out such a tough performance under adversity," Italy coach Dino Zoff said Friday, after giving his players a day off to rest for Sunday's final in Rotterdam. "Italy, Heroic Miracle," headlined the country's No. 1 sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport. Chief among the heroes Thursday was goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, who recorded three memorable saves against Dutch penalty shots, including two in the shootout to clinch the win. The match against France, the reigning World Cup champions, will again see the Italians play the part of underdog. Zoff will likely again implement the much-derided slowdown strategy that has seen Italy concede just two goals in five games. Yet he said France plays more like his team than the high-flying Dutch. Zoff, who was under fire coming into the championship, shrugged off questions about his team's surprise showing. "To arrive in the final is beyond expectations for any team in a tournament as difficult as Euro 2000," he concluded. Not necessarily so for the French, who were favored to follow up their World Championship on home soil two years ago with a European crown. The Azzurri, meanwhile, have gotten to the big dance making the right moves, and getting the right breaks. The semifinal was just the latest game where Italy relied on good fortune alongside their good footwork. Their opening game win over Turkey three weeks ago came thanks to a questionable, late-game penalty awarded by the referee. They survived shots that hit the post in both their second game against Belgium, and the quarterfinals against Romania, topped off by Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert both knocking one more off the post on Thursday. And even bad fortune seemed to work Italy's way against the Dutch, as the Azzurri only began playing well after Gianluca Zambrotta's ejection in the 33rd minute for his second yellow card. Italy hopes the magical, and some would say, ugly, formula works one more time in the final, even if it is getting sniped at by neutral third parties. "Catenaccio has triumphed," headlined the Austrian daily Die Presse, using a derisive Italian word for packing in the defense and hoping to squeak by with a win. Italian soccer critics, some of whom have also taken shots at all the back passing and five-defender formations, have virtually all hopped on the bandwagon for the ride to the finals. The victory over the Dutch, wrote columnist Mario Sconcerti in Rome's Corriere dello Sport, "was both ugly and enthusiastic, but most of all, meant to be." Italians take to the street to celebrateROME -- Italians drove cars and motor scooters through the streets for hours, flying tricolor flags and honking their horns, to celebrate the Azzurri's victory over Holland in the semifinals of the Euro 2000 soccer championships. After much criticism of the team, its fans were becoming believers. Within seconds after the match was decided on penalty kicks, celebrations broke out in Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples and other cities. Tens of thousands watched on giant screens in Milan's Cathedral Square and other outdoor sites in the country. Bottle-throwing by a crowd in Genoa that broke up after a 20-minute standoff with police was the only incident reported. The players, criticized by even the most diehard fans for overly defensive play, were suddenly hailed as heroes. "Anything can happen in soccer but this is the greatest," said one of the country's top fans, Giovanni Agnelli, the Fiat tycoon who owns Juventus, which supplied players to both the Italian and Dutch sides. "Italy, Heroic Miracle," headlined the country's No. 1 sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport of the team that played with a man down for more than an hour. "Italian Miracle," said Rome's Il Tempo. Even the staid financial daily, Il Sole 24 Ore, reported the game on the front page. The celebrations, however, only briefly broke up the running debate on coach Dino Zoff's conservative play and his choice of Alessandro Del Piero to start in place of Francesco Totti. Former national team coach Arrigo Sacchi got his say in during one of the postgame television shows that lasted into the early hours. "With Totti and Del Piero together on attack we can play our cards against France," said Sacchi, dispensing advise that Zoff has said he is not interested in hearing.
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