Before what could be considered a "final" match against the weaker Bosnia and Herzegovina team early this morning (April 1st) to secure a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, many recalled the history of 2006 when Italy won the World Cup. At that time, Italian football was also in a major crisis, but the team still won the world championship.
Twenty years before Italy won the World Cup, the national league was in a deep crisis. Serie A clubs like Juventus were relegated, and several strong teams such as Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina had points deducted in the following season. All these dramatic events took place in May 2006 – one month before the World Cup.
Italian players at the World Cup "lived in fear," with Cannavaro and stars like Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo appearing in the newspapers daily. They also didn't know if there would be further investigations or if other players would be implicated in the future. Captain Fabio Cannavaro and many other players had to answer questions. Former star Gianluca Pessotto committed suicide by jumping from a building due to stress. The difficulties piled up for Marcello Lippi and his team as they entered the World Cup in Germany. There were even calls for Italy to withdraw from the World Cup.
In that "dark night," the Azzurri team astonished the world by overcoming adversity to reach glorious heights.
Italy got off to a good start, with a 2-0 victory over Ghana. After a somewhat lackluster 1-1 draw against the USA, Italy still beat the Czech Republic 2-0 to advance to the knockout stage as group winners. Coach Marcello Lippi has built a truly exceptional team, rather than simply assembling a collection of star players.
Italy's team spirit and teamwork at the 2006 World Cup surprised and impressed fans. Ten different players scored for Italy at the 2006 World Cup. Except for the two reserve goalkeepers, every other member of the team took turns playing.
After defeating host nation Germany in extra time in the semi-finals and beating France – a superior opponent – in a penalty shootout, Italy gloriously won their fourth World Cup title.
Now it's all over. The golden dream of yesteryear is no longer a reality. This morning (April 1st), Italians couldn't believe it was true because it's "April Fool's Day." But the truth remains: the Bosnian team defeated the former champions on penalties to secure their ticket to the 2026 World Cup. What greater pain could there be, and it will take a long time to heal.
This defeat means Italy will miss out on the world's biggest football tournament for the third consecutive time – something unprecedented in the history of this historically rich team. Gattuso, appointed with the expectation of leading the Azzurri back to the top, admitted the pain was immense: "We needed this victory, for ourselves, for the country, and for the project we are building. But football is sometimes cruel."
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/italia-noi-dau-con-dai.html
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