Italy took sole possession of second place in World Cup titles with four crowns after beating France on penalties 5-3 after a 1-1 scoreline following extra time. The final in Berlin was marred by France superstar Zinedine Zidane getting red carded after headbutting Italian Marco Materazzi in the final match of his illustrious career.
World Cup Returns To Germany
The World Cup returned to Germany for the first time since 1974 and the mood in the country was absolutely first class, thanks to a month of great weather in Germany. There were 3,359,439 spectators in attendance with millions watching the games at Fan Fests and a worldwide audience of an estimated 30 billion.
Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Spain Perfect, Ghana Surprise, Asians Disappoint
Four teams - hosts Germany, defending champions Brazil, Portugal and Spain - all won all three of their group stage matches. Italy took Group E honors, moving along with surprise debutants Ghana, who left behind them Czech Republic and the United States. Following Brazil into the Round of 16 from Group F were Australia as Croatia and Japan were sent home early. Japan and South Korea both disappointed after reaching the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, in 2002. The Koreans watched Switzerland and France get through Group G.
Late Penalty Saves Italy
Italy moved into the quarter-finals thanks to a 1-0 win over Australia thanks to Francesco Totti's penalty five minutes into injury time. Raymond Domenech's French came back to beat Spain 3-1 to reach the last eight. Lukas Podolski struck twice in Germany's 2-0 win over Sweden while Brazil cruised past Ghana 3-0.
Portugal beat Netherlands and England knocked off Ecuador both by a 1-0 scoreline. Maxi Rodriguez scored in extra time to give Argentina a 2-1 win over Mexico; and Switzerland went home without having allowed a goal in play, losing 3-0 in penalties against Ukraine.
Ronaldo's World Cup Record
By scoring the first goal against Ghana in Brazil's 3-0 victory in the Round of 16, Ronaldo tallied his 15th goal in World Cup history - setting an all-time record.
Luca Toni Twice On Target, Henry Knocks Out Brazil
In the quarters, Luca Toni twice hit home in the second half as Marcello Lippi's Azzurri beat Ukraine 3-0. France meanwhile booked their spot in the semi-finals as Thierry Henry struck in the 57th minute in France's 1-0 victory over defending champions Brazil. Rookie coach Jürgen Klinsmann's magical run with Germany continued as Jens Lehmann pulled out a secret players' list as he stopped two penalties in Germany's 4-2 shoot-out win over Argentina following a 1-1 extra time. Portugal meanwhile booked a spot in the semis despite a missed penalty and hitting the post in the shoot-out. But Portugal keeper Ricardo stopped three penalties in a 3-1 shoot-out victory over England, who lost Wayne Rooney to a red card.
All-Euro Semis
Italy, France, Germany and Portugal reaching the last four made it the fourth World Cup with two all-European semi-finals following 1934, 1966 and 1982.
Italy Dump Hosts, France Get Past Portugal
Germany and Italy looked like they were heading to penalties in the semi-finals but Fabio Grosso scored in the 119th minute and then Alessandro del Piero doubled the advantage in the 121st in a 2-0 victory over Germany. And France booked their spot in the final thanks to Zidane's penalty in the 33rd minute for a 1-0 win over Portugal, who had reached the semis for the first time since 1966.
Germany Give Home Fans Third Place
Germany were a true pleasure of the tournament thanks to Jürgen Klinsmann's attacking up-tempo style. And the Germans finished it off with a 3-1 win over Portugal in the third place game as Bastian Schweinsteiger scored two goals. Klinsmann's troops were the highest scoring team with 14 goals with five coming from Golden Shoe winner Miroslav Klose and three by Best Young Player Lukas Podolski.
Penalty Shoot-Out Win For Italy, Zidane Sent Off
Italy's defensive style proved to be enough to win the World Cup title, beating France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 result after 120 minutes. Zidane's penalty in the seventh minute was equalised by Marco Materazzi in the 19th minute. Those two will be linked forever as Zidane headbutted Materazzi late in extra time and was red-carded in the 110th minute. The Italians allowed just two goals all tournament, one an own goal and the other a penalty. Ten different Italians scored goals and 21 of the 23 Italian players played for Marcelo Lippi.
