Mardi Gras and spring break are for amateurs...
Photo from La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Congratulations to the Italians for a masterful performance in the semifinals against Germany. Speaking from extensive personal experience, the Italians know how to celebrate a soccer victory like no one else.
One thing worth remembering is that in the first two minutes of the first overtime period, the Italians fired off two very close shots, one that went off the goalpost, the other off the top bar. If those two shots had gone in, in addition to the collapse by the German defense in the final two minutes of the second overtime period before the penalty kick shootout, it could potentially have been a 4-0 debacle for the Germans.
One final interesting historical observation, assuming the final two games this weekend go appropriately. During the 1990 World Cup, which was hosted in Italy, Germany won the tournament and Italy came in third place. This year, you could potentially have a reversal of what happened in 1990: the tournament hosted in Germany, with Italy winning the tournament and Germany finishing in third place.
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