Italy's final flourish

Two brilliant goals in the final two minutes of extra-time from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro del Piero gave Italy a 2-0 win over Germany and a place in the World Cup final.

Palermo defender Grosso curled in a brilliant strike after he was played in by a deft touch from Andrea Pirlo before substitute Del Piero rounded things off in style with a second goal with the last kick of the match.

The opening 90 minutes saw Italy fashion the first opportunity as the influential Totti picked out Simone Perrotta, but his flicked shot was weak and Lehmann did well to come out and claim the ball.

Italy's defence has been outstanding throughout this tournament and once again Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi were strength personified at the back as they intercepted and blocked virtually everything the hosts could throw at them.

The best chances fell for the azzurri - they went close when Mauro Camoranesi headed a Pirlo free kick over the bar and another delightful delivery from the Milan playmaker was missed by both Luca Toni and Materazzi.

Moments later Fiorentina striker Toni suddenly found some space after some great work by Grosso but Per Mertesacker showed the sort of intelligent defending which has seen his game improve immeasurably over the past few weeks.

Germany had their moments and a quick break from midfield for once found the Italians out of position at the back. Bernd Schneider was played in by Podoloski and Klose but his wild shot flew over Gianluigi Buffon's crossbar.

A quieter second half was full of wonderful football even if clear cut chances were minimal due to some exceptional defending and great goalkeeping from two of the leading 'keepers in the tournament.

When Miroslav Klose weaved his way past Gianluca Zambrotta and Materazzi, Buffon came out to save at the feet of the tall Werder Bremen striker.

If the normal 90 minutes was good, then the half an hour of extra-time provided some of the World Cup's most entertaining football.

The Italians, possibly wary of the Germans' formidable record at penalty shoot-outs, decided to go for it and introduced Vincenzo Iaquinta to add some pace to the forward line.

The attacking instinct showed by Marcelo Lippi was rewarded as another substitute, Alberto Gilardino, went on a run down the right flank that didn't promise much but which ended with the Milan forward beating Metzelder and seeing his shot hit the base of Lehmann's near post.

Juve full back Zambrotta then crashed a fierce drive against Lehmann's bar before Podolski missed a glorious chance to give Germany the lead, heading well wide when unmarked in the penalty area.

Del Piero, introduced with 15 minutes to go, then wasted another chance, Podolski saw a wicked shot tipped over by the superb Buffon and Pirlo forced another save from Lehmann as both sides went for the win.

Just as it seemed like the dreaded penalties were on the cards, Pirlo played a pass of bewildering vision to feed Grosso and he finished unerringly with a curling effort that gave Lehmann no chance.

With only a minute of the match to go, Germany came forward in desperate search of an equaliser but were finally beaten after a swift counter-attack from the azzurri.

Totti knocked a pass into the feet of Gilardino who took the ball forward before playing a reverse pass to Del Piero who opened his right foot to steer a fabulous finish into the top corner.

Germany 0-2 Italy, FIFA World Cup, Semi-Final, Dortmund, 04 July 2006

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Metzelder, Mertesacker, Lahm, Borowski (Schweinsteiger, 72), Ballack, Kehl, Schneider (Odonkor, 83), Klose (Neuville, 111), Podolski.
Subs not used: Jansen, Huth, Nowotny, Hanke, Kahn, Asamoah, Hitzlsperger, Hildebrand.

Italy: Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso, Camoranesi (Iaquinta, 90), Perrotta (Del Piero, 104), Gattuso, Pirlo, Totti, Toni (Gilardino, 74).
Subs not used: Zaccardo, Barzagli, Peruzzi, Nesta, Amelia, Barone, Inzaghi, Oddo.

Goals: Grosso 119, Del Piero 120

Attendance: 65,000

Referee: Benito Archundia Tellez (Mexico).