BERLIN - Germany's dreams of winning the World Cup were shattered on Tuesday as Italy scored twice in the dying minutes of extra time in their semi-final clash, leaving the host nation in a state of shock and despair.
The match was an absorbing affair with both teams playing at a rapid pace in the evening heat at Dortmund's Westfalenstadion and creating numerous chances they failed to convert.
That changed with two minutes left in extra time, as Italian defender Fabio Grosso received a perfectly-weighted pass in the area from midfielder Andrea Pirlo and curled a fantastic shot past the outstretched fingers of German keeper Jens Lehmann.
The goal silenced a partisan crowd of 65,000, which had been cheering wildly for nearly two hours in the hope that their national "Mannschaft" could continue an unlikely run that had whipped the entire country into a patriotic feel-good fervor.
Germany battled desperately for a last second equalizer, but Italy struck again. Substitute striker Alessandro Del Piero fired home with the last kick of the game, slipping a right-foot shot inside the far post after a pass from Alberto Gilardino.
"This is the realization of a dream," said Italy coach Marcello Lippi after his team's deserved 2-0 victory.
In Italy, supporters armed with flags and fireworks poured on to the streets, blaring horns and chanting "I-TAL-IA" to celebrate the country's first return to the finals since 1994.
Hundreds of fans climbed and crowded around tall Catholic statues facing the towering Basilica of St. John in Lateran, where German-born Pope Benedict frequently presides.
For many, the victory was a chance to set aside the domestic match-fixing scandal that has dominated the headlines and could end up with the relegation of several top Serie A clubs to the second or even third division.
"This win is very important for Italian soccer, especially given the scandal," said Ricardo Gonzalez, a teacher in Rome. "It shows that Italian soccer is still alive -- despite everything."
Italy play the winners of Wednesday's match between France and Portugal in Sunday's final in Berlin's Olympiastadion.
Huge Disappointment
For the thousands of Germans who had donned the national colors of black, red and gold in recent weeks in an outpouring of patriotism unseen in the post-war era, the result was a huge disappointment.
Coach Juergen Klinsmann's side were given little chance of going far when the tournament began, but after sweeping through the first round and overcoming Argentina in the quarter-finals on Friday, Germany had begun to look like a team of destiny.
"We are hugely disappointed," Klinsmann said. "It's amazing the spirit (the team) showed, the character. They made a whole country really proud."
Germany's top-selling newspaper Bild put a picture of Klinsmann covering his face with his hands on its cover.
"You are heroes anyway," the headline read. "We are crying with you."
Germany had never beaten Italy in their four previous competitive matches including the 1982 World Cup final, but they headed into the match with an unbeaten streak in Dortmund dating back 71 years.
With German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi looking on from the stands, fans unleashed deafening cries of "Deutschland, Deutschland" in the hope that streak would continue.
An estimated one million viewers crammed into the Berlin "Fan Mile" viewing area near the Brandenburg Gate, while thousands more sprawled out in parks and beer gardens.
German soccer great Franz Beckenbauer said he hoped the loss would not end the nation's feel-good mood, but voices from the street told another story.
"I am gutted," said Daniela Trenker, a tearful 21-year old Berlin student. "I am going to support whoever plays Italy in the finals. This is the worst night of my life."
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