Germany vs Italy Match Review - Italy living la dolce vita

There have been many games in the current World Cup tournament which have been maligned by gamesmanship, theatrics and some decidedly spurious decisions from match officials. However, the semi-final tie between hosts Germany and Italy in Dortmund on Tuesday evening was the perfect match in every conceivable sense. This clash between two brilliant and determined sides epitomised exactly what football should be about. From a personal perspective, this clash was the best I have ever witnessed, and it had drama - not of the injury feigning variety, but of the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat variety. Player protests were at a minimum. Protracted periods of rolling around on the green were at a minimum. And, perhaps crucially, pathetic, indecisive refereeing wasn't in evidence. Indeed, as great as Germany and Italy were in this game - and they provided a high-octane, rollercoaster of a match which will go down in history books as one of the best matches of its kind in recent times - it was the referee, Benito Archundia, who was the man of the match for me. Assertive and decisive, Archundia allowed the game to flow and was unwavering in his decision-making. Unlike in many scenarios during this tournament, the refs decisions were spot on, each and every time. Once the players got the message from the ref - that is, that he wasn't going to be fooled into giving away any cheap free-kicks or dishing out hasty cards - they performed as footballers should: with dignity and grace. There is a lesson to be learnt here. The handling of this match should act as a benchmark towards which every other match official should strive. With the weight of the nations support and their own escalating confidence, factors which conspired to create an unrelenting level of momentum behind them, Germany must have believed so strongly that this match was theirs for the winning. I must concede, I wouldn't hear of defeat for Klinsmann's men ahead of this fixture. Italy, despite an emphatic 3-0 win over Ukraine in the quarter-finals, had failed to impress before this match. However, they were the perfect side on this occasion and no-one - not even the most ardent Germany fans - can realistically argue that the Azzurri weren't the better side on the night. Indeed, this was a triumphant evening for the boys in blue. Marcello Lippi got the tactics spot on. Defending deep, Italy absorbed the lion's share of German attacks with aplomb before counter-attacking with real venom. And few could begrudge Andrea Pirlo the man of the match accolade. The AC Milan midfielder marshalled the centre of the park with real intent. Pirlo is one of the best all-rounders in his position - he is the type of player that is always where he is needed: getting back to defend when necessary, and augmenting the strikeforce when called upon. It was Pirlo's cracking shot from outside the penalty area which forced Jens Lehmann to make a fantastic save, which resulted in a corner, and culminated in a goal. Again, Pirlo was the key man, creating space and threading a cute ball through to Fabio Grosso, who planted in exquisite shot beyond Lehmann to break German hearts a minute before the end of extra time. It took 119 minutes to separate these two gallant teams. For the dying seconds after this point, the disappointment of the hosts accentuated the fatigue. And when they understandably threw virtually everyone forward for one last attempt at grabbing an equaliser, the joyous Italians hit them on the counter-attack and substitute Alessandro Del Piero scored a peach of a goal to seal the deal. Germany were gracious in defeat. Sad and gutted but gracious. Jens Lehmann vindicated Jurgen Klinsmann's decision to make him the No 1 goalkeeper ahead of his bitter rival, Oliver Kahn, while the likes of youngsters Lucas Podolski and Philipp Lahm offered plenty of encouragement to German fans for the future of their national side. However, it's Italy that march onto the final in Berlin. And, judged on this performance, the Azzurri faithful will surely be confident of living La Dolce Vita come Sunday evening.