The inexorable logic of Italian web

Roger Cohen /IHT
Nobody in Dortmund's wonderful Westfalenstadion will forget Italy's dramatic 2-0 victory over Germany. Like Italy's 4-3 semi-finalwin against Germany in Mexico in 1970 -- also clinched in extra-time -- this one will enter the realm of legend.
It was a tremendous struggle, fought to the last with everything the players had, and in the end the stronger side prevailed. The 119th and 121st minute goals from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero were daggers to the German heart; some of the valiant "Klinsmanner" (coach Jurgen Klinsmann's men) sank to their knees at the final whistle.
The ending was cruel, but it has to be said that footballing justice was done.
Germany kept coming at Italy, but the waves of attacks foundering on an Italian wall could not disguise the fact that the Azzurri always seemed to have the tactical edge.
The game was won in midfield. Andrea Pirlo of AC Milan had a majestic game, capped with a moment of fatigue-defying lucidity that set up the first Italian goal. How, after almost two hours of football played at a relentless pace, he was able to control the ball, make as if to shoot, then move right and slip a gorgeous little pass through to Grosso,must remain a mystery to lesser mortals.
Michael Ballack, the German captain, never achieved Pirlo's lucidity. And there, in essence, the match was won and lost. Marcello Lippi, the Italian coach, also played a role. To the last, he went for victory, refusing to accept the lottery of penalties, even with the great Gianluigi Buffon in the Italian goal. All three of his substitutions brought on strikers: Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Iaquinta and, in extra time, Alessandro Del Piero.
The coach's gamble paid off as Italy finished stronger and Gilardino and Del Piero combined to deliver the second goal. It is striking how the physical condition of this Italian side, which had appeared suspect early in the tournament, has improved and, on the night, was as good as that of the Germans.
Poor Klinsmann! How he suffered on a hot Dortmund night in a stadium that was a cauldron of the fervent German hopes he had raised. It has to be said that trying to find a way past this Italian defense marshaled by Fabio Cannavaro can drive anyone crazy. Buffon has conceded just one goal in six games at the World Cup, and that was an unstoppable own goal.
Germany had chances -- particularly the disappointing Bernd Schneider in the first half and Lukas Podolski late in the game -- but fell short at the last.
Neither Ballack nor anyone else could deliver the decisive pass. The power of the suspended Torsten Frings in midfield was certainly missed; he might have muted Pirlo and freed Ballack to think more about creation than covering. But, for all their skill, the Germans lacked the spark of "fantasia" they needed to find a way past Cannavaro and company.
We were left to admire the guts of this side, the deadly acceleration of Mirloslav Klose, the weaving Philipp Lahm at left back, and much else in a young team that will only get better. A word on Klose, who is top scorer at the tournament with five goals, the same number he grabbed at the 2002 World Cup. I said in an earlier post that Germany had one-and-a-half world-class players here: Ballack and Lahm.
That was unfair. They had two-and-a-half. Klose is world-class. He pounces like a cat and his finishing is clean. His speed on the ball is extraordinary. He passes well. A shy man, he has not made the impact on the global footballing imagination that he deserves.
A word, also, for the referee, Benito Archundia, 40, of Mexico. Bravo! There has been much criticism of refereeing on this blog; a lot of it has been justified. Archundia gave a fine demonstration of how to keep a game flowing by using the whistle -- and cards --with moderation.
So Italy moves on to its sixth World Cup final. The Italians have won three of those. There is an arresting cohesion to the current side, perhaps born of the fact that the players all come from a handful of Italian clubs. They know each other inside out. Their football, led by Pirlo, may not have the extravagant wonder of Brazil or Argentina at their best, but it is beautiful in its economy, speed, discipline and intuition.
I have told you how I think this tournament will end; I'm not going to repeat myself. Suffice to say that any side that wants to beat Italy will have to deliver an extraordinary performance. Germany, roared on by a huge crowd, came close, but was caught in the end by the inexorable logic of the Italian web.