THE WINNERS

Germany

They didn’t win the World Cup but they won five straight matches playing a brand of football that can only be branded the “New Germany”. Their game depended on the phenomenal chemistry between Lukas Podolski — winner of the Young Player award — and Miroslav Klose, the precision passing and all-round game of Michael Ballack, the expert mopping-up of Torsten Frings and the unbelievable (to anyone who’s seen him play for Arsenal) shot-stopping of Jens Lehmann. They didn’t win the World Cup but this relatively young side has gathered enough experience to be very serious contenders in South Africa four years hence.

Italy

Whatever happens tonight, Italy have defied fate and thumbed their noses at the Damocles sword hanging over them by simply being in Berlin on Sunday. Thanks to the match-fixing scandal, more than half the squad faces the prospect of their club(s) being relegated to Serie B, perhaps even Serie C. Yet they have focused on the task ahead of them — and haven’t done too badly for themselves. There are no obvious stars, instead excellent teamwork. Buffon in goal, Cannavaro and Zambrotta in defence, Pirlo in midfield and Totti and Toni farther up ahead: If they fire on Sunday, that’s the end of France.

Australia

Yes, this sounds odd but you had to be here to see the effect of Australia’s success at WC ’06. Much of it was down to Guus Hiddink. But the gritty, gutsy players — strongly reminiscent of a certain SR Waugh — responded to whatever he asked of them. Their win over Japan summed up the Aussie spirit and though they lost to Italy on a dodgy penalty, in the dying seconds you could see that they would be the better for the experience.

... contd.