Jul 1, 2006, 11:50 GMT
Hamburg - Ukraine's scalp fresh on its belt and domestic critics cowed, Italy's national football on Saturday was brimming with bravado as it looked forward to a World Cup semi-final battle royale against host Germany.
Razor-sharp passing and well-drilled defence by the Italians outclassed a tough Ukrainian squad 3-0 in a Friday bout.
Italian sports media prior to the match had criticised coach Marcello Lippi for a host of alleged footballing sins including failing to settle on a single 11-man squad, overly defensive tactics, and support of striker Luca Toni despite Toni's inability to find the net in previous World Cup games.
Lippi was jubilant at the post-game press conference, seemingly as much for having cowed his domestic critics, as for the convincing defeat of a gritty and uncompromising Ukrainian side.
'I am really, truly happy, this is a wonderful victory and I want to enjoy the moment,' Lippi said. 'What's special about this team is that we have a team of champions, of players who have great team spirit and play with authority, and who help each other to play as champions.'
Lippi alone among the last four coaches at the World Cup has regularly rotated players in and out of his starting squad.
'This is one of the reasons I played (midfielder Gennaro) Gattuso, to 'spread out' the yellow cards,' Lippi said. 'You have seen the authority of (surprise starting defensive back Andrea) Barzagli, he was in for the first time but his team mates were champions, and they helped lift him up to play as a champion too.'
Man of the match against Ukraine, Gattuso, said Lippi's roster rotation tactics had created a team spirit unprecedented in the Italian national football squad.
'As far as that goes I would love to play in the final, and I would love to skip the final and have the rest of the team play in the final,' he said. 'The thing that ties us together is our team spirit.'
To reach the final, of course, Italy must first overcome Germany. The side coached by Juergen Klinsmann has employed fast-paced attacks and outstanding fitness to dispatch opponent after opponent.
Lippi said he was impressed by Klinsmann's Germans, but maintained that Italy inits present form could defeat any team including the hard-charging Germans.
'I don't think Germany is afraid of us, and certainly we are not afraid of them,' Lippi said. 'I think that both teams respect and fear each other, and whichever team that wins when we play will have to work very hard.'
'But now our players are getting into form, Toni is scoring and I think soon (striker Francesco Totti) will begin scoring as well,' Lippi predicted. 'And if our players are on form, then anything is possible, we have the potential to defeat any one.'
Gattuso said the Italian squad was well aware of intense hype of a semi-final against Italy already flooding the German media, lurid stories critical of Italy hitting some German tabloids even before Italy had defeated Ukraine.
'I think the editor of the newspaper that reported Italy was a land of Mafia and spaghetti, his wife probably cuckolded him with an Italian,' Gattuso said. 'In general the Germans have been extremely polite.'
Gattuso predicted a close match against Germany, saying the Italians would go into the semi-finals with equal chances against the Germans, despite the German home field advantage.
'You have to remember that we on the Italian team have a huge experience, some of us have played more than 100 international matches over twelve and thirteen years,' he said. 'The stands will be for the Germans but we will be facing a team that is not superior to us.'
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