ITALY claimed their fourth World Cup title when they defeated France on penalties in the final of Germany 2006. The Azzurri success was firm evidence that methodical teamwork and a stingy defence are crucial requirements at the highest level.

Interestingly, many believe that the unravelling of the Serie A match-fixing scandal back in Italy helped to invigorate the squad.

Guided by former Juventus coach Marcello Lippi, the Azzurri exuded class, confidence and cohesiveness to add to previous titles won in 1934, 1938 and 1982.

Led in attack by Francesco Totti, Alberto Gilardino and Luca Toni, the team boasted arguably the most dynamic midfield pairing at the tournament in the effortless Andrea Pirlo and the terrier-like Gennaro Gattuso.

Yet it is without doubt that the Italians’ defence was their strongest link. Wing backs Fabio Grosso and Gianluca Zambrotta were as good as any in the tournament, while the centre half combination of captain Fabio Cannavaro and the languid Alessandro Nesta were head and shoulders above their peers.

Such was the Italians’ strength in depth that Marco Materazzi was able to step in admirably to fill the void left when Nesta pulled out of the tournament prematurely due to injury. And to many, Materazzi added much more by way of the intangibles, one of which was his involvement in provoking Zidane’s brutal headbutt, which resulted in the French maestro’s instant, yet justified dismissal at a crucial stage of the final.

Zidane’s ejection was the last of a record 28 in the World Cup Germany 2006 edition, to add to the 345 cautions. Russian referee Valentin Ivanov left an indelible mark with 16 cautions and four ejections in the second-round match between Portugal and the Netherlands.

To cap it off, Italy were privileged to have in their ranks a certain Gianluigi Buffon, who at times appeared to psyche out opposing strikers with incredible goalkeeping throughout the championships.

Italy conceded just two goals in their seven games — one was an own goal during the preliminaries, while the other was from the penalty spot in the final. Conversely, they scored 12 goals as 10 different players found the net, including legendary attacker Alessandro Del Piero in the semi-finals against the pesky Germans and Materazzi in the final.

In the preliminary stages they topped their Group E with seven points from two wins and a draw — 2-0 against Ghana and Czech Republic and a 1-1 draw with the United States. They then edged Australia 1-0 in the round of 16, before blanking Ukraine 3-0 in the quarter-finals. The Italians were given the unenviable task of knocking out the hosts 2-0 in the semi-finals with extra-time goals, then sealing their fourth triumph with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory over France in the final, after the teams had battled to a 1-1 result at the end of full and extra times.

However, the Italian conquest was not the only remarkable story in 2006. France’s maestro Zinedine Zidane was at his imperious best in the knockout rounds as he inspired the 1998 winners to the final.

After Les Blues stumbled to a second-place finish in what appeared to be an easy Group G, Zidane rose to the occasion when his country needed him most to orchestrate victories against highly fancied Spain and Brazil in the second and quarter-final rounds.

A 1-0 triumph over Portugal in the semi-final gave the French a sniff of a second title in three World Cups.

Host team Germany, led by former striker Jurgen Klinnsman had tongues wagging with refreshing attacking football that made them top scorers with a total of 14 goals.

Miroslav Klose won the Golden Shoe with five goals, the same as his tally four years earlier in Japan/South Korea, while left-footed sensation Lukas Podolski scored three times, as the former three-time winners snatched third place from Portugal in the play-off.

Ghana showed great skill and power in first-round victories over the Czech Republic and the United States before being dismissed 0-3 by Brazil in the round of 16, while the Ivory Coast were impressive despite not progressing beyond the group stage.

South American fans were left noticeably disappointed as powerhouses Argentina and Brazil crashed out without at least reaching the last four.

Both teams sparkled and even dazzled during the first round, but were left wanting when the tempo picked up in crucial knockout games. Argentina lost 2-4 to Germany on penalties (1-1 after full and extra times) in the quarter-finals, while Brazil failed to reply to Thierry Henry’s clinical finish at the same stage of the competition.

Subsequently, the 2006 World Cup in Germany saw an all-European semi-final. Who will take the spotlight in South Africa 2010?