Up until 2006, I had come to expect disappointment with Italy, especially in light of the Calciopoli scandal that rocked Serie A. We had good players - who in hindsight were more than just good - but other countries could rely on names like Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane and Fernando Torres.

All of these things made Italy's run to the World Cup semi-finals all the more surprising. The Germans stood in our way, and while we had always beat them at major tournaments up to that point, all signs pointed to that streak coming to an end.

Forza Italian Football's Editor-in-Chief Conor Clancy is joined by writer Adriano Boin to discuss his favourite game.

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