Originally posted on March 21, 2013 on Soccer Newsday
“Palla taglata…Messa fuori…c’è Pirlo…Pirlo…Pirlo…ancora Pirlo di tacco…tiro….. Goooool….Gooooool….Goooool… Grosso… Grosso…Goool…Gol di Grosso…Gol di Grosso…Gol di Grosso.” – Fabio Caressa, July 4, 2006
Fabio Grosso was hardly a house hold name prior to the start of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was a 29-year-old, unproven leftback playing for Palermo, and was included in the Azzurri squad as a substitute. He was not expected to play much, but someone forgot to tell this to Grosso. Instead, he would have a staring role in Germany.
Grosso started his professional career in 1998, playing with Serie C2 Abruzzese side Chieti, playing 3 seasons there as an attacking midfielder until 2001. That summer, he transferred to Perugia, where he would be converted into a leftback by then-manager Serse Cosmi. He would make his first appearance for the Azzurri in 2003 while in Perugia, where he spent the better part of 3 years. He transferred to Serie B side Palermo in January 2004 after only playing in 12 games in the 2003-2004 season.
He helped Palermo reach Serie A at the end of the season, making 21 appearances and scoring one goal. Palermo would have a very successful first season in Serie A, finishing in an impressive 6th place, and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. After the 2006 season, he was transferred to Inter Milan just prior to the World Cup. He had 23 appearances for Inter, mainly as a substitute, Grosso decided to ply his trade abroad, before signing with Olympic Lyon in the summer of 2007.
He spent two full seasons in France, moving to Juventus on the last transfer window day in 2009. He had a strong first season with the Old Lady, making 28 appearances, but he was frozen out of the squad the following year when he did not fit in the plans of the Turin giants coach, Luigi Delneri, garnering only 21 totals caps for Juventus.
The 2011-2012 season did not start any better for Grosso, as new coach Antonio Conte still had very little use for him, and only started him for two games of the season. Juventus released him in the summer of 2012, once he contract expired, and he retired from soccer in December.
However, it was not Grosso’s club play that has earned him a place in the history books of Italian calcio. In 2006, he had a summer which children on soccer pitches all around the world dream about. That summer, those dreams were a reality.
Grosso, who came into the 2006 World Cup with only 15 caps, started the tournament on the bench. It was a slight injury to Gianluca Zambrotta that forced manager Marcello Lippi to insert Grosso into the starting lineup in the Azzurri’s first game against Ghana. Italy would win the game, 2-0, and Grosso would be relegated back to the bench for the second match with the United States.
After Cristian Zaccardo’s own goal versus the United States, a game which ended 1-1, Lippi inserted Grosso back into the leftback position, and shifted Zambrotta over to the right side for the final group game versus the Czech Republic, where they would both remain for the remainder of the tournament. Italy would win its final group game, and would face Australia in the Round of 16.
The game against Australia was a surprisingly close affair, with Italy squandering many chances from its strikers. Marco Materazzi would be sent off, giving the Socceroos a man advantage for most of the second half. With the clock ticking down, Grosso picked up a long ball pass from Francesco Totti, ran down the left flank, cut in and forced Australian Marco Bresciano to stumble.
With Grosso running towards the goal, parallel with the goal-line, Lucas Neill tried to make a tackle, as Grosso cut the ball back to his right. What would ensue would be one of the most controversial calls of the tournament. Australians will argue that there was no contact (there was), and Grosso attempted his best Ian Thorpe impression (not what happened). Italians will tell you that Neill took an axe to Grosso’s legs (he did) and hacked him down (like a tree). What cannot be argued (who’s arguing?), is that Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantelejo pointed to the penalty spot and awarded Italy a penalty. Totti scored, Cantelejo ended the game immediately afterwards, and Italy moved on to the quarterfinals to play Ukraine. But what everyone was talking about, was Fabio Grosso.
Italy would have a reasonably easy time against the Ukraine, with Zambrotta scoring an early goal, while Luca Toni scored 2 goals 10 minutes apart in the second half. The 3-0 win would send the Azzurri through to the semi-final against the home side, Germany. The Germans had made it to the semis by beating Argentina in penalties.
The Westfalenstadion, home to German side Borussia Dortmund, would be the venue of one of the classic games in World Cup history. The opening 90 minutes, although goalless, were a captivating and intense display put on by these two historic rivals. There would be good opportunities to score from both teams, with Alberto Gilardino and Zambrotta both hitting the woodwork for the Italians, and the young Lucas Podolski and Miroslav Klose both forcing Gianluigi Buffon to make some outstanding stops. The extra time, though, would prove to be the pinnacle of this game.
With only 2 minutes left in the second half of extra time, Andrea Pirlo forced German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to make a good save with a shot from 25 yards out. Alessandro Del Piero lined up to take a corner to the left of Lehmann with only a minute left, and Grosso moved into the penalty area for the corner kick. He initially started right beside Lehmann, but backed off to the right side after Del Piero took the kick. The Germans got a head on the ball, but cleared it straight to the feet of Pirlo.
Few fans of calcio will forget where they were when they heard the words of Italian commentator Fabio Caressa on July 4th, 2006. An Italian side, battling calcio controversy at home, was competing against the home nation Germany. A pair of 3-time World Cup Champions faced off in a game in what would become an instant classic. Grosso one timed a perfect pass from Pirlo, and brilliantly curled the ball past the helpless German keeper, just inside the far post. Grosso’s reaction was spontaneous. His celebration of that goal, as he waved off his teammates to sprint down the field, replaces that of Marco Tardelli’s celebration after scoring the second goal in the 1982 final against the same nation.
Two minutes later, the Italians countered off a German attack. Gilardino would neatly cut a ball back for Del Piero, who would pop in the second goal, and as Caressa would say “chiudedte le valigie… Andiamo a Berlino”. But what everyone was talking about, was Grosso.
Italy faced France at the Olympiastadion in the German capital, where 69,000 fans watched the final of the 2006 World Cup. Zinedine Zidane would open the scoring on a penalty, conceded by Marco Materazzi, in the 7th minute of the match. Materazzi then tied the game off a Pirlo corner just 12 minutes later.
After 90 minutes, the game ended tied 1-1, and in extra time, Zidane and Materazzi would have their last encounter of the game. As you all know, Zidane headbutted the Italian agitator, and was red carded. There was much confusion at the time of the foul, as referee Horacio Elizondo did not see the foul, however was informed by the fourth official, Cantalejo (remember him from the Australia match), and the red card was produced in the 110th minute.
The match ended in a tie, and a penalty shootout ensued. Italy shot first, with Pirlo scoring and Slyvain Wiltord responding with a goal for the French. Materazzi knocked in the second shot for the Italians, but David Trezeguet would hit the crossbar on his attempt. Daniele De Rossi and Del Piero both scored for Italy, as would Eric Abidal and Willy Sagnol for France.
Grosso, who had never taken a penalty before this day, stepped up the 12-yard spot with calm. With his teammates looking on in the center circle, Grosso ran up to the ball, and smashed home the last penalty of the tournament. The rest of the Italian team ran towards Grosso, and he celebrated his World Cup winning penalty, while Italians around the world were sent into a frenzy of excitement.
The man who would start the summer as a bit player, had become the star of the World Cup. Grosso, with his involvement in the penalty against Australia, scored the winning goal in the last minute versus Germany, and secured the 4th World Cup title for Italy, and he could not have dreamt of a more complete tournament. He secured his place in history. When people talk about the 2006 World Cup, they will always recount his story, and talk about the unintentional hero, Grosso.
“Campione del Mondo. Abbracciamoci forte e vogliamoci tanto bene.” – Fabio Caressa, July 9th, 2006.
