Fabio Cannavaro, captain of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning side, revisited the Azzurri’s legendary run in a long interview with Il Corriere della Sera.
Nearly twenty years after the triumph in Berlin, the former defender looked back on some of the most tense moments of that tournament, including Italy’s round of 16 clash against Australia.
That match remains one of the most dramatic of Italy’s campaign. Reduced to ten men after Marco Materazzi’s red card, the Azzurri held on until the final moments, when Fabio Grosso won a penalty that Francesco Totti stepped up to take.
Cannavaro admitted there was a moment of fear when the Roma icon approached the spot.
“When Totti ran towards the spot, our hearts sank,” Cannavaro said. “We thought: now he’s going to chip it.”
The reference was to Totti’s famous chipped penalty against the Netherlands at Euro 2000. This time, however, the Roma captain kept things simple and converted a decisive penalty to send Italy through.
“Fortunately, Francesco regained his composure against Australia and took a normal penalty,” Cannavaro added.
The former Italy captain also remembered the intensity of the match, praising the team’s defensive resilience and recalling the pain and exhaustion of his teammates as they fought to protect the result.
It was another defining step in Italy’s path to World Cup glory, with Totti once again playing a decisive role on the biggest stage.
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