Italy 2, Germany 0 [O.T.]: A great finish. The Azzurri maintained their unbeaten record against Germany in World Cup play, scoring two goals in the final two minutes of play after putting a relentless onslaught at the German goal in extra time. Having been eliminated the last four World Cups in extra time or penalty kicks, the Italians finally got the breaks. Grosso, a defender, hit a perfect curl in the 118th minute after a corner kick, which the Italians had performed poorly the whole game, then sub Del Pierro converted on a breakaway in the waning seconds of action.

Some belated perspective on the American position in world soccer: on Sunday, a team will be playing in the World Cup final that failed to beat the U.S. in the same tournament, in spite of playing with a man-advantage for half that game.