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World Cup - Italy

Azzurri plotting fourth world crown.

With three FIFA World Cups™ to their name, Italy are rightly held up as one of the great football nations. Their first triumph was way back in 1934 at the second ever global showcase, held on Italian soil. Four years later in France, they became the first team to successfully defend their crown and their third title was secured in 1982 in Spain.

Germany 2006 will mark Italy's 16th appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals, making Sweden 1958 the only finals they did not grace with their presence. Following their successes in 1934 and 1938, Italy lifted the FIFA World Cup for the third time at Spain 1982 thanks largely to an outstanding performance by striker Paolo Rossi. After a subdued start to the tournament, Rossi burst into life in the knockout stages, scoring a hat-trick against Brazil to put his side through to the semi-final, where he struck twice more against Poland. Brimming with confidence, the Italians then went on to beat West Germany 3-1 in the final, with Rossi scoring a sixth tournament goal to clinch the Golden Shoe as top scorer.

Italy's strong national league, boasting world-famous sides such as AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan, has traditionally provided the platform for a competitive Italy team. Over the years, Serie A has produced true legends of the game such as Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Gianni Rivera and the unforgettable Dino Zoff who played in the victorious 1982 side at the age of 40.

However, life has not always been a bed of roses for the Italians, who have suffered their fair share of disappointments, including an abrupt exit from the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™. After battling their way through to the Round of 16, the Azzurri succumbed to hosts Korea Republic. Italy led for most of the match but conceded a late equaliser and the South Koreans secured victory with an extra-time golden goal.

In the wake of this crushing blow, Giovanni Trapattoni replaced Dino Zoff and led Italy through qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004. One defeat and just four goals conceded in eight matches marked a return to the traditional Italian virtue of resolute defending but more disappointment awaited the Azzuri in the finals in Portugal where they failed to progress beyond the group stage despite not losing a match. Having drawn against Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1) in their opening two games, a 2-1 victory over Bulgaria saw them finish only third in the group behind the two Scandinavian sides.

Read more at: FIFA World Cup - Yahoo!