Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Well done Italy

Kudos to Italy for its victory in the 2006 FIFA football World Cup final in Berlin on Sunday. After a not-so-great performance in the league phase, the Italians came into their own in the knockout phase. A judicious mix of defence and offence put paid to host Germany's hopes in the semi-final, while the Italians' perseverance brought them glory in the final against France despite conceding a goal in the early minutes. This World Cup will also be remembered for Ronaldo's record, Zinedine Zidane's magic on the field, and a lot of yellow and red cards.

Akhil Kumar,
New Delhi

Congratulations to Italy for winning the World Cup for the fourth time. Though the final was decided on penalties, the way the Azurri fought back after being a goal down shows that their victory was richly deserved.

Nisha U.,
Madurai

Shaking off the trials of the match-fixing controversy back home, Italy displayed a single-mindedness that is worthy of emulation. This is what character is all about.

Ramani P. Easwaran,
Bangalore

The Italians' win was the result of team effort. Players such as Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Marco Materazzi were outstanding.

Nagesh Belapure,
Secunderabad

Despite a shaky start, the Italians improved by leaps and bounds as the tournament progressed to emerge as the champions. To coach Marcello Lippi should go most of the credit.

Prashanth V.,
Coimbatore

All roads now lead to Rome. Sunday's final was tough to call till the last. In the end, Lippi's boys prevailed.

R. Sai Mahesh,
Chennai

The World Cup has always been (with an odd exception) about the traditional powerhouses taking a vice-like grip on the Cup that matters by peaking at the right time. The 2006 edition was no different. Italy raised its performance just when it mattered to clinch the all-important prize.

Suresh Manoharan,
Hyderabad

While most people would have watched the month-long football fiesta on TV, I enjoyed The Hindu's coverage of the event. The spate of editorials on the global extravaganza is proof of your dedication towards readers like me and to the great sport itself. Wonderful graphics, statistics, anecdotes, and more have added to the presentation. Finally, after a final that stretched beyond 2 a.m., I was pleasantly surprised to see the result on your front page at 7-30 a.m. Thanks.

V. Mahalingam,
Chennai

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