The Gods Must Be Crazy...About Italy

Looks like the soccer gods are back on the Italians' side. After the heartbreak of Baggio in '94 and DiBiaggio in '98, the Azzurri are finally getting some breaks. The call for a PK against Australia yesterday was horrendous - I don't see how you can call that on such a flimsy foul with only seconds until overtime. Let the players decide the game's outcome, not the referee.

If that call wasn't enough to show you that someone up there is smiling on the Italians, the fact that they get Ukraine in the quarterfinals should seal the deal. A team that lost to Spain 4-0 and then advanced to the quarters with a shootout win over the Swiss shouldn't strike fear in Totti and the gang.

Still, it's not as if we should hand them the trophy yet. They would get the winner of Argentina-Germany after the Ukraine game.