Blame that penalty on the wind: Del Piero
The infamous penalty conceded by Lucas Neill to Italy's Fabian Grosso in 2006 (Image: AFP)
Related coverage
Fabio Grosso, whose penalty box “dive” may have robbed the Socceroos of a quarter-final place at the 2006 World Cup, was so tired that the wind must have blown him over.
That’s the comic explanation from Alessandro Del Piero, who is being touted as the saviour of Australian football’s A-League today but six years ago was a member of the Italian team that broke Australian hearts in Germany.
Sydney FC’s new signing had journalists chuckling with his tongue-in-cheek recollection of the contentious last-minute penalty when Grosso fell after a challenge from Australia defender Lucas Neill.
With extra time looming and Italy down to 10 men, it was a watershed moment for the team that went on to lift the World Cup.
Francesco Totti blasted the spot kick past Mark Schwarzer for a 1-0 win thanks to what millions saw as a “dive”.
But did Del Piero believe the penalty was warranted?
After much hesitation on Monday he broke into a broad grin and told his first Australian news conference: “Because we were 10 (men), Fabio said to me,’Ally I am very tired’ – in the last minute of the game, injury time – `I’m really tired’. And I am thinking probably that’s why, the wind and something else put Fabio downstairs.”
Del Piero added: “But I think, after jokes, sometimes there are moments where you have everything. And for us 2006 was the perfect World Cup. Everything goes in the right place. Also that match. And that’s why we won.”
He described the 2006 Socceroos as a “great team” full of players with European experience and that match as one of Italy’s toughest.
Dive or no dive, the former Juventus great showed a sense of humour, even in English, which is bound to win over fans during his two-year stint down under.
He revealed how he encouraged his four-year-old son Tobias to make the long trip to live in Australia by promising to show him some kangaroos.
His wife and three young children slept off jet lag as he talked to the media at The Star casino, their temporary home until a more permanent harbourside abode can be found.
Del Piero was applauded into and out of his media conference, something which may well have happened during his glory days of winning Scudettos, Champions Leagues and World Cups.
But it’s doubtful whether he has conducted interviews against a backdrop of poker machines, roulette wheels and blackjack tables, and the televised strains of a country race caller.
Footnote: Former Italian international and AC Milan player Daniele Massaro revived the 2006 penalty debate last year when he said the Italians were “very lucky” to be given the spot kick.
© AAP 2013
Passionate about your football? Then sign up to The Roar's brand new daily football email, delivering Roaring articles directly to you day-in, day-out. You'll love it!
Click here to join now!
Looking to join The Roar team? We're searching for an experienced Group Sales Manager to lead our team in Sydney. Yes, this does mean you get to work with the site all day long! If you're a digital media sales star, we want to hear from you. Apply now.
September 18th 2012 @ 8:39am
Futbanous said | September 18th 2012 @ 8:39am | Report comment
Obviously used to handling media & I would say he is being well tutored in the nuances of the Australian sporting market by Tony Pignata(Apparently he speaks fluent Italian ,that would help).
Great to see a sense of humour,too much about football is serious in Australia at times.
If this bloke can lighten up the reporting by some sporting journalists it will be an added bonus IMO.
September 18th 2012 @ 8:41am
langou said | September 18th 2012 @ 8:41am | Report comment
Too soon
September 18th 2012 @ 10:27am
nachos supreme said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:27am | Report comment
A question, Not trying to be controversial.
You play 10 men for as long as we did in that match and not even look like breaking them down.
Do you actually deserve to progress in the first place?
I was as gutted as anyone else that day, but once I slept on it that’s the question I asked. I wish the media and the fans had asked the same question rather than focussing on the dive.
I think it’s churlish of the media to even bring this up. That ADP is here is nothing short of amazing and the man deserves some courtesy.Both for his fantastic career and his decision to come down here.
September 18th 2012 @ 11:24am
langou said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:24am | Report comment
I can’t really remember much of the game except the dive and the fact that we had a few subs up our sleave and I keep shouting for Josip Skoko to be introduced and the girl next to me didn’t know who Skoko was except that she broke up or Beatles or something
I don’t think anyone deserves to lose due to an opposition player cheating
September 18th 2012 @ 11:37am
Ian said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:37am | Report comment
grosso didn’t cheat.
September 18th 2012 @ 11:50am
Tim said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:50am | Report comment
Grosso milked it for sure however the blame in my opinion needs to go to Neill, a defender that can’t keep his feet inside his own box is committing one of the main cardinal sins as a defender. I also blame Bresciano for letting Grosso beat him by the corner flag way too easily, he should have committed the professional foul, Italy wouldn’t have scored from the set piece taken that deep.
September 18th 2012 @ 12:57pm
langou said | September 18th 2012 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
I just went and had another look with a fresh set of eyes and yeah it was terrible defending I must admit.
September 18th 2012 @ 4:29pm
phutbol said | September 18th 2012 @ 4:29pm | Report comment
Also, Bresc was out muscled by Grosso. looks to me like he DID actually try to bring him down outside the box but was basically brushed away very easily…
Also recall Emerton smashing a ball from about 2 metres out straight into Buffon’s right hand. Could have put it anywhere but chose to go for power and it didnt pay off…
Such is life.
September 18th 2012 @ 7:28pm
Punter said | September 18th 2012 @ 7:28pm | Report comment
As I recall Emerton was suspended for the game against Italy, so the goal would not have counted had he scored.
September 18th 2012 @ 10:09pm
Griffo said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:09pm | Report comment
My recollection of what Hiddink said in a post-match interview was that we just basically didn’t have the the skills as a football nation to break down Italy’s defence. He was right. We never looked like being that creative in breaking them down at all over 120 minutes let alone 90 – not to forget how good Italy is at defence.
Grosso might have milked it, but Neill offered him the opportunity to do so on a platter. Probably Neill’s one and only mistake of the tournament.
But in any case someone’s asked the question now, let’s not have every journalist in the country ask the same question again.
Don’t know about Del Piero but I’m already sick of it being brought up at every conference already and he hasn’t even been here a week.
September 18th 2012 @ 8:47am
qwerty said | September 18th 2012 @ 8:47am | Report comment
I was waiting for the 2006 game to be dredged up.It will probably be dredged up again and again by the media.Time to move on.
September 18th 2012 @ 9:08am
Winter Is Coming said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Agreed, FFS Can we move on? Have we got unlimited chips on our shoulders? I am well over it despite being reduced to tears at the time…
September 18th 2012 @ 6:33pm
apaway said | September 18th 2012 @ 6:33pm | Report comment
I just cried about it all over again.
However, Alessandro Del Piero is a class act. This is going to be goooooood….
September 18th 2012 @ 9:24am
Ian said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:24am | Report comment
yes, can’t people get over it. ‘millions’ considered it a dive………i doubt anyone outside of australia cared.
last time i checked, and seeing the footage again, australia stuffed up and for some reason had no defence. lucas neill fell over in front of grosso in the box. grosso was impeded and he made a meal of it. basic defence 101 – don’t fall on the ground in your own box where opposing players can fall over you. i feel ill watching the footage as i see neill coming across to do some stupid scissor kick laydown sally routine in front of grosso
we had an extra man for 40-50 minutes and didn’t capitalise.
we lost fair and square.
September 18th 2012 @ 10:00am
Nick said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:00am | Report comment
That’s it right there. You go off your feet in the box and make contact, you’re asking for trouble.
September 18th 2012 @ 12:31pm
Michael said | September 18th 2012 @ 12:31pm | Report comment
Sounds like an advertisement for safe sex.
September 18th 2012 @ 10:16am
Punter said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:16am | Report comment
I thought Del Piero handled the question brilliantly!!!! Move on!!!!
September 18th 2012 @ 11:48am
Lucan said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:48am | Report comment
An exhausted Grosso also skinned a fresh Bresciano before encountering Neill. From the moment it happened I accepted the referees call.
I do raise an eyebrow when I hear fans suggest we were “robbed”. Best result for Australia would’ve been 0-0 and get thru on penalties.
Love that this is still being discussed and debated 6 years on, still.
September 18th 2012 @ 2:24pm
Ian said | September 18th 2012 @ 2:24pm | Report comment
though there would have been 30 mins of extra time. italy were good at playing a man down and used to train for it.
yes, bresciano could have been fouled by the ref and it was play on. as tim suggested, imagine if bresciano had fouled grosso on the sideline, italy would have had a kick from the sideline to try and win.
though i actually don’t like it being discussed as its generally people complaining ‘we woz robbed’
its football and it happened.
September 18th 2012 @ 11:06pm
dasilva said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:06pm | Report comment
I will say though that Neill definitely impeded and obstruct Grosso
However, the penalty for obstruction is…. indirect free kick inside the box.
Direct free kick/penalty shouldn’t be given for obstruction.
His act of falling down didn’t make contact with him. The contact came because Grosso ran into him because Neill unfairly impeded his path.
In any case I’m not going to say we were rob because it was one of the decisions where it look like a penalty in real time. I also don’t hold any grudge to grosso because Neil was impeding him and he shouldn’t had to dribble around him when Neil was blocking the path to the goal as it would put his team in a disadvantage. Also there’s no reason to think that Italy couldn’t have scored from an indirect free kick in the box
however I will say that australia was slightly unlucky with the penalty though
September 18th 2012 @ 11:03am
Daniel said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:03am | Report comment
Doesn’t the photo suggest that it was a penalty. Look at Neill, look at where the ball is and look at Grosso. Soft fall, whatever but he is impeded and that is a penalty!! No argument … we are just being biased. Anyone who has played the game would have heard their coach say, “Don’t go to ground” (unless you are going to win the ball 100%) … Neill went to ground in the penalty box and didn’t win the ball. Sacrilege for a defender! … and we were punished. Don’t look at Grosso, look at Neill I say.
September 18th 2012 @ 11:38am
Brett McKay said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:38am | Report comment
If Del Piero can make us laugh about THAT dive , then I reckon we’ve accepted him pretty well…
September 18th 2012 @ 2:28pm
Ian said | September 18th 2012 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
if only we could laugh about lucas neill’s crap defending at that moment
September 18th 2012 @ 11:55am
wisey_9 said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:55am | Report comment
Am I the only Australian that thinks that it WAS a penalty? Albeit a soft one.
Contact was made and Grosso’s run was impeded. Let’s take it on the chin Australia, and move on!
September 18th 2012 @ 11:57am
Tim said | September 18th 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
A defender going to ground without making contact with the ball (or even coming close to it in this case) is asking for trouble. It was hard to take at the time but Neill stuffed up.
September 18th 2012 @ 12:12pm
AndyRoo said | September 18th 2012 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
My grandfather called it a penalty on the night.
No emotion just stated it as a cold hard fact…. he is a rugby league man which might have made it easier for him.
September 18th 2012 @ 12:14pm
Lucan said | September 18th 2012 @ 12:14pm | Report comment
Imagine how upset the Italians would’ve been had the pen not been given?
Especially if they went on to be eliminated in Extra Time (unlikley) or the Shootout (50/50).
September 18th 2012 @ 2:26pm
Ian said | September 18th 2012 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
i think there are a few of us who think it was a penalty.
September 19th 2012 @ 2:33am
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football said | September 19th 2012 @ 2:33am | Report comment
Isn’t it interesting that we’ve spent 6 years talking about THAT penalty which has completely overshadowed how embarassingly bad we played that much against 10 men and how poorly coached we were (no real attacking plan or substitutions when needed).
Did I just say that? Poorly coached? Absolutely!! Guus Hiddink messed up big time in this one and he can thank his lucky stars for that penalty otherwise there would have been a great deal more attention on him if it had been a goal out of open play in the 93. minute.
September 18th 2012 @ 12:14pm
Fussball ist unser leben said | September 18th 2012 @ 12:14pm | Report comment
I was in the stadium that day, sitting on that side of the stadium in line with the edge of the penalty box. As soon as Grosso went down, I knew it would be called a penalty.
A very long train ride back to Munich that evening … but, drowned my sorrows with a group of USA fans, who had adopted AUS for that match. Thank heavens DB Bahn sell beer – great German beer – on the trains!
September 18th 2012 @ 5:23pm
King Robbo said | September 18th 2012 @ 5:23pm | Report comment
Was also at the stadium that day, down the other end with all the aussies though.
I remember when it happened, we all looked at each stunned that lucas would do such a thing in the dying minutes, with a man up and an oncoming player on such an acute angle. No one entertained the thought it was a dive at the time, in real time it looked like a deadset penalty.
The italian fans at the fanfest after the game where ‘molto generoso’ with our teams performance, even got some free beers off them. Where was the ‘free entertainment’ that was put on after the japanese game though
September 18th 2012 @ 12:35pm
nickoldschool said | September 18th 2012 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
I think Australia learnt a harsh lesson on this day. I guess it had to happen at some stage. For Oz, it was during this game. World football is full of these defining moments; reckon they make you grow in some way.
1982 Schumacher smashes Battiston. No red card. 1986, maradona’s hand. More recently Henry’s hand which qualify France and leave the Irish at home. The socceroos were still pretty naive when this happened. But what a sad moment that was.
September 19th 2012 @ 2:36am
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football said | September 19th 2012 @ 2:36am | Report comment
We all gotta grow up some day.
September 18th 2012 @ 1:01pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | September 18th 2012 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
Grosso made the most of it obviously but Neill dived in recklessly(did the identically same thing late against Jordan btw),could of gone either way but it went the Italians way,thats football.I find the people who can’t let it go the most are the part time football media and part time football fans in this country.Maybe this is testing peoples memories but i was in the stadium for the AUS v JAP game and only minutes after Cahill equalised for us he clearly fouled a Japanese player in the box and we got away with it.If it was given we would’ve gone down 2-1 and probably lost the game and never played Italy in the first place,these things even themselves out as they say.Im abit embarassed Del Piero has had to answer the penalty question about 5 times already.
September 18th 2012 @ 1:59pm
Lucan said | September 18th 2012 @ 1:59pm | Report comment
The Cahill foul was pretty brutul. Credit to the Japanese for not making a song and dance about the non-decision.
September 18th 2012 @ 2:07pm
Punter said | September 18th 2012 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
But that Cahill tackle already evened itself out by Schwarzer being taken out for the Japanese goal, should never have been allowed.
Every time Del Piero has answered the penalty question with dignity & humor.
September 18th 2012 @ 2:58pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | September 18th 2012 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
Hmmm i’ve never been convinced that was a foul on Shwarzer.
September 18th 2012 @ 3:02pm
Punter said | September 18th 2012 @ 3:02pm | Report comment
Have a look at the replay, it was soft, a big man like Schwarter should never have been taken out, but look at the striker hitting Schwarter & hence missing the ball, remember it was a cross not a shot.
It was soft, but just like Grosso was fouled but it was soft, he did not need to go down.
September 18th 2012 @ 8:21pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | September 18th 2012 @ 8:21pm | Report comment
Yeah its a 50/50 call but for me its bad keeping more than anything,you expect your keeper to come out and annihilate anything in his path in that situation.They’ve been given as fouls on the keeper on more than one occasion though.
September 19th 2012 @ 2:41am
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football said | September 19th 2012 @ 2:41am | Report comment
That planted the seed of doubt in Hiddink’s head. And then against Croatia we get Kalamity Kalac!
Sorry Spider, great career, great bloke…but your match against Croatia was a shocker of the highest order.
September 18th 2012 @ 10:19pm
Griffo said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:19pm | Report comment
Yeah but for how much longer will he? He’s the sort of person I believe who’ll say with kindness to move on rather than storm outing a huff but I bet there are some journalists waiting to ask the question, again.