FIFA Fair Play banner precedes the teams onto the pitch

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Blood-sucking media army aim their cameras

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Luca Toni leads a class in aerobics

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Hugs all around before kickoff

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Gattuso practices scowl w/dose of palsy thrown in

Del Piero proves it's possible to levitate only millimetres off the ground

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Please, God, don't let me be sent off.

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Moments before kickoff

Have you ever seen Italy v. Australia...on weed??

Luca Toni...the San Francisco treat!

Ball in the air, Luca Toni zeros in

Are you talking to me?

Andrea Pirlo daintily addresses the ball

Mesmerizing

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The scandal back home's not forgotten by the tifosi in Kaiserslautern

Tim Cahill & Gianluca Zambrotta

Bird prepares to take out Mark Bresciano

Zambrotta prepares to school Mark Bresciano

Parma v. Juventus

Back pass almost gone awry

But ref blew against Viduka

Yet Buffon feels the need to complain further

Until Udo Kier finally tells him to shut it & play

Gattuso knows only one speed

I believe I can fly

Cannavaro deserves most of the credit for this victory

Who let the dogs out? Woof woof woof woof woof

One English paper lacking a fact-checker referred to him as Gianluca Buffon

Only way to stop him is to knock him to the ground

Which Australia did repeatedly

The Princess & the Warrior

Australia begins another pointless foray downfield

I watched this game, didn't photograph the whole time, so this is after the PK, Zambro & Viduka

De Rossi, bottom right, may yet appear again in this tournament

Del Piero pretends to be happy by hugging some weird old guy

Gilardino, Totti & Fat Guy

Aussie contemplates sex w/human instead of old standby kangaroo

Fat Guy apparently doesn't know the rules - don't ever touch Totti

Hiddink, bottom right, contemplates homicide

Bench-warmers congratulate Luca Toni for reasons unkown

Guy on the left hugged & kissed me when Totti scored the winner

Zambrotta pretends to empathize

Then does the bow-legged fan clap

Debbie & Matthias - tifosi for a day

Italia!!

Toss-up between Worst Host City of WC2006 but Kaiserslautern just shades it over Gelsenkirchen