That shot, from that position, seemed to follow a dotted line, a trajectory tattooed in the hearts of millions of fans: the ball kicked by Zaccagni followed the path marked by Del Piero in Dortmund in 2006, semi-final against Germany. Other times and another national team, for heaven’s sake, but yesterday the football gods loved us and drove right up to the crossroads that the parable in the 98th minute, dissolving the Croatians’ dream in their own tears and setting the blue night on fire when the country’s mood was now incinerated. It seems like the beginning of one of those strange and crazy undertakings that we are able to put together when we start badly and then, at a certain point, we turn around. It seems.
But it is difficult to believe it, because we cannot hide the annoying noise of the truth behind the thunderous explosion of joy to the goal by Zaccagni. We were within a millimeter of losing and finding ourselves praying for the repechage and, let’s face it, it wouldn’t have been an injustice ; because, yes, we had better flashes than the caporetto against Spain, but once again we were fearful, distracted, illogical, with many technical limitations and not always clear. Football, however, is this, indeed it is above all this, and Zaccagni’s goal at the last second of the last minute reduces the importance of all the other seconds and minutes played on the pitch Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. Now another European Championship begins for us and that goal could, if nothing else, loosen some psychological brakes, boosting the courage of the Azzurri.
