Germany 2006
The 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany is remembered for its impeccable organization, festive atmosphere, and the renaissance of Italian football as they claimed their fourth World Cup title. The tournament was a blend of traditional football powerhouses and surprising underdogs, with Italy triumphing over France in a final decided by a penalty shootout after a dramatic 1-1 draw, a match that also saw the infamous sending off of French captain Zinedine Zidane for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi. The German national team, though not victorious, won hearts worldwide with their open, attacking style of play, which contrasted with the more pragmatic approaches of previous iterations. Germany 2006 also introduced new stars to the global stage, such as Germany's Lukas Podolski, who was awarded the Best Young Player, and witnessed the farewell performances of football legends like Brazil's Ronaldo, who became the all-time leading World Cup goal scorer during the tournament.
Knockout stage
group stage
| Group A | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 9 |
2  Ecuador | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
3  Poland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
4  Costa Rica | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Group B | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
2  Sweden | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
3  Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
4  Trinidad and Tobago | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Group C | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  Argentina | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 |
2  Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
3  Ivory Coast | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
4  Serbia and Montenegro | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| Group E | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  Italy | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
2  Ghana | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
3  Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
4  United States | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Group F | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  Brazil | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
2  Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
3  Croatia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
4  Japan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| Group G | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
2  France | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
3  South Korea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
4  Togo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Group H | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  Spain | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
2  Ukraine | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
3  Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
4  Saudi Arabia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
Top scorers
Miroslav Klose (5)Fernando Torres (3) Ronaldo (3)Zinedine Zidane (3)Thierry Henry (3)David Villa (3)Lukas Podolski (3)Maxi Rodríguez (3)Hernán Crespo (3)Patrick Vieira (2)