Dubai: Italian fans in Dubai heaved a huge sigh of relief as Francesco Totti's last-minute penalty against Australia came through.
After almost the entire 90 minutes of play, no goal had been scored until Totti blasted home the penalty after defender Fabio Grosso had tumbled over Lucas Neill's challenge.
Italian fans at the Shaikh Rashid Fan Park cheered, screamed and broke into un-choreographed dances as the three-times world champions made it safe past the Australian Socceroos.
"I don't know if Italy deserved to win after the way they played today but I am not complaining. The penalty was perfectly shot and it feels great," said Italian Roberto Racanelli.
Racanelli, who is from Milan, was thrilled by the support he witnessed from non-Italians. "I know that everything in Italy would have been closed at 4pm and the atmosphere would be very different and exciting. But it's equally great to be in Dubai and watch people from other countries also support Italy. We have a great team."
Indeed, Italian fans outnumbered Australian supporters and came from a variety of nationalities.
"I like the way Italians play. They have the skill and talent," said Ammar Ali, a Jordanian, who admitted to have been apprehensive initially when defender Marco Materazzi was shown the red card..
"The way the game was going I was worried Italy wouldn't win but in the end they made it," said Ali, who wore a caftan stitched specially for the occasion in Italian colours.
"Italy is the best. The very best. I knew they would win," screamed Pakistani Abdullah Shanavle, also an avid Italian supporter.
Meanwhile, Australian supporters, although dejected, were nonetheless proud of their teams' effort.
For Sam Evans from Brisbane although the turnout of the match was "highly disappointing," there was no faulting the Australian performance. "We have played really well so far and even against a team like Italy we were able to hold our own well," he said.
"Realistically, I know that Italy had better chances of winning but you always go in with a positive attitude and back up your team," said Kate Johnston, a 20-year old from Melbourne who admitted that Australia's victory would have come as "a surprise a pleasant surprise of course but still a surprise."
