Italy Home 2002 Totti – Size L

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Italy’s path to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan was controversial and ended in the round of 16 amid much controversy. Placed in Group G with Ecuador, Croatia and Mexico, Italy struggled in the group stage.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s team won the first match against Ecuador (2-0), lost the second against Croatia (1-2) and drew the last against Mexico (1-1), qualifying as the second in the group with 4 points.

Francesco Totti was one of the most anticipated players of the Italian national team. In that World Cup, Totti played in all four of Italy’s matches. In the group stage, he provided the assist for the winning goal against Ecuador and played with his usual creativity, even if he failed to find the back of the net.

His most controversial match was the round of 16 against South Korea. In a match refereed in a highly controversial manner by Ecuadorian Byron Moreno, Totti was the protagonist of a key episode in extra time. After entering the penalty area and falling following an alleged foul, referee Moreno cautioned him for simulation (it was his second caution) and sent him off. Italy, numerically inferior, suffered the decisive golden goal from South Korea, being eliminated from the tournament.

Totti’s expulsion became one of the symbols of the refereeing controversies that characterized that World Cup for Italy, leaving a bitter memory in his personal experience and in the entire path of the national team. Despite his talent and expectations, his 2002 World Cup was marked by that controversial episode.