Germany 2006 will no doubt be remembered as the fans' World Cup Germany 2006 will no doubt be remembered as the fans' World Cup. With millions of people attending public screenings of the event, the atmosphere in the host country was incredible, as people from all over the world took the official motto: 'A time to make friends' to heart. On the pitch, 32 teams battled it out for football's ultimate prize. Some bowed out after just three games, while France fell at the final hurdle as Italy claimed the crown of 'world champions', a description that will be used against their name for the next four years. FIFA reviewed the performance of each individual team, according to how the competition ended. The Winners: Italy The Azzurri won the World Cup for the fourth time after holding their nerves in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. For their performances in the group stages, Round of 16, quarter-finals and semis, football fans all over the world would agree that Marcello Lippi's side were worthy winners of the competition. The Runners-Up: France Inspired by Zinedine Zidane, until his dramatic sending off in the Final, Les Bleus surprised everyone to reach the showdown in Berlin on 9 July. Although they looked shaky in the group stages, it was in the knockout stages when they really came into their own, defeating Spain, Brazil and Portugal with relative ease. Third place: Germany The highest scorers at the tournament captured the imagination of the public with a combination of fine football and a never-say-die attitude. Fourth place: Portugal Luis Felipe Scolari's outfit were arguably the surprise package of Germany 2006, overcoming Mexico, The Netherlands and England en route to the semi- finals. Quarter-finalists: Argentina After some great performances in the group stages and a victory over Mexico in the Round of 16, the Albiceleste were unlucky to lose to the hosts in a dramatic shoot-out. Brazil The world champions' attempt to secure their sixth World Cup success ended after a lacklustre showing against France. A tournament to forget for the Selecao. England Unlucky with injuries, unlucky from the spot. Once again, penalties proved to be the undoing of England, who failed to live up to their high expectations at this event. Ukraine Coached by Oleg Blokhin, the World Cup first-timers did extremely well in reaching the last eight, but found Italy too tough an opponent in Hamburg. Round 16: Australia Not expected to get past a group which included Brazil, Croatia and Japan, Dutch coach Guus Hiddink masterminded a magnificent showing by the Socceroos. Ecuador Before the tournament began, it was claimed that the South Americans could not play well away from their home country. La Tricolor proved their doubters wrong. Ghana As the only side from the continent to qualify for the second round, Ghana were rightly described as the 'Pride of Africa.' Victories over the USA and the Czech Republic cemented this claim. Mexico El Tri will be disappointed with their early exit but the match against Argentina which saw them lose 2-1, will surely be remembered as one of the tournament's best. Netherlands After qualifying from what was thought to be the tournament's toughest group, Marco van Basten's men came up short against a well-organised Portugal side. Spain Tipped by many to go far in the competition after disposing of Ukraine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia with relative ease at the group stages, Spain fell at the very next hurdle. Sweden Conceding two early goals in the first 12 minutes to Germany effectively ended the Swede's hopes of progressing into the quarter- finals. Switzerland The winners of Group G failed to convert any of their three penalties against Ukraine to see them exit the competition with an unwanted new World Cup record. Group Stages Angola While not altogether unexpected, Angola's first-round elimination was down to a combination of inexperience and tactical limitations. Costa Rica Costa Rica were hoping for big things in Germany, but the team which was considered to be one of the best in the country's history, failed to get past the group stage. Cote d'Ivoire The Elephants came with a lot of promise and although they fell at the first hurdle, they won many friends and admirers in their all-too-brief visit to Germany. Croatia Soaring expectations back home thought that a clash with Italy was the team's destiny. However, failure to take chances put paid to Croatia's hopes. Czech Republic They entered the World Cup as one of the highest ranked teams and got off to an impressive start. But the journey home came all too soon for the Czech Republic. Iran Defeats to Mexico and Portugal in their opening games left Iran with no chance of advancing. The subsequent point claimed against Angola was no consolation at all. Japan Two goals and a solitary point were all Japan had to show for their efforts at Germany 2006, the tournament which brought to an end Zico's reign as coach. South Korea Republic Victory against Togo gave the Taeguk Warriors their first World Cup success on European soil, but it was not enough to book the team a place in the Round of 16. Paraguay Paraguay returned home having picked up just three points from their three Group B encounters. Their hopes were ended by narrow defeats in their opening two matches. Poland Poland and their fans are unlikely to harbour fond memories of Germany 2006, but a 2-1 win over Costa Rica in their final match did provide some consolation. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia was in their fourth consecutive appearance at the World Cup finals, and once again Sami Al Jaber weighed in with a goal. Serbia and Montenegro The team that only conceded one goal in qualifying, to finish ahead of Spain, somehow ended up on the receiving end of 10 in as many days in Germany. Togo Having suffered three defeats in as many games, Togo bade farewell to Germany as the bottom team in Group G, with off-field issues contributing to their downfall. Trinidad and Tobago Showing great determination and resolve to make up for their inexperience and lack of resources, T&T will look back on their two weeks in Germany as a success. Tunisia Tunisia made history by becoming the first African side to record a win at Argentina 1978. Twenty-eight years on and three campaigns later they have yet to repeat the feat. USA For a team that earned only a single point, thanks to a 1-1 draw with Italy, there is no shortage of things that could have gone better for this US squad.
