Italy are finally coming out of Scommessopoli's shadow

KRAKOW, POLAND – JUNE 19: (L-R) Gianluigi Buffon and Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli attend a training session at Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Stadium on June 19, 2012 in Krakow, Poland. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Italy’s start to their Euro campaign dealt a major blow when the Scommessopoli scandal hit the headlines before the start of the tournament. Italian international and Lazio captain, Stefano Mauri was arrested along with 19 others. Their first choice left back, Domenico Criscito was dropped from the squad to clear his name from the scandal. To make things worse, while one of their warm up games got cancelled, they were brutally thrashed by the Russians 3-0, just days before the start of EURO 2012.

But as it happened in 2006, prior to the start of the World Cup 2006, when the infamous Calciopoli scandal struck Italian football, they rose above the controversy and finished the tournament very strongly to lift the 2006 World Cup. Even, in this Euro Championship, they were placed in a tricky group along with World Champions Spain, Croatia and Ireland, who are very much capable of causing an upset. But given their display in the three group games that they have played, it seems that they have left behind the ghost of the Scommessopoli and their defeat against Russia.

In all their three matches, they remained undefeated and most importantly, they have never trailed their opponents in a single game. Unlike the earlier Italian teams, they have played with more attacking intent and even dominated the games against Croatia and Spain. It seems that Italy has been transformed overnight. Whether, it is their defense, that was able to hold-off waves after waves of Spanish attack, or their midfield under the leadership of Andrea Pirlo, who created a number of chances for their forwards, or their three forwards who opened their goal account at the Euros. Every aspect of Italy’s game seems to have changed when compared to their display at the 2010 World Cup.

Should they continue playing with similar intent, there are not faraway from lifting the Euro title.