By Jane Luscombe
Italy will be kicking themselves today and will probably fall dramatically to the ground afterwards.
Despite all the money, skill and experience on their side, All Whites fans will remember them best for their theatrics.
Monday morning at Bayfield Primary School has never been so much fun. The kids enjoyed singing All Whites chants on top of their usual morning of work.
The lesson today was how to cope with theatrical Italians hurling themselves to the ground at the slightest touch.
Auckland's Italian fans were too busy worrying about conceding an early goal to discuss method acting.
But perhaps Sophia Loren, one of their best known film stars, has been teaching her national team a thing or two.
She loves the beautiful game so much she once offered to strip if her club Napoli were promoted - showing just how far the Italians will go in pursuit of victory.
Looking at the statistics, it should never have been a drama for them. Italy's starting 11 are worth $313 million.
The team’s goalkeeper alone commands a transfer fee of $21 million - that's more than the entire All Whites team.
But today that counted for nothing. It was all about heart, and the All Whites weren't going to lose theirs, no matter how dubious the penalty.
“New Zealand has shown the world you need to go back to playing for the love of the game again, the love of the country,” says players' agent Luiz Uehara.
And it's winning them the love of the fans.
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