FANTASTIC FOUR - RECAPPING THE SEMIFINALS

Goals, drama, extra time and four fantastic teams - the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup provided plenty of talking points for fans of the beautiful game.

Here are just some of the highlights:

Italy marches on: It was supposed to be Germany's time to shine and finally exact revenge on Italy.

Instead, the Germans will have to wait another four years.

Fabio Grosso scored the winning goal in the 119th minute and Alessandro Del Piero scored a minute later to send Italy to a dramatic 2-0 extra time win over Germany in the semifinals on Tuesday in Dortmund.

"We deserved it," Grosso said. "We have a great group. We've beaten some very good teams. Now we're going to celebrate reaching the final with all our well-wishers."

Germany was undefeated in 14 games in Dortmund (13 wins and one draw), but it ran into a steely and brave Italian side that would not be denied.

Dortmund's Westfalenstadion was a caldron of noise and intimidation. The boisterous German crowd whistled and jeered every touch of the ball made by Italy, but the Italians paid little mind, as they laid siege to the German goal with some attacking and stylish soccer.

"I can honestly say Italy deserved to win," Italy coach Marcelo Lippi said. "We controlled the play more than Germany did and, in the end, we got these two great goals, which allowed us to avoid the roulette of a penalty shootout."

Unbeaten in 24 consecutive international matches, Italy is now undefeated in five World Cup games against Germany (three wins and two draws). Tuesday's contest marked the first time these two European powerhouses met in World Cup play since Italy defeated the Germans 3-1 in the 1982 final in Spain.

One more game for Zidane: The stage has been set for Zinedine Zidane to end his storybook career in fairytale fashion.

Zidane scored on a penalty shot in the first half to lift France to a 1-0 victory over Portugal in Munich in the semifinals on Wednesday.

The French victory also keeps alive the career of Zidane, who was sensational against Portugal with his magical play in midfield. Considered one of the greatest players of his era, the midfield maestro plans to retire at the end of the World Cup.

"I told myself that if I score and we don't allow any goals, we will be in the final," Zidane said. "I didn't think of anything else."

Zidane continues to turn back the clock in Germany. Against Spain in the second round and Brazil in the quarter-finals, Zidane shook off the effects of age to inspire the French to victory.

The trend continued Wednesday against Portugal. Zidane hardly looked like an aging 34-year-old at the end of his career, and instead played his best game in years, inspiring memories of his two-goal performance against Brazil in the 1998 finals when France won the World Cup for the first time.

Zidane's discovery of the fountain of youth has coincided with France's renaissance.

Prior to the tournament, most pundits predicted France wouldn't even make it to the quarter-finals. The French seemed destined to fulfil that prophecy as they struggled in the first round and only secured a spot in the round of 16 after beating Togo.

But since then, Les Bleus have come to life, coming from behind to beat the Spaniards, shutting out the Brazilians and sending the Portuguese packing.

Klinsmann revitalizes Germany: The last four years haven't exactly been smooth for the German national team.

The Germans lost their way ever since losing to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup finals, crashing out of the opening round at Euro 2004, registering only a handful of wins in international play and dropping to an unimaginable 19th in the current FIFA world rankings.

The team's reputation took a further beating over the last few months, a fact underscored by Germany's humiliating 4-1 loss to Italy in an exhibition game in March.

Such was the outrage after the mauling by the Italians that it prompted some German lawmakers to demand coach Jurgen Klinsmann to appear before parliament to explain how he planned to win the country's fourth world title with his struggling squad.

But at the World Cup, Germany gave their fans plenty to cheer about, brushing aside opponents with considerable style and ease and restoring the aura of German soccer superiority.

The turnaround was so remarkable that Franz Beckenbauer, the former German captain and now president of the World Cup organizing committee, implored Klinsmann to stay on as coach.

Klinsmann, out of contract at the end of the tournament, will take some time before making a decision.

"My own situation is not the most important thing right now," Klinsmann said. "I need some time to let all of this sink in and some time to speak to my family."

No shame for Portugal: For Portuguese soccer fans, the words "golden generation" are a bitter reminder of potential unfulfilled.

Rui Costa, Joao Pinto, Fernando Couto and Luis Figo - a quartet that was the backbone of Portugal's national team for more than a decade - led their country to victory at the under-19 FIFA World Youth championship (the soccer equivalent of the annual world junior hockey championship) in 1991.

Although all four went on to enjoy distinguished careers with some of Europe's most glamorous clubs, they never led Portugal's senior team to glory. The empty trophy cabinet is painful embarrassment for a soccer-mad country such as Portugal, but 2006 marked a new era for its national team, with a new "golden generation."

Players such as playmaking genius Deco, uncompromising defender Ricardo Carvalho, midfield dynamo Maniche, and the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo distinguished themselves with their solid play in Germany.

Defeat to France was heartbreaking for a Portugal team that reached the World Cup semifinals for the first time in 40 years and gave hope to throngs of long-suffering Portuguese fans.

Critics slammed the team throughout the tournament for a perceived penchant for diving and dirty tackling, but Portugal can go home with its head held high after defeating teams like the Netherlands and England.