Rome: Italians launched into frenzied celebrations the moment their national soccer team won the World Cup final on Sunday to give the country something to cheer about after a run of scandals.
Thousands of fans who watched the match on screens in Rome's Circus Maximus, once the scene of Roman chariot races, leapt into the air and hugged one another after watching Fabio Grosso seal the victory for the Azzurri in a penalty shootout, which they won 5-3. The match ended 1-1 after extra time.
Volleys of fireworks exploded in the sky over Italian cities and within minutes of the end of the game cars adorned with green, red and white flags sped through the streets, horns blaring.
"It's beautiful. It's beyond compare. I am so happy," said photographer Andrea Quagliata, dripping with the beer and champagne that was sprayed wildly around a bar in Rome at the end of the match.
Italian football has been shaken by a match-fixing trial involving four of the country's biggest clubs -- Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio -- who now risk relegation to lower divisions as punishment.
Many fans have been hoping that an Italian victory in the World Cup might soften any sentences that a tribunal hearing the case is expected to announce next week.
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