Certainly, subdued for a Latin side suddenly projected to the cusp of greatness again after a too-lengthy hiatus. There were a few embraces, inevitably, but at Hamburg late on Friday evening, this was more a time for reflections on matters elsewhere.

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro and assistant coach Ciro Ferrara unfurled a banner on the field reading Pessottino . . . we are with you, a declaration of support for their former Juventus teammate Gianluca Pessotto, whose apparent attempted suicide has brought bemusement to a nation already transfixed by the current match-fixing trial. Pessotto is in hospital following his fall from a high window at the club's headquarters this week. He was allegedly clutching a set of rosary beads.

It was a night when such strong undercurrents of emotion could have disrupted Italy's almost surreptitious progress through this tournament, one in which they have conceded just one goal . . .

and that a grotesque own goal in the draw with the US. Yet, you felt, it almost empowered them, to propel Italy to within a game of the final.

Some game, that, at Dortmund, admittedly; though you suspect the preference of Marcello Lippi's men may have been marginally a semifinal with Germany rather than Argentina, notwithstanding the advantages always maintained by the hosts.

The side fairly shimmers with lustre, in all areas; from the hugely-influential Francesco Totti, probably the best creator other than Ronaldinho, to the powerful, driving presence of Gennaro Gattuso, the former Rangers man, who is all tattoos and tenacity. What will trouble Germany is that this has been a team performance, in fact, a squad job, which has overcome all manner of adversity, particularly injuries to key players. Remarkably, every outfield player has made some kind of contribution.

The successful deployment of them is a tribute to the astute Lippi, who returned Totti, scorer of the lastminute penalty as a substitute which secured a 1-0 win for the Azzurri in their last 16 match with Australia, to his starting line-up behind lone striker Toni.

Totti had arrived here with a broken ankle repaired, and a nation waiting on bulletins, just as England had for Wayne Rooney, but a reputation sullied by his dismissal four years ago when Italy were defeated ignominiously by the joint hosts, South Korea. He was sent home in even more disgrace from the last European Championships, for spitting at an opponent, but has undergone a renaissance in attitude. His abilities were never in question.

Italy arrive in the semifinals, positive forces harnessed, and believing, as Lippi says: "that anything is possible". Is there a more redoubtable rearguard here than Italy's tough and tenacious blue cordon? Gianluca Zambrotta epitomises its obdurate refusal to yield to the opposition strikers, even those with the prowess of Andriy Shevchenko, who can begin to seriously contemplate a new career in west London; yet, here the Juventus man also unleashed a savage early opener from 25 yards which served to unsettle Ukraine, for whom you always suspected this was a round too far. He also helped complete the destruction of Oleg Blokhin's team, with a thrilling run and low cross, which provided Luca Toni with the second of his brace.

It was not exactly the unblocking of a dam for Toni, the Fiorentina forward whose 31 goals in Serie A last season made him the first man to break the 30-goal barrier in over 40 years, who had failed to score in Italy's last six matches. But the fact that rains had suddenly arrived on this desert plain was a mighty relief for a striker who had been introduced to the world stage so late in his career.

Someone mentioned comparisons with Paolo Rossi, although the image of Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci, who emerged in 1990, springs more readily to mind.

"I really needed to get on the scoresheet, " said Toni. "I was just about the only striker in the team who hadn't scored yet." Indeed. In fact, Italy's nine goals at these finals have come from eight different players."

He added: "I have been a little affected by the criticism I've received. I dedicate these two goals to all those who kept faith in me even when things didn't seem to be going too well."

Italy coach Marcello Lippi had never doubted that Toni, whom he omitted from his side for the final group game against the Czech Republic, would rediscover his touch.

"He's scored so many goals in the past three seasons that there was simply no way he wasn't going to get on target at this tournament, " said the Italy coach. "I'm really very pleased for him and he deserved it. I told him before the game, 'you are going to get one and then the others will come once you have broken through, '" added Lippi.

Now Italy have broken though too, closing on a final which the nation last contested 12 years ago. They may yet surprise us all.