Italy were knocked out of the World Cup by a Korean team in 1966, then two years later won their only European Championship. Superstitious Azzurri fans, seeking to draw some comfort from their 2002 World Cup elimination by South Korea, hope history is about to repeat itself in Portugal.

"I'm not superstitious," laughs coach Giovanni Trapattoni, trim as ever at a shade over 65, "but I am religious." Will he be taking the bottle of holy water that he kept in his pocket in South Korea? "Oh yes," he smiles. The water did not prevent Italy's Far East debacle but Trapattoni kept his job, itself a minor miracle.