Soundgarden
Superunknown

A special thank you to the Azzurri. Last night at 6:30 PM, after another day of more or less concentrated studying, I put aside my books to allow myself some rest before the great and much-anticipated Germany-Italy match, synonymous with a "great historical challenge," even for a young person like me. To relax and prepare for the match, I decided to listen to a CD.

The choice was easy and almost obligatory: "Superunknown" by Soundgarden. Why this CD? First of all, a simple reason: because I like it. Secondly, because Soundgarden/Cornell brings me luck. I really want to see if you've never been superstitious before an Italy match or your favorite team's game. My superstition was born by chance before Italy-Australia: just a few minutes were left before kick-off, and I had the urge to hear Cornell's great voice in "Show me how to live" (which here he sings under the name Audioslave, just to clarify). I hummed the chorus throughout the match, a great suffering for 90 minutes, but Italy wins at the very last minute.
A few days pass, and before Italy-Ukraine, I heard "Limo Wreck" again with that wrist-shivering chorus "And the wreck of you/ is the death of you all". I hummed the song throughout the match, and Italy triumphs over Ukraine. The proverb says, "Third time's a charm". So last night, I picked up the CD, read the titles, and said, "Look at that! 4th of July is today, got to listen to it!". I listened to it, reading the lyrics that I had diligently downloaded a few days ago and was struck by the chorus:
"And I heard it in the wind/ And I saw it in the sky/ And I thought it was the end! And I thought it was the 4th of July".

The more I listen, the more I am convinced that it will indeed be the "end" for us tonight. I hummed the song throughout the match but this time with more fear than before. I am aware of our strength and the fact that the records are in our favor, but Germany is Germany, a very strong team, and they are playing at home. How will we beat them? The Germans will never let themselves be defeated at home, in their stadium, surrounded by 60,000 people shouting "Deutschland, Deutschland". Yet the boys managed to withstand 120 minutes of enemy attacks, the deafening whistles of the crowd, and the inevitable fatigue, and they gifted us two beautiful goals.

This match will remain engraved in my heart along with the notes of "4th of July"! Thank you, "4th of July", thank you, Soundgarden, but above all, a huge thank you to the Azzurri for all the emotions they have given us and which I hope they will continue to give us!