So Italy are through to the World Cup final while back home a footballing nation reels from a major scandal. Ring any bells?

An Azzurri team that started by stuttering and failing to justify its pre-tournament billing has blossomed into one capable of beating the best - and doing it in style.

Yes, the echoes of 1982 are now inescapable.

Twenty-four years ago Italy was still reeling from the betting scandal that had seen star striker Paolo Rossi banned for two years, while now four Serie A clubs - Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorientina and Lazio - are staring demotion in the face following the 'Piedi Puliti' (clean feet) investigation.

The similarities are unavoidable. In both tournaments Italy started slowly, with the black cloud of corruption and scandal seemingly overshadowing their performances.

In both tournaments their star player (for '82 Rossi, for 2006 Totti) was initially out of sorts and ineffectual, but came good when it mattered.

Rossi himself admits the first three games he played in Spain were the very worst of his career, while Totti performed so badly in the group stages that he was replaced by Alessandro Del Piero for the second round.

Yet in both tournaments Italy reached the final, defeating teams that they were given little or no chance against along the way.

With a nation behind them, Germany seemed to be unstoppable until Tuesday night, and in '82 the Azzurri overcame Brazil, a squad regarded by many as the most talented not to win the trophy.

Somehow they transformed from a team that struggled to draw with Peru and Cameroon in the most dreary of circumstances into one that overcame Zico's samba superstars.

At the start of this tournament, conventional wisdom stated that there were simply too many distractions for Italy to perform. No less than 12 of the 23-man squad play for clubs currently on trial, and five Juventus players face the prospect of their last two championship medals being taken away from them.

Added to this, four members of the traveling party actually flew home before their quarter-final to visit their old Juventus team-mate Gianluca Pessotto after his apparent suicide attempt.

However, far from distracting them, Italy have used adversity as fuel for their success. Perhaps it is simply the fear of what will happen to them at home if they fail. Or maybe Germany 2006 is just a welcome and glorious diversion.

Whatever their motivation, the Azzurri now have their best chance of winning in a generation. Who can bet against a total repeat of 1982?

Marcelo Lippi said that it was Italy's destiny to reach the final, and in the absence of any logical reason, it is hard to disagree.