As Angelo di Stefano leapt at the far post to head home Italy's winning goal, the mass of Logicasiel 'ultras' on the Curva Nord terracing leapt even higher in celebration. This solitary goal proved just enough to beat an impressive Manchester team in this fifth ever Logica World Cup Final.

The England teams arrive at the stadium in Milan. It was just reward for 'gli neri'. Few of the hundreds of Logica staff present would dispute that Italy had played the best football over two days, and even less would begrudge Logicasiel victory after enjoying such generous hospitality from their hosts. Coaches had been laid on, replete with interpreters, and the Siani Sports Complex provided impressive facilities befitting footballers of such high quality! A five-star buffet was enjoyed each lunch-time at tables shaded from an incessant sun by an umbrella of swaying trees, and dickie-bowed waiters were on hand to minimise the suffering of numerous aching limbs.

The Dutch block another Pup attack, but finally fell to a last minute Gautam goal. The standard of football during a gruelling two days more than matched the surroundings. The Irish team from Logica Aldiscon, led by Rob Harte, arrived early in Milan to allow maximum time for "acclimatisation". This strategy yielded some success, as the Irish gave all their opponents a tough game, losing only An easy mistake to make... by the narrowest of margins. And the bottle of Irish Whiskey presented to each opposing captain at kick-off was also far more gratefully received than any team pennant! Holland also failed to win a game, but then they had struggled to assemble a team to travel the long distance. Laurens Zandbelt still remained one of the best players in the tournament, reminding those with longer memories of the great Dutch side of the mid-nineties who won the first two Logica World Cups in Delft (1999) and Antwerp (1996) in such style under legendary Bondscoach, James McCabe.

Lamberts pace leaves a Dutch defender for dead. World Cup fever gripped England, and they entered three teams, including two from the London, Cobham and Leatherhead offices. One, a 'veterans' team comprising a "load of old, fat blokes", had been labelled the 'England Lags'. Meanwhile, the current Logica FC youngsters formed the 'England Pups', and were unlucky to be edged out of qualification on goal-difference, Davinder Gautam impressing mightily with two well-taken goals. The killer-blow for the Pups came in the form of a footballing lesson administered by the Lags on Saturday afternoon. Manchester impressed greatly in their first ever Logica World Cup, winning both games on Saturday to set up a crunch all-England clash the next morning. An excellent The Lags were that good against the Pups, that they could afford to leave some of their best players on the bench. match seemed to be heading the Lags way when Mark Abbott curled home a well-placed shot. But Manchester's resolve and determination did not desert them, and Paul French scored a clinical equaliser with just two minutes remaining. This left Manchester only needing a draw against Italy to qualify for the Final, and this they duly achieved.

France, who had won the 1997 World Cup in Aberdeen, started badly in Milan. However, prompted by talented captain Philippe Soria, and with some extrovert goalkeeping from Cyril Bijouard, they recovered well in winning their last two games to qualify for the play-off game. Once more, a Soria goal inspired 'les Bleus' to a 2-0 victory and third place against an overly-Chiantied England Lags side.

Abbott exhibits the benefits of a good vintage in the third/fourth play-off match. The Italian team from Logicasiel had impressed in winning all but one of their first round matches, scoring nine and conceding zero goals in the process. Tellingly, only Manchester had avoided defeat against them, and now the two best teams replayed in a closely fought final. Manchester's excellent defence held the attacking thrust of the home forwards at bay until after half-time, when Italy finally broke the deadlock. A brilliant run down the left-wing by Trevor Palmer culminated in a perfect cross that allowed di Stefano to score his fifth goal of the tournament. Italy had gained revenge for Italy apply the pressure in the 1999 World Cup Final, a match in which they beat Manchester 1-0. last year's final defeat at the hands of Scotland, and were presented with an impressive new Logica World Cup trophy by Gian Roberto Casaleggio, MD of Logicasiel.

A champagne reception followed, allowing all participants the chance to celebrate a fantastic festival of football. A big "grazie!" is due to Nicoḷ Romani, Elena Mattirolo, Giorgio Barbero, Gianni Balocco, Salvatore Borgese, Fabrizio Ambrosetti, and Sig. Casaleggio, for their immense efforts in organising a truly enjoyable tournament. Roll on Manchester 2000!