"We proved a better side than German today," Lippi said. "We hit the crossbar twice and we deserve the win. Nobody can doubt it."

Lippi said that it was a sweet victory since the opponent was Germany.

"We are happy to win the great game over a great team. The stadium was full of German fans and that provided a great match atmosphere.

"To beat the Germans in their backyard is an amazing experience."

In the final 20 minutes, Italy had four strikers on the pitch including the 32-year-old Alessandro Del Piero, who was sent on four minutes into the extra time.

Piero killed off the match in the final minute to pay back the coach's trust and Lippi was also very happy with the veteran.

"When the match was 0-0 and in the extra time, I made some substitutions because I read the game by myself. I sent Piero on and he proved that."

Lippi said: "Piero was close to scoring for several times and scored the second goal. When I sent him on I told my friends on the bench that he will score the decisive goal.

"I watched him in the warm-up before the match and I'm sure he will score. He was also keen on coming on. He is an asset on our side."

Lippi said that he had expected an penalty shootout and he also believed that Italy could also win if the two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 after 120 minutes.

"I believe that we will survive it if the game goes into the penalty shootout."

Italy will vie for the World Cup champion against the winners of Wednesday's game between Portugal and France, but Lippi said that he will not choose one from the two sides as his final opponent.

"I'll be stupid to pick one as my final opponent. We will play whoever win tomorrow's match. I will not favor one from another. That would be wrong."