Buffon has kept his goal intact for 453 minutes at the World Cup, putting him fifth in the all-time ranking for unbeaten goalkeepers.

Buffon was last beaten in the 27th minute of Italy's second group game against the United States when Cristian Zaccardo put through his own net.

The current record is held by another Italian, Walter Zenga, who went 517 minutes without conceding a goal at Italia 90, going five matches unbeaten before Argentina's Claudio Caniggia scored in the 67th minute of the semifinal.

Italy's run to Sunday's Final has extended their remarkable run of World Cup matches without defeat on European soil (excluding penalty shoot-outs) to 25. Their last reverse came in Germany in 1974, when the Azzurri were beaten 2-1 by Poland.