NO FAIRY TALE ENDING FOR ZIDANE, FRANCE Italy wins World Cup in pks
Zinedine Zidane's international career ended with a red card rather than a World Cup championship. Photo by Tony Quinn
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
Berlin, Germany -- Italy outlasted France in penalty kicks to win its fourth World Cup title Sunday night.
The Italians captured the penalty-kick shootout, 5-3, after playing to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of regulation and extra time in front of a sellout crowd of 69,000 at Olympic Stadium.
Italy also won World Cups in 1934, 1938 and 1982 and trails only Brazil, which has five world championships
Zinedine Zidane’s final match of his career started out so well, but ended in disgrace as he received a red card for head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest in the 110th minute, five minutes into the second extra time. Zidane walked off the field for the last time while French fans whistled in protest.
With the game not even a minute old, French striker Thierry Henry got shaken up in a midfield collision with Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro.
A stretcher crew came out, as the Arsenal striker was helped off the field by team trainers in the third minute. Henry returned to the game in the fourth minute.
The French received a major break in the eighth minute when referee Horacio Elizondo awarded them a penalty kick, although replays showed that Materazzi did not touch midfielder Florent Malouda, who did enough of a job to convince the game official he should call a penalty.
A minute later, Zidane stepped up and chipped a right-footed shot over goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon that hit the crossbar and landed a foot into the goal for his third goal of the tournament. It was the first goal the Italians surrendered from the opposition in the seven-game tournament other than the own goal they scored in the 1-1 first-round draw with the U.S.
The Italians were awarded a free kick in the 14th minute, but Andrea Pirlo's 20-yard attempt from the right side was headed over the goal line by defender Lilian Thuram for a corner kick. But Italy could not make anything of its dead-ball situation.
Materazzi, however, got an opportunity for some retribution in the 19th minute. French defender Eric Abidal knocked the ball over the goal line for a corner kick. At first it appeared Mauro Camoranesi was going to take the corner but Pirlo took his place.
Pirlo kicked an inswinger into the the penalty area that Materazzi rose high into the air over French midfielder Patrick Vieira and headed a six-yard shot past goalkeeper Fabien Barthez for his second goal of the competition. It was the first time both teams had scored in a World Cup final since the 1986 championship game, when Diego Maradona and Argentina outlasted Germany, 3-2.
The Italians almost scored again using a Pirlo corner in the 36th minute, but Luca Toni's seven-yard header ricocheted off the crossbar.
The French came out attacking in the second half and it almost paid off with a goal. Malouda was in the middle of things again. This time he was taken down by Zambrotta on what looked like a clear penalty because the Italian got the man and nothing of the ball. However, Elizonda refused to call a second penalty and the teams played on.
France, however, received a major blow almost on the hour when defensive midfielder Patrick Vieira was replaced by Alou Diarra in the 56th minute after he went down with an injury. The injury was not announced at the time. Diarra had seen but 10 minutes of action in the tournament prior to the substitution.
The French wanted a handball called Toni in the penalty area right before he fired a shot that Barthez saved., but they didn’t get the ball.
Pirlo nearly gave Italy the lead in the 76th minute as his 33-yard free kick sailed barely wide left.
Frank Ribery had a close encounter in the ninth minute of extra time as his 12-yard shot traveled just wide right of the net.
Zidane almost struck again in the 103rd minute, as his 10-yard header was tipped over the bar by Buffon.
