World Cup 2006: Italy v. France

BBC SPORT

ITALY WINS, on penalty kicks!

zidane_red.jpg
Zidane’s blatant, vicious head-butt against Materazzi is unbelievable. I have never seen anything like it. And in a WC final? In the waning minutes of such a great player’s career?

110 mins: RED CARD
After a lengthy delay and consultation with his linesman referee Horacio Elizondo sends off France captain and talisman Zinedine Zidane. From hero to villain in one moment of lunacy.

109 mins: What’s going on here? Zinedine Zidane has lost it. He has headbutted Marco Materazzi in the chest. The Italians are furious and rightly so as Marco Materazzi lies on the pitch.

Tied at 1-1 after double overtime. The game goes to penalty kicks, which Italy won 5-3.

A final note of consolation: only one team in this World Cup managed to get a result against the eventual champions, Italy — the lowly United States! We only garnered one point, but we earned it off the champions.

Youtube video via Cdr Salamander

Comments

  1. Bill K wrote:

    Such a classless move from a classy and wonderful player. I am tremendously interested as to what the Italian player said to Zidane.

    Normal trash talk shouldn’t fire anybody up like that. I mean, a racial slur?

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 4:32 pm

  2. commissar wrote:

    Bill,

    I share your bewilderment. What could Materozzi have said? Evidently, he didn’t do anything physical.

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 4:46 pm

  3. CDR Salamander wrote:

    So, I guess the French will fight if you fiddle with their left nipple - at least the Muslim French.

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 4:51 pm

  4. Blue Stranger wrote:

    I heard a rumor that speech experts analyzed the film and that Materozzi called Zidane a terrorist.

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 4:57 pm

  5. Pigilito wrote:

    Truly disgraceful. I await his explanation.

    The Swiss are quite pleased with Italy’s win.

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 5:05 pm

  6. CDR Salamander wrote:

    Youtube has the video. Who knows what what was said, but the youtube comments are getting nasty…if you know Fwench.

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 5:34 pm

  7. Dan Patterson wrote:

    Another reason that soccer (oh, sorry. Fuuthbaahll) is a bewilderment to many Americans: The game was decided while play was suspended!! A rules violation while everyone was sauntering back to position, resulting in a penalty kick to win. Victory by default. Winning because of a temper tantrum not because of superior play or better strategy, but because of a rules violation while the ball is out of play!! That would be like an American Football game being decided by the neatness of a locker room, or a NASCAR team blackflagged for improper decal placement. Bleah.

    Dan Patterson
    Arrogant Infidel

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 6:41 pm

  8. commissar wrote:

    Dan,

    Zidane’s red card did not decide the game. At a stretch, one might try to argue that France would have won if he had stayed in the game.

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 6:44 pm

  9. chip wrote:

    I was wondering how long it would take that video to get to YouTube…

    And who cares if it decided the game? Being able to head-butt somebody onto their ass is awesome, Frenchie or not.

    Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 7:05 pm

  10. Daniel Berczik wrote:

    What lost the match was the cutesie PK from France. Italy went right at the goal. Zidane might have helped in Penalty, so in a way, in speculation, I guess that Zidane forfeited. Still kind of amazing.

    Posted 10 Jul 2006 at 6:43 am

  11. anonymous wrote:

    Well, Zidane has lost his head before,as have Kluivert,Cantona,Rooney,Beckham & I’m sure you can find similar incidents from times gone by.It’s the timing that’s most shocking,I guess.

    My personal theory is that the shoulder injury that ZZ picked up in an earlier contact - which apparently hurt so bad that at first,he signalled to the bench to prepare for taking him in - contributed to the events.Maybe he believed the Italians were out to get him.In any case,inexcusable.

    Posted 10 Jul 2006 at 7:01 am

  12. John the Marine wrote:

    I don’t know soccer… Nor do I ever care to. However, three cheers for Italy! Anyone who puts the French in their place is OK in my book.

    Posted 10 Jul 2006 at 11:03 am

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