world cup final 2006
italy wins the world cup 2006 on penalties with a score of 5-3 after drawing france 1-1 even after extra time was played..as i was watching the game, it started to rain heavily outside my home.. the hot and humid night suddenly became cool and windy, it was as though up there knew we needed some 'showers of blessings' for the biggest soccer game the world is going to witness.. =p
zinedine zidane, after an illustrious career with famous clubs, with the likes of bordeaux, torino, juventus and real madrid, is finally going to end his club and international career, at the biggest possible stage, the final of the world cup.. he has won numerous awards like FIFA player of the year award in 1998 and 2000, together with champions league medals with real madrid in 2000 and 2002, but tonight, he ended his wonderful career with a red card for a shameful headbutt on italy's centre back materazzi at 110 mins..
these 2 players seem to be in the centre of action for the whole night.. france went ahead through Zidane in the 7th minute when materazzi was adjudged to have fouled malouda as he made a clumsy challenge inside the area.. however, to me, it looked as though malouda fell clumisly as contact between the 2 had been minimal..
the french skipper cum attacking midfielder stepped up and audaciously chipped the ball to the left of gianluigi buffon's goal, the ball hitting the underside of the bar, spun half a metre over the line, and then spun out.. back into the hands of the italian keeper..
it was an exciting and breathless start, and materazzi made more than amends for conceding that penalty when he climbed above patrick vieira to level the scores in the 19th min following a superb pirlo corner kick..
the rest of the game was as per normal, with substitutions made on both sides.. luca toni had the whole stadium of italian fans when he headed in a goal from from yet again, a good pirlo free kick, however, he was slightly offside when pirlo delivered the free kick.. credit to the linesman for a correct decision..
in the 2nd period of extra time, zidane almost repeated his 1998 goals with a flashing header that forced buffon into a finger-tip feline save; two of the best players in the world at the world cup raising their game and finding each other up to the challenge with razor-sharp reflexes..
italian players no sign of distraction from the curruption scandal that rocked their domestic football.. we could see the likes of juventus relegated to serie C, while ac milan, lazio and fiorentina could see themselves in serie B..
italy were deserving winners!!
posted by Linus Chia @ 4:49 AM
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