ITALY WIN THE WORLD CUP 2006

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By Tom Ross, PA Sport, Berlin
Italy won the World Cup on penalties as Zinedine Zidane ended his wonderful career with a red card for a shameful headbutt.

Fabio Grosso smashed the winning kick past Fabien Barthez as the Azzurri claimed their first world title since 1982.

It is their first ever win on penalties in the World Cup and heals the scars of their shoot-off defeat in the 1994 final to Brazil.

France's David Trezeguet was the only player to miss, firing his shot against the crossbar, and Italy skipper Fabio Cannavaro then lifted the World Cup to celebrate his 100th cap for his country.

It was a wonderful moment to mark a brilliant tournament by Juventus skipper Cannavaro.

But the final will be remembered for many years for Zidane's moment of madness on his last game before retirement.

He charged at Italy defender Marco Materazzi and butted him in the chest in the second period of extra-time.

Horacio Elizondo, who sent off Wayne Rooney the quarter-final, reached for the red card after consulting with a linesman. Zidane made his way slowly down the tunnel in tears.

He will not be back as he always planned to retire from football after the final.

Sadly the enduring image of one of the greatest footballers of his generation will be of him ramming his bald head into Materazzi.

The Italian defender fell to the floor and his team-mates reacted furiously.

Both players had been involved in a tussle and Zidane's temper seemed to snap after something Materazzi said.

At first, Elizondo seemed to have missed the incident but after talking to his assistant, he pulled out his red card.

Zidane and Materazzi had been the key actors in the drama all night.

France went ahead through Zidane in the seventh minute when Materazzi was adjudged to have fouled Florent Malouda as he made a clumsy challenge inside the area.

The France skipper stepped up and after chipping his effort onto the underside of the bar, the ball bounced down a yard over the line and spun out.

Argentinian ref Elizondo and his linesman were on the ball and gave the goal.

Zidane jogged away with an arm raised as he joined Pele, Vava and Paul Breitner as the only players to score in two World Cup finals.

It was a breathless start and Materazzi made amends for conceding the penalty when he climbed above Patrick Vieira to level the scores.

The former Everton centre-back, in the team because of an injury to Alessandro Nesta, met Andrea Pirlo's out-swinging corner and headed in his second goal of the tournament.

Luca Toni then hung in the air and rattled the bar with a header before the break as France struggled to cope from corner kicks.

Again it was Pirlo's expert delivery which caused the problem and Barthez was relieved to have the woodwork on his side.

France opened the second-half well.

A typical burst of Thierry Henry's pace and power down the inside left channel sliced open Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta.

The striker opened up his body for a right-foot shot but struck it tamely, straight at Gianluigi Buffon.

Zambrotta then hacked clear from Henry in front of goal and the Arsenal captain dithered over a chance moments later.

France lost Vieira in the 55th minute. He limped off holding his hamstring and was replaced by Alou Diarra.

Marcello Lippi made two changes on the hour, removing playmaker Francesco Totti and English-born Simone Perrotta, in a bid to halt the French charge.

Within seconds, Toni found the net with a header from a Pirlo free-kick but one of his team-mates had drifted offside and it was ruled out.

Pirlo shaved the post with a curling free-kick and Lippi played his final card in the 86th minute when he sent on Alessandro del Piero.

Just like the Euro 2000 final between the countries, extra-time was needed.

Trezeguet, who scored the golden goal in Rotterdam six years ago, came on but this time he would be the villain not the hero.

Buffon made a fingertip save to keep out a powerful header from Zidane in extra-time before the France captain did more damage by sinking his head into Materazzi.

Henry, who was knocked out in a first-minute clash with Cannavaro, limped out of the final in extra-time.

Italy had trusted in fate all the way to Berlin.

The Azzurri have reached the World Cup final every 12 years since 1970.

And their domestic football is in the midst of a corruption scandal, just as it was when they last conquered the world, 24 years ago.

In the stadium where Jesse Owens won four gold Olympic gold medals, Italy won the World Cup for the fourth time.


Teams


Italy Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso,Camoranesi (Del Piero 86), Pirlo, Gattuso,Perrotta (Iaquinta 61), Totti (De Rossi 61), Toni.


Subs Not Used: Amelia, Barone, Barzagli, Gilardino, Inzaghi,

Nesta, Oddo, Peruzzi, Zaccardo.


Booked: Zambrotta.


Goals: Materazzi 19.


France Barthez, Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal,Ribery (Trezeguet 100), Vieira (Diarra 56), Makelele, Zidane,Malouda, Henry (Wiltord 107).


Subs Not Used: Boumsong, Chimbonda, Coupet, Dhorasoo, Givet,

Govou, Landreau, Silvestre.


Sent Off: Zidane (110).


Booked: Sagnol, Diarra, Malouda.


Goals: Zidane 7 pen.


Att: 69,000


Ref: Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (Argentina).

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Marcello Lippi admits Italy's World Cup triumph surpasses all his other football victories.

Lippi, boss of the triumphant Italians, hailed the "heart" of his players and dedicated the win to his family.

The Italians beat 10-man France 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out after Zinedine Zidane had been sent-off for a headbutt in extra-time.

Lippi said: "I have won the European Cup, I have won the Inter-Continental Cup and I have won five Italian titles but I have never felt as happy as I do now.

"This is the greatest joy of my career and I want to dedicate this victory to my family.

"Thank you to my players for showing such heart and great will."

Zidane opened the scoring in Berlin's Olympic Stadium with a seventh-minute penalty.

But he was sent-off in extra-time for ramming his head into Marco Materazzi's chest after an exchange of words.

It was the France captain's final game before retirement and he left the pitch in tears.

Former Everton defender Materazzi equalised with a header from a corner and the game was locked at 1-1 after 120 minutes.

Left-back Fabio Grosso fired the winning penalty past Fabien Barthez in the shoot-out.

The Italy coach defended Materazzi who came under fire from France boss Raymond Domenech for his reaction to Zidane's headbutt.

Lippi said: "You will realise that it was not Materazzi who got the attention of the referee.

"It was the fourth and fifth officials looking at the video at the edge of the pitch.

"We did not do anything. They saw it and they called the attention of the referee.

"When the French fans see television tomorrow they will see what happened and they will think differently.

"Materazzi was not acting. He took a blow and he was hurt."

Lippi paid tribute to Zidane's career and urged him to rethink his decision to retire.

He added: "I am sorry because I hold him in great esteem. I told him that before the game. I was sorry for him to go. It is a shame if he goes on this note.

"That is if he does go because I told him before the game that he should not retire."

Lippi hailed the performances of his captain Fabio Cannavaro and his goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Both play for Juventus, the team at the centre of Italy's corruption scandal.

Lippi said: "This World Cup has given opportunities to two people who have suffered.

"One is Cannavaro. He is the greatest defender in the world. He is just the best but Buffon comes close.

"Buffon did not make the save from the penalties but he influenced Trezeguet's mistake.

"I have seen matches end up in penalty shoot-outs and the ones I have lost are the ones where the players didn't want to shoot.

"My boys wanted it really strongly tonight and that's why we scored all five."

Lippi took Francesco Totti off and thought he was struggling for fitness after playing 120 against Germany in the semi-final.

The Italy coach said: "He paid the price of 120 minutes against Germany. That took it's toll. He had not recovered his optimum form."

Italy's fans launched into a huge celebration as they became world champions for the first time since 1982.

Lippi said: "Thanks to our fans because we felt their closeness. It filled us with hope and pride and joy at a time when we really needed it.

"This was a special match. I don't know if it was a penalty to France but there was a wonderful reaction from my team.

"We always hoped we could make it. We were dangerous all over the pitch but we were playing against a good team.

"We did a great job in the penalty shoot-out. We kept our cool and did not miss one."

Lippi also criticised France boss Domenech for his touchline reaction to Zidane's headbutt.

The Italian said: "He made a gesture that was not very nice, a gesture as if Materazzi had done something but there was nothing. There was no acting. There was nothing going on."

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ITALY

Gianluigi Buffon: Deceived by Zidane from the spot but lived up to his reputation as the world's best keeper with two good saves to deny Henry and another from Zidane. 8.

Gianluca Zambrotta: Booked early on for a late challenge on Vieira. Kept France pegged back by pushing forward regularly and perfectly placed to intercept when Henry tried to set up Malouda. 7.

Marco Materazzi: Nightmare start for former Everton man. Tried to pull out of tackle but still conceded a penalty, then came close to netting an own goal. Made amends with the equaliser and then slammed home a penalty. But what did he say to Zidane? 8.

Fabio Cannavaro: Brilliant sliding tackle on Henry. Superb positional sense as always. Hardly put a foot wrong. 8.

Fabio Grosso: Kept Franck Ribery under control for long periods and pushed forward as well. Took a deep breath and won the World Cup for Italy. 9.

Simone Perrotta (off 61): First player from Ashton-under-Lyme to appear in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst and did not make anywhere near the same impact. 6.

Andrea Pirlo: No real room to exhibit the full range of his passing but created havoc with a series of well-placed set pieces. Flashed a free-kick inches wide. Scored in shoot-out. 8.

Gennaro Gattuso: Shaded an intense midfield battle with Vieira. Covered acres of ground and closed down numerous French attacks. Not the most eye-catching player but outstanding. 8.

Mauro Camoranesi: Solid rather than spectacular. Switched flanks with Perrotta but less effective on the left and moved back again. 7.

Francesco Totti (off 61): Massive disappointment. Barely had a kick. 5.

Luca Toni: Clear sight of goal blocked out by Thuram. Firm header against the bar and a goal ruled out for a marginal offside. 6.

Daniele de Rossi (on 61): Back after his four-match ban but didn't make that much of an impact until he scored in the shoot-out. 6.

Vincenzo Iaquinta (on 61): Provided extra pace to Italy's forward thrusts but little overall impact. 6.

Alessandro del Piero (on 87): No telling contribution from Italy's star man but kept his nerve in the shoot-out. 6.



FRANCE

Fabien Barthez: Could not command his area and his team were under pressure at every set piece as a result. Got nowhere near any of Italy's perfect set of penalties. 6.

Willy Sagnol: Went through Grosso to pick up a caution. Defensively sound but did not do much to aid France's attacking effort when his side got on top. Kept his nerve from the spot. 7.

Lilian Thuram: Brilliant clearing header from Pirlo free-kick, even better block to deny Toni. Commanding presence at the heart of France's defence. 8.

William Gallas: Took the lead from Thuram and virtually as good. No wonder Jose Mourinho wants to keep him. 8.

Eric Abidal: Did plenty of running but his most effective work was when France were going backwards. Scored his penalty. 7.

Patrick Vieira (off 56): Beaten in the air for Italy's leveller. Sound defensively, no impact in attack, appear to pull a hamstring. 7.

Claude Makelele: Like Gattuso, stuck to his job well. Refused to venture too far forward. 7.

Franck Ribery (off 99): Hardly got on the ball in an offensive position during the first-half. Got better but wasted an outstanding chance before his departure in extra-time. 6.

Zinedine Zidane: Coolness personified for penalty and the bounce favoured him. Flitted in and out of the contest but rarely gave possession away. Might have won it with an extra-time header but foolishly reacted to Materazzi and was rightly sent off - a sad end to his career. 4.

Florent Malouda: Went down under minimal contact to win France their early spot-kick. Might have had another after half-time. Influence increased as game wore on. 7.

Thierry Henry (off 107): Crashed into Cannavaro's shoulder inside the first 40 seconds. Recovered and proved to be France's most dangerous forward. Unable to beat Buffon with his best chance and tired badly. 7.

Alou Diarra (on 56): Booked for protesting after a foul on Toni. Did little else of note. 6.

David Trezeguet (on 99): Juventus player who scored the goal that beat Italy in the Euro 2000 Final. No late heroics this time and the only man to miss from the spot. 5.

Sylvain Wiltord (on 107): Might have had a greater effect had Zidane not been dismissed so soon after his arrival. Wasted chance to set up Trezeguet in the last minute. Blasted home his spot-kick. 6.

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THATS MY MARCO ;D





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WHAT A CRACKING DAY EH, FIRSTLY THE GORGEOUS ROGER FEDERER WINS WIMBLEDON FOR THE FOURTH TIME AND THEN WELL...... BUZZIN OR WHAT HERE, ITALY WIN THE WORLD CUP FOR THE FOURTH TIME. WAHEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYY YIPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. ;D

THANK GOODNESS FOR SCANDAL

MARCO MARCO MARCO LOVE YA DUDE, HOW DARE YOU ZIDANE, GO TRY YOUR RHINO IMPRESSIONS OUT ON THAT THUNDERBIRD LOOKALIKE COACH OF YOURS, YOU UTTER TWAT.
WHAT A SAD WAY TO END A TERRIFIC CAREER LIKE THAT, YOU ARE NOW IN 2ND PLACE IN MY TOP FIVE MOST DETESTED FOOTBALLERS. YOU DESERVE A LARGE THWACK FOR THAT, PITY YOU AIN'T STILL PLAYING, HOPEFULLY MARCO WOULD HAVE CAUGHT UP WITH YOU AT SOME STAGE.

OK OK MY TOP FIVE:-

1. ROBERTO CARLOS

2. ZINEDINE ZIDANE

3. DUNCAN FERGUSON

4. BARRY FERGUSON (YOU DO NOT GRAB DOM'S CROWN JEWELS, EVER!)

5. EL HADJ DIOUFF



ANYWAY, LOVE YA AZZURRI FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, YESTERDAY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER, ACTUALLY IT COULD HAVE IF IRELAND WOULD HAVE WON IT BUT THERE YOU ARE.