Since 90% of strut factor is going to be sanctimonious as per usual, I just wanna say WORD THE FUCK UP ZIDANE! Way to go out on top! Do not TET!
This game was great. First 10 mins of second half was from France and I do not use this graemlin lightly. Unfortunately, Italy did FUCK ALL most of the match, zero midfield, but nabbed it like you just knew they would!
Final was 10x better than the previous 5 knockout games.
Zidane went out of the field, and didn't reappeared. The team manager is definitely unsatisfied and is quite angry towards Zidane... WTF!!! This guy has been an example during so many years... The way he acted is hard to understand, I guess we'll have an explanation. I suppose the italian defenser said some bad words about his mother or something like that, the pressure rised and then... A few seconds before this action Zidane was kindly asking to this guy "not to get too close", he was begining to follow the team's movement on defense and at this precise moment came the U turn and what follows. The words sayed over Zidane's shoulder must have definitely been shocking. Zidane is also human, please don't talk about a two sided personality, he's one of the most talented football player ever who have been an example during these last 10 years.... Too bad, this was his last action on a football field. I'm amazed... Life can be so surprising and paradoxal.
I couldn't stand to see Thuram crying, I turned off TV...
France was close to win this game, they did dominate the large second half of the match. But that's part of the game so, congrats to Italia.
mhhh say it better: l'italia ha vinto perch?? ha giocato alla grande
Please stop talking s**t... alla grande? Italy has been dominated except for the first half an hour. Italy won, that's part of the game, the biggest part of the match was great football, congrats, but please... stop talking s**t! If I were you, I would smile, shut my mouth, close my computer and go outside in order to celebrate this victory.
Please stop talking s**t... alla grande? Italy has been dominated except for the first half an hour. Italy won, that's part of the game, the biggest part of the match was great football, congrats, but please... stop talking s**t! If I were you, I would smile, shut my mouth, close my computer and go outside in order to celebrate this victory.
ALLA GRANDE = PENALTY ???
First of all -- congrats to a French team that played inspired football... No one expected them to make it so far... It was a beautiful run...
But lets play like Ultramag and Ease Back, son... You should be the LAST person talking about penalty kicks!!!
1) France scored in the last two games on penalty kicks!!! That's it -- nothing else!!! The one against Portugal was questionable... The one they got against Italy was pathetic -- not even a penalty on that one!!!
2) France was lucky when Toni hit the post
3) France was lucky on the offside call on Toni's goal (it was offside, but very fortunate for France - 1/2 step wouldn't have made a difference)
4) France had two chances -- Ribery should have done better on his... Buffon made a great stop against Zidane...
Dominated??? HAHA!!! Hardly... Italy was simply too much for France to overcome... The better team won this year...
what's up with penalty shots to end a world cup championship game? A little weak if you ask me. There should also be penalties for faking injuries. Besides that congrats Italy...
"Zidane had this great ambition about how to end his career," she said. "But the player got overtaken by the man."[/b]
I couldn't have put it better myself. A sad end in my opinion.
NY TIMES
July 10, 2006
Instead of Revelry, a Feeling of Embarrassment
By CRAIG S. SMITH
PARIS, Monday, July 10 ??? In the end there was bewilderment, embarrassment and, among some, a sense of betrayal as the national party planned to celebrate France's World Cup victory and a glorious end to the career of France's star player fizzled in a moment of frayed nerves.
France could have used a triumph to boost the national spirit, flagging after a year of social unrest and political scandals. It could have used an unblemished hero, too.
Instead, Zin??dine Zidane, the team's star and captain, ended his World Cup performance with an ignominious moment of pique that got him ejected from the game. It was his last game before he retires from international competition.
It seemed almost metaphorical for a country that, despite its successes, has been paralyzed by its recent failures. They began with last year's rejection of the referendum on a proposed constitution for Europe, a defeat that sapped President Jacques Chirac's power and left the government consumed by a rivalry between his would-be successors, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
Then came last fall's outbreak of urban violence, which exposed the failures of the country's egalitarian ideals. Finally, the government foundered over a modest attempt to loosen labor regulations. Violence briefly surged again.
Some people had hoped that a victory Sunday would once again draw the country together, as France's victory in the 1998 World Cup seemed to have done.
After all, the team's star players represent the growing multicultural character of this tradition-bound country.
Zidane is the son of Algerian immigrants. Thierry Henry's parents came from the French West Indies. Patrick Vieira was born in Senegal. Franck Rib??ry is married to a North African woman and has converted to Islam; he prays conspicuously before each game.
But the team, like the country, seemed worn out by the end of the game when Zidane suddenly turned and knocked down Marco Materazzi with a deliberate head butt ??? a sickening recurrence of the dark temper that has haunted him throughout his career. The dreams of 1998 ended.
"Oh no, Zin??dine!" a commentator on French television said. "Not that. Not now. Not today. Not after everything that you have done."
The flash of anger warranted a red card for Zidane, preventing him from participating in the penalty shootout that decided the game.
The defeat left the television personalities gathered on a rooftop overlooking the Champs-??lys??es to shrug and grin and talk gamely of how the team had nonetheless dominated the match.
Chirac, himself looking tired, tried to make the best of the disappointment when he was interviewed at the stadium in Berlin.
"There's no reason to be sad," he said. "They have done something extraordinary that thrilled all of France."
Yet even he was distracted by Zidane's abrupt and sorry end. "I don't know what happened that led to the sanction," he said. "But I have great esteem for the man who brought honor to French sport and to France."
After the game, thousands of people, dressed for a celebration that was not to happen, milled about the Champs-??lys??es beneath images of the players projected on the Arc de Triomphe. With Zidane's image were the words "Zizou, we love you." Zizou is his nickname.
Several stores had boarded up their windows, including McDonald's, whose storefront was smashed after France's quarterfinal victory over Brazil. More than 3,000 police were deployed across the city to prevent the violence and vandalism that marred celebrations after earlier games.
There were sporadic firecrackers, some horns and occasional chants of "Zizou! Zizou!" But there was a pointlessness to it that sapped the crowd of vigor.
"It must have affected the spirits of the team," Delphine Vuagnoux, 25, said of Zidane's ejection. "They were losing their captain, and we were losing a myth."
Like many people here, she said she believed that had Zidane participated in the final shootout, France would have won.
"Zidane had this great ambition about how to end his career," she said. "But the player got overtaken by the man."
Ariane Bernard contributed reporting for this article.
Well, it wasn't the first time Zidane did sth like that. He's pretty well known for random fouls.
No matter what, a so called star is not supposed to commit fouls like that. Zidane is a fool. He was acting like a teenager. No matter what the Italian guy said to him. It was a bad mistake. Even worse, he didn't learn to handle his aggression from previous events. I hate it when atheletes act like that. Fair play is essential.
Italy deserved to win that match. Although, after those early goals, I expected a little more action. Not a good game. The penalty shoot-out was the corollary (nice word!).
PS: Germany should have won the cup! (just kidding) I was amazed by Schweinsteigers sunglasses:
Comments
this is what I'll remember ten years from now
This game was great. First 10 mins of second half was
Final was 10x better than the previous 5 knockout games.
Thuram for player of the tournament.
REAL HEADZ WANNA KNOW WHAT DID DUDE SAY TO ZIDANE!?!?!?!?!??!?!
c'est comme on fait aux quartiers nords...you can take the dude out of the banlieue but you cannot take the banlieu out of the dude.
no matter what he said........zidane always been an ass
Zidane went out of the field, and didn't reappeared. The team manager is definitely unsatisfied and is quite angry towards Zidane... WTF!!! This guy has been an example during so many years... The way he acted is hard to understand, I guess we'll have an explanation. I suppose the italian defenser said some bad words about his mother or something like that, the pressure rised and then... A few seconds before this action Zidane was kindly asking to this guy "not to get too close", he was begining to follow the team's movement on defense and at this precise moment came the U turn and what follows. The words sayed over Zidane's shoulder must have definitely been shocking. Zidane is also human, please don't talk about a two sided personality, he's one of the most talented football player ever who have been an example during these last 10 years.... Too bad, this was his last action on a football field. I'm amazed... Life can be so surprising and paradoxal.
I couldn't stand to see Thuram crying, I turned off TV...
France was close to win this game, they did dominate the large second half of the match. But that's part of the game so, congrats to Italia.
You'll have to buy his inevitable book for the answer.
not me, mon ami ! Abbiamo vinto !!!!!!!!!! [/b]
Yes, they won. Congrats to Italy. But please don't insult Zidane... This player is and has always been
TAKE YOUR MOUTH OFF YOU YOU DON'T KNOW THE TRUE AND DON'T KNOW ME[/b]
Penalty = chance
Chance has made Italy win the cup
mhhh say it better: l'italia ha vinto perch?? ha giocato alla grande
Please stop talking s**t... alla grande? Italy has been dominated except for the first half an hour. Italy won, that's part of the game, the biggest part of the match was great football, congrats, but please... stop talking s**t! If I were you, I would smile, shut my mouth, close my computer and go outside in order to celebrate this victory.
ALLA GRANDE = PENALTY ???
No.
ALLA GRANDE = non hanno tocato rete italiana l'intero torneo!!!!
we made it happen and came through in the clutch.
(cant say the same for Zidan)
penalty kicks isnt where we wanted to be, but we aced that shit.
FORZA AZZURI! tutti in strada!!!
saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllty
First of all -- congrats to a French team that played inspired football... No one expected them to make it so far... It was a beautiful run...
But lets play like Ultramag and Ease Back, son... You should be the LAST person talking about penalty kicks!!!
1) France scored in the last two games on penalty kicks!!! That's it -- nothing else!!! The one against Portugal was questionable... The one they got against Italy was pathetic -- not even a penalty on that one!!!
2) France was lucky when Toni hit the post
3) France was lucky on the offside call on Toni's goal (it was offside, but very fortunate for France - 1/2 step wouldn't have made a difference)
4) France had two chances -- Ribery should have done better on his... Buffon made a great stop against Zidane...
Dominated??? HAHA!!! Hardly... Italy was simply too much for France to overcome... The better team won this year...
Hello Monsieur kettle, meet Monsieur pot...
So I guess "chance" won the last two games for France then...
1) Against Portugal on a questionable call
2) Against Italy on a bad call where there was no foul
I couldn't have put it better myself. A sad end in my opinion.
NY TIMES
July 10, 2006
Instead of Revelry, a Feeling of Embarrassment
By CRAIG S. SMITH
PARIS, Monday, July 10 ??? In the end there was bewilderment, embarrassment and, among some, a sense of betrayal as the national party planned to celebrate France's World Cup victory and a glorious end to the career of France's star player fizzled in a moment of frayed nerves.
France could have used a triumph to boost the national spirit, flagging after a year of social unrest and political scandals. It could have used an unblemished hero, too.
Instead, Zin??dine Zidane, the team's star and captain, ended his World Cup performance with an ignominious moment of pique that got him ejected from the game. It was his last game before he retires from international competition.
It seemed almost metaphorical for a country that, despite its successes, has been paralyzed by its recent failures. They began with last year's rejection of the referendum on a proposed constitution for Europe, a defeat that sapped President Jacques Chirac's power and left the government consumed by a rivalry between his would-be successors, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
Then came last fall's outbreak of urban violence, which exposed the failures of the country's egalitarian ideals. Finally, the government foundered over a modest attempt to loosen labor regulations. Violence briefly surged again.
Some people had hoped that a victory Sunday would once again draw the country together, as France's victory in the 1998 World Cup seemed to have done.
After all, the team's star players represent the growing multicultural character of this tradition-bound country.
Zidane is the son of Algerian immigrants. Thierry Henry's parents came from the French West Indies. Patrick Vieira was born in Senegal. Franck Rib??ry is married to a North African woman and has converted to Islam; he prays conspicuously before each game.
But the team, like the country, seemed worn out by the end of the game when Zidane suddenly turned and knocked down Marco Materazzi with a deliberate head butt ??? a sickening recurrence of the dark temper that has haunted him throughout his career. The dreams of 1998 ended.
"Oh no, Zin??dine!" a commentator on French television said. "Not that. Not now. Not today. Not after everything that you have done."
The flash of anger warranted a red card for Zidane, preventing him from participating in the penalty shootout that decided the game.
The defeat left the television personalities gathered on a rooftop overlooking the Champs-??lys??es to shrug and grin and talk gamely of how the team had nonetheless dominated the match.
Chirac, himself looking tired, tried to make the best of the disappointment when he was interviewed at the stadium in Berlin.
"There's no reason to be sad," he said. "They have done something extraordinary that thrilled all of France."
Yet even he was distracted by Zidane's abrupt and sorry end. "I don't know what happened that led to the sanction," he said. "But I have great esteem for the man who brought honor to French sport and to France."
After the game, thousands of people, dressed for a celebration that was not to happen, milled about the Champs-??lys??es beneath images of the players projected on the Arc de Triomphe. With Zidane's image were the words "Zizou, we love you." Zizou is his nickname.
Several stores had boarded up their windows, including McDonald's, whose storefront was smashed after France's quarterfinal victory over Brazil. More than 3,000 police were deployed across the city to prevent the violence and vandalism that marred celebrations after earlier games.
There were sporadic firecrackers, some horns and occasional chants of "Zizou! Zizou!" But there was a pointlessness to it that sapped the crowd of vigor.
"It must have affected the spirits of the team," Delphine Vuagnoux, 25, said of Zidane's ejection. "They were losing their captain, and we were losing a myth."
Like many people here, she said she believed that had Zidane participated in the final shootout, France would have won.
"Zidane had this great ambition about how to end his career," she said. "But the player got overtaken by the man."
Ariane Bernard contributed reporting for this article.
No matter what, a so called star is not supposed to commit fouls like that. Zidane is a fool. He was acting like a teenager. No matter what the Italian guy said to him. It was a bad mistake. Even worse, he didn't learn to handle his aggression from previous events. I hate it when atheletes act like that. Fair play is essential.
Italy deserved to win that match.
PS: Germany should have won the cup!
I was amazed by Schweinsteigers sunglasses: