World Cup: Italy Wins

Life is filled with ironies. For some, life is also governed by the principle of what comes around goes around. Whether history is circular or linear is not the discussion here. Rather, it is about France and Italy playing in the 18th FIFA World Cup. A final that saw Italy win on penalty kicks.

Let me first start by saying that personally 1986 remains the greatest final to date. There was something about that final that has yet to be eclipsed by any final since. The soccer was decent in Germany but it was overshadowed by the poor officiating. On a side note, is it time for Sepp Blatter to step down?

Back to the game. Italy had the better play in the first half. France were fortunate to gain a penalty shot in the 7th minute that was not justified. It was clear that Malouda, who was arguably the best player on the pitch, dove. He was not touched by any Italian defender. That changed the game. Had that not happened it is quite possible France would not score. Italy almost took the lead when Luca Toni hit the crossbar with a header. He later scored but was called back. He appeared to be on-side.

While they dominated midfield play, France did not manage to get too many real chances in close. To their credit, it was France who took the play in the second half to Italy. The Italians did not seem to have an answer to France's solid and stingy defense. Still, real chances remained fairly even.

It is in the overtime period where things took a surreal turn. Zinedine Zidane was red carded in the 110th minute for headbutting Marco Materazzi. It was a jaw dropping display of inexplicable thuggery. I could not believe my eyes. No matter what was said how is he to justify such an act? That he put his team in a precarious situation goes without saying. If I were his press secretary I would have him apologize to save his legacy. If not, Zidane will be remembered for this unfortunate act. For hockey fans, the best way to describe Materazzi is by comparing him to Ken Linseman - only he scores more.

The French raised eyebrows further when head coach Domenech substituted Theirry Henry. Strange as Henry had been playing a strong match up to that point. This notwithstanding, the Italians were not able to capitalize.

The game went into penalty kicks and the hero in the Germany match Fabio Grosso scored the final goal and Italy won their fourth world title. One behind Brazil's five.

Sour grapes will no doubt be the breakfast dish in France. They did not seem to take the loss all that well. Well, now they know how Italians have felt since 1990. I opened this piece writing about irony. Here are a couple:

-While Italy did play a more open style of soccer, the majority of their goals came from their defenders. Notably Materazzi and Grosso.
-In 1998, Italy played slightly better than France only to lose on penalty kicks
-In 2000, the Italians outclassed France only to lose it in the dying moments and on a subsequent golden boot scored by the classy David Trezeguet.
-David Trezeguet was the only player to miss his penalty kick.

There you go. What comes around goes around. It was Italy's turn. The reality is that they have no reason to defend their victory to skeptical fans. They were the best team in the tournament. We've seen this many times in football where the semi-finals are far more enthralling than the final. This happened today in soccer. There was no way Italy was going to match the same emotion displayed against Germany.

Sometimes great teams get outplayed and find a way to win. This is what happened today. Not to mention some sweet historical justice. Enjoy Italia.