FOR ITALY, UGLY IS THE NEW BEAUTIFUL AZZURI USES ITS TRADEMARK DEFENSE TO WIN ITS FOURTH WORLD CUP.

Byline: SCOTT FRENCH Staff Writer

BERLIN -- Reality will return soon enough -- today, tomorrow, the day after that. The Roman tribunal will issue its verdicts, Juventus and perhaps a few more big clubs will drop to lower divisions, and most of Italy's stars will have to make quick decisions about their futures.

Until then, it's Fantasyland for the Azzurri, who used 120 minutes of economical soccer, a good deal of French misfortune, and perfection from the penalty spot to climb atop the soccer world Sunday.

Feasting on its iron curtain of a defense, Italy captured its fourth World Cup title with a shootout triumph over France in front of 69,000 at Olympiastadion -- and at least a billion more watching on television.

It started with a penalty and ended with penalties, spot kicks framing a tense 1-1 battle filled with incident and occasionally splendid play, especially from the French. The Italians did one thing exceedingly well, but their successes always have been built on stopping the other side.

``Maybe it wasn't pretty,'' acknowledged midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, whose bulldog mentality bothered France's attackers all night. ``But we were hard to beat.''

A most unexpected triumph, winning the World Cup, for a team in such turmoil. The ``Calciopoli'' match-fixing scandal has raged through Italian soccer for two months, scorching everything in its path.

Thirteen of Italy's 23 players are with clubs facing relegation.

Five play for Juventus, which could be stripped of the past two Serie A titles and dropped into the semipro third division. Their former teammate Gianluca Pessotto, who retired in May to take a front-office position, remains in serious condition after a suicide leap prompted by the scandal.

``Nobody,'' goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said, ``thought we'd win the World Cup.

``If the scandal hadn't happened, I think we wouldn't have won,''

Gattuso proclaimed. ``It has given us more strength.''

Sentiment was on France's side, with Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram, Claude Makelele and, perhaps, Fabien Barthez wrapping up their international careers. The brilliant Zidane, centerpiece of the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship titlists, was playing his final game, period. The French were the better team, the more inventive foe, especially in an oft-exhilarating second half in which Thierry Henry nearly bored a hole through the Italian backline.

But a hamstring injury deprived them of Patrick Vieira, Zidane's chief lieutenant, who exited early in the second half. Young winger Franck Ribery, always a handful, departed in the first overtime period. Henry, cramping up after a superb showing, left shortly after the second overtime period began.

Then Zidane, apparently incensed by something Marco Materazzi said, exploded, ramming his head into the Italian defender's chest. Few saw the incident except on replay -- it happened away from the ball, with Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo's back to the pair -- but word got to Elizondo that he needed to pull out the red card. Zidane was sent into retirement in disgrace, and France's focus was gone.

``We missed him a lot in the last 10 minutes,'' French coach Raymond Domenech said. ``His absence weighed heavily on the match. Yes, we can say that Zidane being sent off was the killing moment of the game.

``Especially in overtime. The Italian team obviously was waiting for the shootout.''

When it arrived, everyone made their shots except David Trezeguet, who had scored the overtime winner when France beat Italy in the Euro 2000 final at Rotterdam. Trezeguet, a one-time France starter whose playing time has dried up under Domenech, slammed his shot into the crossbar.

Andrea Pirlo, Materazzi, Daniele De Rossi, Alessandro Del Piero and, with the decisive kick, Fabio Grosso converted for the Italians, who raced around the turf in celebration as the French fell to the ground stunned.

``This is part of soccer,'' Trezeguet said, ``I placed it well. It's the bad luck of the game.''

``It's football, isn't it?'' Henry said. ``When a game goes to penalties, you have to accept it. It's the way things are sometimes.''

The Italians, who also won in 1934, '38 and '82, had attacked only when warranted, patiently looking for holes when they had the ball and doggedly pursuing when France possessed. They surrendered an early penalty kick after what appeared a poor call but rallied not long after for the equalizer. Set pieces provided the only decent chances: Materazzi's header for the goal in the 19th minute, Luca Toni's header off the crossbar in the 36th, also from a corner kick, and Pirlo's free kick that curled just wide in the 77th.

Zidane provided France a seventh- minute lead, converting a penalty kick after Florent Malouda raced between Materazzi and Fabio Cannavaro and tumbled to the turf. Elizondo's angle wasn't perfect, so it looked like Materazzi had tripped the French winger, but he didn't. He pulled back his foot, an awkward movement, and Malouda -- intentional or not -- clipped his own heels, hit the turf, and waved to the referee.

Elizondo's made the call immediately, and Zidane chipped Buffon. The ball hit the crossbar, bounced down inside the goal, then hit the crossbar on the way back up. Buffon's goalless streak was over at 499 minutes and after four successive shutouts.

Materazzi, sensational defensively, pulled Italy even 12 minutes later. He rose above Vieira, using the big midfielder's shoulder to climb higher, and sharply headed home Pirlo's corner kick.

Henry, Ribery and the electric Malouda took charge in the second half, creating three chances in succession -- the last a genuine penalty, with Gianluca Zambrotta clanging into Malouda. This time, Elizondo waved play on.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi, who had made masterful substitutions all tournament, killed France's momentum by bringing on hard-working midfielders De Rossi and Vicente Iaquinta. There was no place for the French to maneuver, although Malouda gave it his best shot.

Then Ribery was gone, Henry and finally Zidane. Penalties wouldn't be avoided.

``We can only be disappointed ... by the way it ended,'' Domenech said. ``Really, from the game we played, we would have deserved to win. I've said it from the start: Only victory is pretty.

``You can say what we did wasn't bad, but it's Italy who are the champions.''

As the Azzurri celebrated, parading the trophy around Olympiastadion, showing it to their rapturous fans, caressing and kissing it, even putting a hat -- a green, red and white ``Cat in the Hat'' hat, thanks to Materazzi -- atop it, Lippi talked about what it meant.

``It's the greatest satisfaction any coach or player can feel,'' he said. ``The most satisfying moment of my life. ... I've had the fortune to win the Champions League (as coach of Juventus) -- a kind of world title for clubs -- and lots of Serie A titles, but I've never felt anything like this.''

Tomorrow's another day.

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CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 4 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) BELLISSIMO!

Italy wins World Cup final, beating France in penalty kicks

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

(2 -- color) Fabio Grosso of Italy, second from left, celebrates with his teammates after scoring the winning kick in a penalty shootout to give the Azzurri its fourth World Cup title.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

(3 -- color) Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, right, saves a shot on goal by France's Zinedine Zidane in Sunday's World Cup final.

(4 -- color) French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez is consoled by teammate Willy Sagnol after losing in a penalty-kick shootout.

Andreas Rentz/Bongarts/Getty Images

Box:

(1) WORLD CUP AWARDS

(2) PAST WINNERS

(3) OVERTIME FINALS

(4) FINAL SHOOTOUT