ITALY GOES FOURTH, CONQUERS FRANCE WORLD CUP DECIDED ON PENALTY KICKS AFTER FRENCH STAR EJECTED FOR HEAD-BUTT.Byline: Staff and Wire Services BERLIN -- The beautiful game turned ugly in Sunday's World Cup soccer final. But in the end, it was all bellissimo for Italy. The Azzurri outblasted France to win their fourth World Cup in a dramatic 5-3 penalty shootout
A penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches which would have otherwise been drawn or tied. after a 1-1 draw -- a battle marred by French captain Zinedine Zidane's ejection in the final moments of his farewell game for a nasty head butt to the chest of Marco Materazzi Marco Materazzi, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI,[2][3] (born August 19, 1973 in Lecce), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, who currently plays for Serie A club Internazionale, sometimes known as Inter Milan. . Never masters of the penalty kick, the Italians made all five, setting off an hour of hugging, dancing and fist-pumping celebrations. ``This squad showed great heart,'' Italian midfielder Genaro Gattuso said. ``Maybe it wasn't pretty, but we were hard to beat.'' Outplayed for 90 minutes of regulation time and into two 15-minute overtime periods, the Italians won it after Zidane committed the ugliest act of a tournament that set records for yellow and red cards, diving and, at times, outright brutality. And it was the last move for Zidane, who is retiring. Asked if French soccer would miss Zidane, coach Raymond Domenech Raymond Domenech (born January 24, 1952 in Lyon) is a former French football player and the current manager of the French national team. He is of partly Southern Catalan descent. His father fled Spain during the rule of Francisco Franco. said, ``Yes, well, he was missed in the last 20 minutes tonight. It weighed heavily in the outcome.'' Without their leader for the shootout Shootout Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. , the French only missed once. But Italy was perfect. Defender Fabio Grosso Fabio Grosso, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2], (born November 28, 1977) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, who plays for Ligue 1 team Olympique Lyonnais and the Italian national football team. Club career Grosso was born in Rome. clinched the Azzurri's fourth championship, and his teammates had to chase him halfway across the pitch to celebrate. Only Brazil has more World Cups, with five. More than 350 fanatics for Italy and France gathered at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood to take in the big game on the big screen. Backers of the Azzuri emerged ecstatic after their win. Les Bleus' contingent were left with the blues. ``It's a huge day,'' said Shawn Azulay, who lived in Italy before settling in West Los Angeles
For the losers, Zidane's inexplicable aggression dominated post-game fan chatter. ``It was a bit depressing,'' said Alex Slezarski, 35, a French national who lives in Hollywood, adding that whatever Materazzi said -- or did -- to enrage en·rage tr.v. en·raged, en·rag·ing, en·rag·es To put into a rage; infuriate. [Middle English *enragen, from Old French enrager : en-, causative pref. Zidane so much ``must have been a real insult.'' But Slezarski wasn't beyond congratulating a fan draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. in Italian colors. ``They're the world champions. They get respect now,'' he said. ``That's the world of football.'' The crowd -- evenly divided in their loyalties -- jumped to their feet in the darkened dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. cinema after a goal each from Zidane and Materazzi to tie the match in the first 20 minutes. ``Now we start all over again,'' said Hugo Schwyzer, 39, of Pasadena, chanting for Italy. ``It's the rollercoaster ride of excitement.'' In Rome, Italians waved flags, threw water in the air, kissed sweethearts and sang whatever song came into their heads. ``This is the best feeling in the world,'' said Luca Jamba, 26, before he joined in the chorus of people who had begun singing the Italian national anthem. ``After 24 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time World Cup is ours again.'' Rather than be disrupted by the current probe back home into corruption among Italian league soccer officials, the Italians survived. ``We knew that with what has happened with our soccer, a nation that has won the World Cup four times ... has the strength to get back on its feet,'' Gattuso said. In the final, they outlasted France, which underwent a renaissance of its own in the last month. The French, racked by dissension, nearly went out in the first round for the second straight World Cup, then Zidane turned them around. They controlled the flow of play Sunday, only to fail to finish through 120 minutes. Their only goal, Zidane's penalty kick in the seventh minute, was the lone score by an Italy opponent in seven games. But the Italians put the ball into the net 12 minutes later on Materazzi's header off a corner kick. And then they held on. Rarely did Italy threaten over the final 75 minutes. But the Azzurri ignored recent history -- they lost a quarterfinal shootout to France in 1998, when Les Bleus ''Les Bleus is often used in a French sporting context, and in particular may refer to:
Andrea Pirlo Andrea Pirlo, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2], (born May 19, 1979), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He currently plays for A.C. Milan, as well as the Italy national team. , Materazzi, Daniele De Rossi Daniele De Rossi, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2], (July 24, 1983) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, who plays for AS Roma. Among his titles also the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, and the bronze medal gained at 2004 Athens and Alessandro Del Piero Alessandro Del Piero, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[4][5] (born November 9, 1974 in Conegliano) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He is the captain of Juventus where he holds several club records (218 goal) and he is a member of the Italian national team. all easily beat France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez Fabien Alain Barthez (born 28 June 1971 in Lavelanet) is a French football player who played the position of goalkeeper. One of the best and most successful goalkeepers to play the sport he played with the French national team, he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 and in the shootout. The difference was the miss by rarely used David Trezeguet, which hit the crossbar on France's second attempt. When Grosso connected with his left foot, the sliver of Italian fans in the opposite corner of Olympic Stadium finally could let out their breath -- and screams of victory. ``We had fear of the penalties,'' said Gattuso, aware that Italy lost the only other final decided in a shootout, to Brazil in 1994. Though no true soccer fan likes seeing a match decided by penalty kicks, Schwyzer at the Egyptian Theater said Italy made up for its loss against Brazil more than a decade ago. ``In penalty kicks, no one deserves to lose,'' he said. ``It really made up for losing in the Rose Bowl in '94.'' On the trophy stand, amid hugs and slaps on the back, Materazzi placed a red, white and green top hat on the Jules Rimet Trophy. An impromptu tarantella tarantella (târ`əntĕl`ə), Neapolitan folk dance that first appeared in Taranto, Italy, in the 17th cent. It had rapid 6–8 meter with an increasing tempo and was thought to cure the bite of the tarantula, which supposedly by the players followed as silver confetti fluttered around them. It was, by far, the prettiest sight of the night. Daily News staff writers Eugene Tong in Los Angeles and Ramona Shelburne in Rome contributed to this report. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) An Italian soccer fan holds up four fingers to symbolize his country's four World Cup championships after Italy beat France 5-3 in a penalty kick shootout to win the final of the soccer tournament in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Sunday. Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press (2 -- color) France's Zinedine Zidane walks off the field past the World Cup trophy after receiving a red card during extra time in the final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Sunday. Andrew Medichini/Associated Press (3) Fans celebrate Italy's victory after watching the World Cup on television at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday afternoon. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News |
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