FINAL

ITALY 1 FRANCE 1 (5-3 PEN)

Somewhere in Italy, Roberto Baggio must be smiling. His latter-day Italian football team made amends for his heartbreaking shootout miss in the 1994 final by beating France on penalties and winning the trophy for the fourth time, their first since 1982.

Of course, the win is also a redemption of sorts for Italian fans across the world who have been wrongly cheated by the ugly match-fixing scandal on trial back home.

The Azzurri fought back from an early deficit and held off a French team who looked the better side for much of the match. But in a freakish spectacle that threatens to overshadow Italy's win forever in people's minds was a violent moment of insanity for Zinedine Zidane, France's legendary midfielder who is retiring from professional football after the World Cup. Provoked in ways unknown by clownish Italian defender Marco Materazzi with about three minutes left to play in extra time, Zidane turned and charged him, away from the ball like a crazed bull, headbutting Materazzi right in the chest. To say it tarnished the match and possibly Zidane's career would not be an overstatement, which speaks to the horror, the freakish naure of the whole incident. The TV camera's shot from across the field of the back of Zidane walking right past the trophy as he heads toward the dark corridor, alone, to hit the showers early will live with me forever. Pictures are worth a thousand words supposedly, but this one needed no words at all. Remember how I said that, should France win, Zidane lifting the trophy would go down as one of the most enduring images in sports? This one could top that.

The match got off to a fantastic start, though Arsenal fans may disagree. Thierry Henry was literally out cold in the first minute after an innocent collision with Fabio Cannavaro. He lay on the ground twitching, and when he sat up his head rested on the trainer's shoulder. But a couple minutes later, back on his feet at the sideline, smelling salts revived the player and he came back on the field. Soon after, Florent Malouda made a surging run through the box only to be felled by Materazzi for a penalty kick. Zidane deftly chipped the ball softly toward goal, where it hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced behind the goal line to give France the early lead. Some have questioned the legitimacy of the penalty, but the ref showed no hesitation in awarding it.

Just a few minutes later though, Italy leveled the scoreline when Materazzi, making amends for his penalty kick giveaway, rose above Patrick Vieira on a corner kick and headed it right past Fabien Barthez in goal. Although he appeared to hold Vieira down, the ref nonetheless allowed the goal. The match then dissolved into a defensive stalemate, with Luca Toni providing the only remaining moment of brilliance in the half when he rose above the French defense on another corner, only to strike the crossbar.

The second half saw France seem to play with more flair, determination and attacking desire than Italy. Henry made some great runs with the ball but lambasted Malouda for not making a proper run. Ribery started working his magic and France was often just one good ball away from retaking the lead, but every time the revered Italian defense held its form. Toni and Italy had one more golden opportunity and actually put the ball in the back of the net, but it was ruled offside as a number of his teammates were behind the defense on the free kick.

France suffered setbacks as Vieira quietly left in the 55th minute holding his hamstring and was replaced by Alou Diarra, while Thierry Henry was subbed out for Sylvain Wiltord in the 107th minute. He walked slowly back to the bench, looking gassed. These substitutions, as with Ribery taken off for David Trezeguet in the 100th minute showed manager Raymond Domenech was either putting on his best penalty takers or was trying to win the game outright. Meanwhile, Italy seemed more than content to sit back and wait for a shootout.


Sadly, right before Zidane's moment of rage he nearly put the game away. In a neat one-two, he passed it out wide to Sagnol who sent in a deadly accurate cross. Then, unmarked and jumping very high, Zidane nailed a beautiful, unstoppable-looking header toward goal only for Gianluigi Buffon to knock it over the bar. It was France's best chance to score and Zidane's last as a professional player. Moments later he felled Materazzi and was shown a straight red. I'm currently suffering explanation fatigue in searching for answers, but the best anyone can do is speculate. Suggestions range from a nipple tug, to insulting Zidane's Algerian roots by calling him a terrorist, or worse, saying his dad was a 'harki,' a term for Algerian 'traitors' who sided with France during the independence wars. Supposedly Saudi Arabians said the same thing in 1998 when he famously stomped on one of them. But Materazzi denies everything, and with Zidane being the private man he is, we may never know why such a sublime football career could end so horribly.

Perhaps he's not into storybook endings, or maybe he wanted a more rock 'n' roll exit, but I've also read that he got into a huge argument with Domenech during one of the extra time stoppages picked up by Spanish TV but not the American (I don't understand how this is possible, since they've all been playing the exact same feed). Someone was insinuating that Zidane did what he did to have the final word against his manager, whom he reportedly never got along with anyway.

With Zidane, Henry and Vieira unavailable, France were now missing likely their first three penalty shooters. Barthez proved absolutely worthless as all five Italians made their penalties: Pirlo, Materazzi, De Rossi and Del Piero, with Fabio Grosso, in many ways their savior throughout the tournament with crucial, game winning plays against Australia and Germany, burried his in the back as the celebrations began. Meanwhile, France's Wiltord made his, But Trezeguet hit his perhaps an inch too high as it struck the crossbar and bounced away, instead of in as Zidane's had done two hours earlier. To their credit, Abidal and Willy Sagnol subsequently made theirs, but it wasn't enough. Italy were champions, this time victors instead of victims of the penalty shootout, while Trezeguet, who beat Italy with a Golden Goal in Euro 2000, became the goat in a game he didn't enter until extra time.

This French team crashed out in such perfect tragedy: a bunch of veterans start slow, with their best player coming back for the last tournament of his professional life. With their backs to the wall, they score and play well when they need to, then really turn it on, knocking off three of the top teams to reach the final. And just when everyone is ready to write this perfect little ending for them, they surprise everyone again. It's not that they fell short. In contrast, they were by far the better team down the stretch in this match. Zidane even decimated his shoulder late, but he kept playing. Then the old man, rising in the box for one last time gave his best effort - one last moment of magic, one last piece of brilliance pulled from deep down in his bag of skills. But this time his brilliance was matched by the goalkeeper. Seconds later, he was gone. Forever. It was Greek. It was Shakespearean. No, it was better than that, because it was so real, so unscripted, so unexpected by the entire world.

Penalty shootouts are such an awful, anticlimatic way to end a contest, especially a World Cup final. Something about Grosso's penalty take just didn't feel decisive and final, and it never does. But those are the rules, and to Italy's credit they had a host of wonderful, weird celebrations on the pitch to make up for it. Mauro Camoranesi had his samurai knot cut off as his teammates sat him in a chair and circled around him, Gennaro Gattuso was inexplicably running around in his underwear, Francesco Totti wore an Italian flag on his head like Little Red Riding Hood, and a number of the players accepted their medals while wearing their shirts backward. It was deserved lunacy after the unimaginable amount of stress placed on the team by the scandal back home on top of the typical World Cup pressure to perform. And who more fitting than captain Fabio Cannavaro, probably the most outstanding player of the tournament and the glue of the impenetrable Italian defense, on the day he earned his 100th cap, to lift the trophy as Italy were crowned champions?

In many ways though, the final match was a two-hour representation (a microcosm as many of my teachers would have said) of the tournament as a whole. Defences reigned supreme while only occasional moments of brillance shown through. Diving and cards marred an otherwise excellent tournament, on European soil for the last time for at least 12 years. But long after all the diving, the low number of goals and the record number of cards are forgotten, the football world will remember Germany 2006 as the year Italy were crowned champions for the fourth time, and for the horrific final exit of one of the best football players of all time. But not necessarily in that order.

A (VERY, VERY) ABRIDGED GLOSSARY OF AMERICAN ESPN COMMENTATOR TALK


360 degrees, 'to come full-circle' - said when 180 degrees or 'a change in the team's fortunes' might be more appropriate

battling in the paint - a basketball term with no place in soccer

certainly - certainly John Harkes' favorite word. Certainly he uses it to start every sentence

Chelsea - a west London club who apparently reached the Champions League final this year, unbeknownst to Arsenal and the rest of the world

Christian Ronaldo - a suspicious lookalike of Portuguese showpony Christiano Ronaldo

geezer - a colorful bit of English guy slang whose meaning American announcers have no idea

give and go - another basketball term not used in soccer. Seriously, guys...

hook tackle - a tackling technique known only to commentator and former player Marcello Balboa, who is living proof of brain damage caused by too many headers

Lesbian - the capital of Portugal, according to the otherwise excellent Adrian Healy

Lionel Messi - young Argentine star whom Dave O'Brien asked of the audience, 'ya gotta wonder now why Lionel Messi hasn't entered the game yet,' late in the game after manager Jose Peckerman had used all of his substitutions

Mark Viduka - Australian striker who is 'one of the most dangerous strikers in the English Premiership' according to Dave O'Brien, in a league boasting such striker-nobodies as Thierry Henry, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Luis Saha, Hernan Crespo, Didier Drogba, Michael Owen, Robbie Keane, Darren Bent, Djibril Cisse... Mr. Viduka finished the 05/06 season far away from the top 20 in goals scored

Michael Beckham - English player on the pitch when Dave O'Brien is calling a soccer match (David Owen was nowhere to be found, however)

Paul Robbins - England goalkeeper on the field according to Dave O'Brien, presumably in place of Paul Robinson

PK - a scoring opportunity inside the box known only to Americans

playmake - a verb, according to JP Dellacamera. Used by No. 10s like Zidane, Riquelme, Ronaldinho, etc. to make a play, presumably

racehorse start - a fast start to a match?

SCORE! - Rob Stone's version of 'GOAL!'


Where oh where was Derek Rae, the best commentator in America by a country mile, throughout all this? Thank god for Univision...

THIRD PLACE MATCH

GERMANY 3 PORTUGAL 1


Germany finished with something to show for their amazingly unexpected (except by me: ask my friend Josh what I thought of Germany on June 8) World Cup run by manhandling a Portuguese side who have learned nothing from both their shortcomings and the criticism levelled toward them throughout this tournament.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was the man of the match after scoring two wonderfully taken goals from practically the same spot - perhaps 25 yards out from the left - making the Portuguese keeper Ricardo look amateurish as he flailed and jumped the wrong way. He even set up the third, taking the free kick that Petit put into his own net. Meanwhile on the other side, Oliver Kahn was superb in the German goal, starting in the spot conceeded to him by his new best buddy, Jens Lehmann. He made several fantastic saves throughout the match and only let in a diving header by Nuno Gomes on a cross by Luis Figo that would have left every other keeper in the world helpless as well.

Even with Ballack resting, Germany looked in firm control, as Torsten Frings' return from suspension (after Italian TV tattled on him prior to the Italy v. Germany match) brought strength to a German side in which his contributions in their campaign cannot be overstated. Klose and Podolski played well (sorry about the comments yesterday, Lukas) and the defense did their job for the most part.

But by now it's obvious that Portugal were a couple good strikers and any shred of dignity short of being much better in this tournament. Pauleta was been thoroughly unimpressive. Their main striker only scored in the first minute of their first match - against Angola - on a goal for which Luis Figo did most of the work to set up. He has no moves except to dive and complain. I think he might have scored that penalty too, against Mexico (or was it Simåo?), but I'm not going to really count that. Seriously, he's terrible. I would look no worse in the box than he does. What if this team had a decent finisher? Secondly, Christiano Ronaldo was up to his same old tricks, running straight at the Germans today. He can force the pace when he first gets the ball, no question, but playing with a guy who tries to beat every player in front of him can really disrupt the rest of his team. Can you imagine trying to time your runs when he's busy on the sideline trying to fake someone out for 10 minutes?

But it was the same old from Portugal as well with their behavior. By now you'd think they'd figure out that running and falling down, regardless of contact, won't get them the calls, but there they were again, looking like a grenade just exploded right behind them whenever they came upon a German defender. Thankfully, the ref was having none of it, yet once again Ronaldo was one of the worst offenders, doing nothing to argue his case for the Young Player Award given out yesterday, for which many assume he was overlooked because of this sort of gamesmanship.

And talk about a bad day: Petit entered the game at halftime, was caught ball-watching as Schweinsteiger fired two goals right past him before he decided that defending might be a good idea, and between these two goals knocked one into his own net as well.

So congratulations Germany. You represented your country well, and for that they are obviously extremely proud of you. Congratulations as well on playing completely unlike the German teams we all remember. Great team, even better hosts. Portugal, thank god you didn't make it to the final. It's a shame your talents were overshadowed by your ugly behavior. Go to your room and come back in (Euro) 2008 with better manners.


* * *

As for tomorrow's match: Wow. Two teams peaking at just the right time. Both have outstanding defenses, leaving me a bit worried that it will be a low scoring affair, but think of the matchups: Henry against Cannavaro, and holding back Zambrotta from attacking; Zidane trying to draw Gattuso out of position; the Italian defense trying to stifle Ribery dancing through them; Totti, Pirlo and maybe del Piero going up against Vieira and Makelele. The efficiency of Buffon vs. the buffoonery of Barthez. And with Saha unavailable, will it be Trezeguet time deep into the match? After all, 'all he does is score goals,' one of my favorite lines. Whoever comes away with another star on their jersey, I'll be happy. Both teams have been plenty entertaining and are immensely talented. But Zidane is probably the ultimate big-game player. Think about it: the 1998 World Cup final - two goals headed in, to opposite corners of the net; the 2002 Champions League final, with his incredible left-footed volley; Euro 2004, in which he singlehandedly beat England late with two goals. To see Zidane lift that trophy one last time would go down as one of the most memorable images in all of sports, for all time. Les Bleus v. Gli Azzurri: blue on blue. I can't wait.

Lukas Podolski wins Best Young Player Award



Though I disagree with him winning the award, at the same time I can't think of who would be better deserving of it. Arriving on much hype, he only scored against Sweden in goals that Klose set up, and against Ecuador - a meaningless goal in a nearly meaningless game. Meanwhile he blew numerous chances in the nailbiter against Poland, was very quiet against Argentina (though he did put away a penalty kick) and wasted the few great opportunities he had to send Germany into the final past Italy. He plays similar to David Trezeguet - rather one-dimensionally - but is not nearly as effective.



Diving, crying and winking excluded, I'd say Christiano Ronaldo looked like a more certain candidate. He was more important to his team's success, though that may seem so by virtue of his position on the field compared to Podolski. I'm sure FIFA, or Gillete, or whoever votes on this took onto account Ronaldo's antics. Once again it's a shame, because Portugal don't need to resort to that kind of behavior. They have the players and the coaching to take them this far, they just for some reason think they need it to get by. But let me say this: I still maintain that Ronaldo is innocent in, and had nothing to do with getting Wayne Rooney sent off. First of all, I've played a lot of sports in my life, and I can say for certain that when one of your teammates is down, injured or in pain, you rush over to help them out and confront the aggressor. While you're there, suspended in disbelief that a guy consciously put his studs in another guy's private area, you might explain your exasperation to the referee in the heat of the moment. All guys with a pair can understand this. Furthermore, I replayed the incident over and over again, and it looks like (though I'm not a lip reader) all Ronaldo says to the referee is 'Look at that,' before Rooney shoves him.

Whatever, congratulations Lukas Podolski. But if only France's Franck Ribery were a year-and-a-half younger...

SEMIFINALS

FRANCE 1 PORTUGAL 0



The English-speaking media's heroes and villains were pitted against each other in the second semifinal match today. France won back their crown as the darlings of football as writers and fans have been dazzled with their return to form, and caught up in the prospect of Zidane, Thuram, Makelele and Vieira taking it home one last time.

On the other hand, after upsetting the English-speaking world with their performances against Holland and England in which accusations of diving, acting and cheating were constantly thrown around, Portugal came into this game less liked than Osama bin Laden by the English media.

France came out looking far from they did in their world-beating matches that led to this semifinal. They took a cautious approach, playing half speed and staying back. They showed why as Portugal got off to a blistering start, with Christiano Ronaldo in particular going straight at the French defense, throwing everything he had at them, all while receiving a chorus of boos every time he touched the ball. Indeed, they looked the more dangerous side, but France's cautious attacking finally found Thierry Henry in the box in the 32nd minute. He beat Ricardo Carvalho to the middle but was dropped with a slightest of leg pokes, slightly reminiscent of Michael Owen's easy takedown against Argentina in 2002. This set up a penalty kick taken by Zidane. His easy three-step kick is nearly unbeatable. Portuguese keeper Ricardo even guessed correctly, but couldn't reach far enough or fast enough to stop it, and it was 1-0 to les bleus.

Carvalho's postgame take on his foul on Henry was classic - typically Portuguese in this tournament. The Fiver said it best:
'"I know I made contact with Henry but the referee could have played
the advantage. He did their job for them" - you gotta love those
Portuguese. Having fouled someone in the box and then admitted it,
Ricardo Carvalho is still wondering why the referee had the gall to
give a penalty against him.'

Portugal's answer to finding themselves down was to keep attacking, while embellishing and making the most of the dark art known as, shall we say... 'simulation.' They went flying wildly on what replays showed was very little, even no contact at all. For some strange reason, their diving seemed to occur most often inside France's box. Thankfully, the referee was having none of it. What's more, France did an excellent job of concentrating on defense throughout the rest of the game: they rendered Portugal's only striker, Pauletta, invisible (though he has a habit of doing this to himself anyway) while Makelele and Vieira shut down playmaker Deco for nearly the entire match. This no doubt made the difference as Sagnol was once again brilliant and Eric Abidal able in handling Ronaldo and Figo up the sides. Meanwhile, all Maniche could do on this day apparently was try to break Frank Lampard's unofficial record for most shots over the bar.

Surprising nobody (backup keeper Gregory Coupet no doubt included), Portugal's best chance came on another Fabien Barthez boneheaded goalkeeper save of a free kick. The swerving ball bounced high off his chest only for Figo, just waiting for it in the box, to knock it high over. A few more failed dives by Portugal and the game was over: good had triumphed over evil according to the press, as Zidane and co. were once again playing for the World Cup while Christiano Ronaldo was once again crying, this time for losing.


Oh, and by the way, pre-final, here's my all-tournament starting XI:

Goalkeeper:
GIANLUIGI BUFFON, ITALY

Defenders:
FABIO CANAVARO, ITALY
WILLY SAGNOL, FRANCE
RAFAEL MARQUEZ, MEXICO
FABIO GROSSO, ITALY

Midfielders:
ANDREA PIRLO, ITALY
PATRICK VIEIRA, FRANCE
GENNARO GATTUSO, ITALY
MAXI RODRIGUEZ, ARGENTINA

Strikers:
MIROSLAV KLOSE, GERMANY
FERNANDO TORRES, SPAIN

SEMIFINALS

ITALY 2 GERMANY 0



Living up to everything at stake in a World Cup semifinal match, Italy advanced to the final, their first since 1994 while the host nation finally wilted in the face of a better opponent.

The opening 45 minutes was blistering, though mostly dominated by Italy. Midfielder Mauro Camoranesi proved his worth to his country, despite still not knowing the national anthem, by making blistering runs up the right side and always seeming to find a way to cross the ball into the box. Though Italy often advanced the ball up the wings, it could be said that Torsten Frings' workmanlike absence was felt for Germany. While Italy had more first half scoring chances, perhaps the best one fell to Germany when midfielder Bernd Schneider found himself wide open at the corner of the box, only to fire it into the stands off of Gianluigi Buffon's fingertips.

The second half, however, was a different story. Germany slowed the game down and controlled possession. Italy had neither the ball nor the space to move around with it. But the azzuri's world class defense denied Germany any real opportunities. In fact, red hot striker Miroslav Klose and his overrated partner Lukas Podolski were rarely seen. Italy continued to play tough and had only the ineffectiveness and lame diving attempts of Francesco Totti to be ashamed of. Buffon, in particular, was incredible in goal, as was Lehmann for Germany. He read every corner kick and came off his line every time. Totti almost caught the Germans sleeping when he threaded a ball into the box for Simone Perotta in the 85th, but Lehmann came charging out, getting his knuckles on the ball while flying sideways and colliding with Perotta. It effectively sent the game into extra time, which must have left the Italians a little worried, considering their abysmal penalites record in World Cups compared to Germany's.

Klinsmann did get his speed merchant, David Odonkor, into the match in the 83rd minute, while Borowski was replaced by Bastian Schweinsteiger back in the 72nd, but to no avail. Lippi, on the other hand, replaced an ineffective Luca Toni with Alberto Gilardino right after the Schweinsteiger substitution. Then, at the start of extra time, he put on Vincenzo Iaquinta for an exhausted Camoranesi. Lippi's subs proved more effective when, in the first minute of extra time, Gilardino excellently beat Ballack on the sidelines and fired it past Lehmann on the near post only for it to bounce off the post. Then, a minute later, Gianluca Zambrotta found Germany's crossbar on a rocket from right outside the box. The hosts dug deep and denied Italy many more chances, instead waiting out the storm for penalties, though Buffon did well to keep out one of Podolski's few chances.

Although Klinsmann then replaced a tired Klose with Oliver Neuville in the 111th minute, Germany's game plan was clear. It can be reasonably said, then that perhaps Lippi outcoached Klinsmann when, with two minutes left to play, Italy took the lead. On a perfect corner which left Lehmann on his line for once, Andrea Pirlo found Fabio Grosso on the right side of the box, who curled it around a helpless Lehmann and just inside the far post. With sheer excuberance Grosso took off, shaking his sweaty head maniacally with eyes clenched shut, flashing the largest grin as he had sent his team into the final. Then a minute later, Gilardino slipped a through ball to Alessandro Del Piero, who came on in the 104th minute and wonderfully chipped a ball right past Lehmann, who was stuck on his heels in no-man's-land. It was Italian ecstasy: two goals in two minutes, after 118 minutes of scorelessness. But as euphoric as the azzuri was, Germany was gutted. Two quick goals on the brink of penalties was a stomach punch of the highest order for the players and the host nation, as Ballack fought back tears but Podolski and others just surrendered to them and wept openly on the field. They no doubt got so close to Berlin they could taste it, only to have it taken away at the end. While no one wouldn't sympathize, Germany should nevertheless be extremely proud of its accomplishments. They turned their national style on is head and came to the World Cup playing fast and exciting, while attacking in all different angles. They played far above themselves as an unheralded team made great players look average in the tournament. A team and a host nation could hardly ask for more. Yes, the final would have been nice, but the team deserves all the praise and credit their country has so far given them after this loss.

Italy, on the other hand, will go into the final looking nearly unstoppable. Buffon and his outstanding defense of Canavaro, Zambrotta and Grosso has still allowed only an own goal into their net, while their suberb touch, vision, runs and passing particularly this game have shown them to be looking past the effective but boring catenaccio style. I'm just throwing this out there, but could it be that Italy is currently playing so well not in spite of the turmoil at home, but because of it? With so many of their best players this tournament playing for Juventus and AC Milan, could they be, in effect, showing off for any transfer availabilities, since these two clubs are looking at serious relegation next year? I'm fully aware that the shit is hitting the fan in Italy as we speak, and I'm sure Germany is a welcome reprieve for them, but since this is their job... just a thought.

QUARTERFINALS

PORTUGAL 0 ENGLAND 0 (3-1 PEN)



In a match marked by grit and determination by both sides, Portugal advanced to the semifinals, while England were sent home to ponder another campaign fallen short, another loss to Big Phil and another inept penalty shootout.

Portugal looked the better side, though only slightly as the sputtering England squad played their best match yet, which doesn't say much. In a game marked by a slow pace an physical play, England, though putting only seven shots on goal looked a bit more focused and a bit more in synch. Their greatest asset today was not Wayne Rooney, who got sent off, but their classic trait of the aforementioned determination. Portugal, meanwhile, looked to the young bratty showpony Christiano Ronaldo to make things happen as their playmaker Deco was unavailable due to a red card picked up in Portugal's prison match against Holland.

And Ronaldo (Christian, according to all-round disasterous American ESPN announcer Dave O'Brien) didn't disappoint, making runs all over the place, putting crosses into the England box, egegiously drawing fouls and, many think, playing a part in getting Manchester United teammate Rooney sent off. He also happened to slot home the winning penalty, by the way.

England started the game in their same 4-4-1 formation (4-5-1 if you counted Beckham, who was pretty much invisible until his substitution), with Owen Hargreaves moved back into a holding midfielder role and Gary Neville returning from injury at his ususal right back position. While they certainly didn't come out looking like Brazil (who, curiously came out looking like England later in the day), their boring long ball target practice was nowhere to be seen today. Instead they concentrated on controlling the midfield. Meanwhile, their defense looked solid as ever, with both John Terry and Rio Ferdinand's heads appearing to be screwed on straight. Portugal saw Luis Figo and Ronaldo trying to cut apart England and striker Pauletta reminding us of his ability to disappear in big matches, but there really was no action to speak of in the first half.

The same can be said for the opening minutes of the second half. My personal highlight was when ESPN commentators O'Brien and Marcello Balboa spoke of England's best chances being now, under the roof of Gelsenkirchen, because the next World Cup is in South Africa, 'where it's really hot there in the summer.' While I don't doubt that, one small, little-known, minor detail about South Africa is its location: in the southern hemisphere, where it will be... winter. Nice one guys, I'm adding it to the 'ESPN Commentator Glossary' which will be released soon on this page.

England's fortunes were to change, briefly, in the 51st minute when the speedy and overdue young Aaron Lennon came on for a clearly injured David Beckham. Mr. Posh would spend the rest of the match on the sidelines in agony, displaying very visible tears for a time. Just as he has done every other time he has entered, Lennon brought a surge of energy to the England side, chasing down balls, hustling and wearing down Portugal's left side. He gave them a golden chance soon after with a superb dribbling display to the box. Unfortunately, he passed to Rooney, who whiffed it. But for these 11 minutes, England gave a hint - not quite an assurance, but nontheless a genuine feeling that they could take over this match.

Then came the 62nd minute, which found Rooney battling for a ball in midfield with a downed Ricardo Carvahlo. Rooney, through either frustration, his chronic hardheadedness or the heat of the moment, felt it necessary to put his studs into the Carvahlo family jewels - right in front of the ref, no less. Who else but Ronaldo should run over and say something to the ref that Wayne didn't like, (many think he pleaded for a red card) which no doubt explains Rooney pushing Ronaldo, still in front of the official. The card he reached for turned out to be reddish in color, and that was the end of Rooney. I didn't see it, but it's been said that Ronaldo then winked at his bench. I'll leave it at that.

Without a striker, this forced Sven to take out midfielder Joe Cole and send in the big target, Peter Crouch. Crouch huffed and he puffed, and to his credit he chased and knocked down every ball he could, but England were back to playing more cautiously being down a man. However, they seemed to step up their play as red cards can sometimes do, as if they all suddenly realized what was at stake. The much-maligned Owen Hargreaves, in particular, was outstanding on the day, running his lungs off. For the remainder of the nil-nil match, including the two extra time periods, England stayed unrelenting, while Portugal put on some impressive displays of possession, but neither side could quite crack the other. In another of Sven's countless strategic masterstrokes, he brought on Jamie Carragher, presumably for his penalty taking abilities, for Aaron Lennon.


On to penalties: England have not only a dreadful record in penalties, but in penalties against Portugal as well. At Euro 2004, they were beaten in the end by Portugal's keeper Ricardo, of all people, who slotted home the winner past David (Calamity) James. This time, Simao got the first for Portugal. Then Lampard, a disaster all tournament, hit a weak ball that Ricardo had no trouble with. Normally one of England's best penalty takers, everyone's heads for England sunk on this miss. Hugo Viana hit the side post, then Hargreaves stepped up and nailed one, proving to be the only useful player on the pitch for England today. Petit then was saved, Gerrard's effort was saved, while Postiga then made his. This left Carragher, who banged it home - before the whistle, however. His subsequent attempt was easily saved. That left only Ronaldo. He took a deep breath, jogged onto it and put it powerfully past Paul Robinson, who didn't even move. Game over. The tears of Gazza in '90 were repeated today, by nearly every Englishman on the pitch. Once again, England crashed out. Once again, Sven lost to Scolari. But for the first time since 1966, Portugal were going to the semifinals.

Shame on Rooney for losing his temper, but if he had any brain at all, he would have realized that winding Wayne up was surely a part of Portugal's plan - look at their previous match. Shame on England as well, for relying way too much on one man, as they've done since Rooney injured himself in April. After Rooney got sent off, their only answer was to put on Crouch. Why not give the young Theo Walcott a chance? He's supposedly fast - could you imagine he and Lennon up front? They could have given Portugal fits! Shame on Sven for bringing the kid at the expense of more obvious choices, especially since he was never used. And shame on the FA for England's sputtering form throughout the whole tournament. They had the chance to fire Sven at the start of the year. Either they could have kept him on or they could have fired him on the spot. Instead, they did the worst thing possible. Agree to terminate their partnership after the World Cup. It's very early, but I think over time, history will look back even more unkindly on the Sven years than how they are perceived now. I hope Steve McLaren will be a breath of fresh air, but he just seems to be cut from the same cloth: nice guy, no charisma. His assistant manager position for the last several years under Sven doesn't inspire optimism, either. For England's sake, they deserve better. But despite what England fans think, the tournament will still go on without them. England fans are like baseball's Red Sox fans: thinking they're the center of the football universe and always whining about their hard luck while no one else cares.

Christiano Ronaldo better not go back to Manchester United. He's no doubt lost a friend in Rooney (he didn't have many there to begin with) and faces a lifetime of boos and whistling in the Premiership. Better sign that transfer request and ship off to Real Madrid as he was rumored to be doing just that last week anyway. It's looking like a very smart move now.

Prior to the match, Gary Neville said, 'If we fail [against Portugal] we have to hold out hands up and say talk of us being potential world champions was rubbish.' Interesting revelation. It took them a while, but they themselves finally saw what the rest of the world did all along.

England's now gone, along with all their ineptitude, drama and silly sideshows. Let's discuss some exciting teams now.



FRANCE 1 BRAZIL 0


Football is a funny game. Who knows quite how, who knows quite why, but the once mighty, star-studded France finally regained their form just in time to dispose of an electrifying Spanish side in their last game out. France looked fast, fluid, stingy in defense and deadly in the attack. All of a sudden Zidane was playing on young legs, Vieira was playing back in central midfield and Franck Ribery finally gained some confidence on the world stage. But their new form was to be tested against the defending world champs, a Brazilian side that had failed many expectations so far in the tournament, but a team I figured was just acting like Brazilians: only working as hard as they had to. Not insignificant is the fact that Brazil's last World Cup loss came at the hands of France, eight years ago in the 1998 World Cup final in Paris.

But on this day, why Brazil showed up I have no idea, because they didn't come to play. Apart from the unsettled opening 10 minutes and a frantic last five minutes, France exercised domination over the champions, taking them thoroughly out of the game, controlling possession and running their old, tired defense into the ground. Zidane was effortlessly breathtaking, Henry had displays of brillance including an easy put-away past Dida and Ribery ran circles around Brazil. And how about Florent Maluda? In the first half especially, the left-sided midfielder looked superb. Willy Sagnol, who in my opinion has had an outstanding World Cup at right back, was equally impressive. He's tough and stingy on defense but plays superbly up the side and worked hard to not only to maintain France's possession but also had some great crosses and through-balls in the match. William Gallas, Lillian Thuram and, as always, Claude Makelele have been fantastic as well.

Brazil, on the other hand, couldn't seem to keep the ball. Their passing and teamwork has been off for the whole tournament. Ronaldinho in particular has been MIA, which in my opinion dates all the way back to the Champions League semifinals in May. He wore a gregarious headband with a giant gold R, but when that failed to produce anything special out of him he apparently left it in the locker room for the second half. Ronaldo couldn't do much, and it's a credit to France that big Ronny had to resort to a shameless dive late in the match to try to even the score. Kaka was nowhere to be seen and even the criminally overlooked Juninho, finally getting some time on the field, couldn't produce.

Brazil were earlier lucky as well when Vieira, who had a breakaway on goal, was tackled from behind by Juan. The resulting yellow card brought disbelief from the crowd, but France could do nothing with the chance on the free kick in injury time.
France broke the deadlock in the 51st minute on a set play. After being called off on more occasions than Frank Lampard has taken shots, Henry sneaked around the back and volleyed the Zidane kick past a helpless Dida. Why Brazil chose not to mark a player like Henry I have no idea, but Roberto Carlos just stood there with his hands on his knees watching Henry put it away with no gold shit within 15 feet of him. Let us also mark this as the very first Zidane-Henry goal in the history of France, ladies and gentleman - a nice monkey to have off of their backs I'm sure. In trademark fashion, Henry cooly ran away with his head down without so much as the slightest smile on his face. 1-0 France.


Slowly Brazil attempted to claw their way back into the match, although France smartly didn't stray from their game plan and decide just to defend. Even the likes of Adriano for Juninho, Cicinho for Cafu and Robinho for Kaka couldn't produce anything more than a thud when Ronaldo hit the ground as he tried to sell a dive to the referee late in the match. It was also a very appropriate sound effect for Brazil's exit from this tournament.

Two players - fellow Galacticos at Real Madrid, no less - in the twilight of their careers couldn't have looked more different today: Zidane was everywhere - light on his feet, playing keep-away fom Brazil, looking like his old self, while a tired and overweight Ronaldo could do nothing to pick himself or his team up. Thanks to a reinvigorated Zizou, with the help of 10 equally outstanding players peaking at the perfect time, the French renaissance is upon us and has Portugal in its sights on Wednesday.

Brazil though seemed to crash out of this tournament without anyone seeing the best from them, save for the second half against Japan when substitutions seemed to show the starters how it's done. We saw excellence from Kaka and Zé Roberto. We saw bits of excellence mixed with indifference from Ronaldo. We saw fantastic goalkeeping from Dida. But beyond that, Brazil seemed to shrug their shoulders this entire tournament. Cafu is just too slow, while Roberto Carlos is completely ineffective. I can remember only one Ronaldinho play in 6 matches. Conversely, I can remember many more flashy Zidane plays just today - the former best player in the game showing up the current best. Parreira will take a lot of heat for the way his side played each game, and I'm sure the rest of the world is disappointed not to see the beautiful, elegant displays we're used to. They gave a sense so often that this team did not like each other. But I think this loss will be stunning for them. After believing their own hype for so long, I wonder if Brazil actually realize what just happened to them or whether it will truly sink in later. Parreira himself admitted after the match that he wasn't prepared for the loss. Brazil once again looked flat, but it took a side as talented as France to finally make them pay for it.

QUARTERFINALS

GERMANY 1 ARGENTINA 1 (4-2 PEN)


Germany advanced past the in-form Argentina side in a hard-fought match to book their spot in the semifinals in front of a hysterical crowd in Berlin.

In what most would not consider a classic contest, Germany battled back into a physical match with an 80th minute goal by their red-hot striker Miroslav Klose after Argentina took an early second half lead thanks to an excellently taken corner by defender Roberto Ayala.

The first half saw both teams playing their toughest football yet from the opening whistle. Argentina not only pressured Germany deep but controlled possession for nearly 70 percent of the time in the first half, yet the fact that they produced no shots on goal well illustrates the 45-minute midfield battle. Germany found midfielder Michael Ballack for their best chance of the half with a ball into the box that he headed just wide of the far post.

Then in the 49th minute, Ayala forced himself onto the corner kick, knocking it low and between keeper Jens Lehmann and Philip Lahm, guarding the post. The stadium fell silent aside from the small contingent of blue cheering for the formidable South Americans.

Slowly though, Germany fought themselves back into the match. Substitutions like speedy Odonkor on the right side for Bernd Schneider paid off, as his speed and disruptive abilities gave the hosts numerous opportunities. I have very little doubt his mission, other than speed, was to get under the Argentinians' skin, which he did well by fighting for the ball and, how should we say? 'Simulate' several fouls that gradually unglued the leading side. Klinsmann of all people should be an expert on dissecting their weaknesses, as he himself took what many once considered a dive in the box in the 1990 World Cup final against... Argentina.

The albicelestes took another blow when Klose challenged Argentine keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri, who fell injured. Though he played for several minutes more, he had to be carried off on a stretcher and substituted by reserve keeper Leo Franco in the 71st. Manager Jose Peckerman then used the rest of his subs in the next few minutes. His curious lineup, which started Carlos Tevez up front in place of the usual Javier Saviola, and saw outstanding midfielders Esteban Cambiasso Pablo Aimar starting on the bench were genuinely strange, I thought. He substituted Hernan Crespo for Julio Cruz and an ineffective Juan Roman Riquelme for Cambiasso all before the 80th minute while protecting his one goal lead. Curiously, whizkid Lionel Messi stayed on the bench.

Then in the 80th minute, Klose got his revenge for getting beaten by Ayala earlier by taking a wonderful high header and putting it low past Franco on a Ballack cross flicked on by Tom Borowski for the equalizer. Ballack's hard work paid off, while Argentina paid for their one-time mistake of giving him too much space.

Regulation, along with extra time, failed to yield another goal. The shootout would not feature a Champions League rematch of Riquelme vs. Lehmann, but following that performance, I had the upmost confidence in the German keeper making Argentina's job very difficult. Even Oliver Kahn, so long part of a very public rivalry in the struggle with Lehmann for the No. 1 jersey, gave a handshake to Lehmann before he headed out to tend the net.

First Oliver Neuville converted, as did Julio Cruz. Ballack buried his in the top corner, but Ayala saw his attempt saved by Lehmann. Podolski but his away, as did Maxi Rodriguez. Borowski then converted, which left Cambiasso needing to score to keep Argentina alive. But Lehmann had other plans as he stopped his second of the shootout, giving Germany a hard-fought victory. In the ensuing celebrations, Cambiasso was seen crying as a fight between German and Argentine players broke out, a somewhat fitting end to a high-profile loss for a physical side like Argentina's. Germany broke out a silly bowling celebration later however, to lighten the mood.

Peckerman's managing naturally raised some eyebrows in their loss, but he beat the critics by resigning immediately after the match. Most likely he'll be questioned about leaving Messi out, but further questions should be directed toward his curious lineup and substitutions. His side's lack of attacking interest in the second half cost them dearly, and they'll have the next four years to ponder it. Meanwhile, Germany goes on to face a tough Italy squad who looked impressive in the day's second match...


ITALY 3 UKRAINE 0


Yesterday, Italian manager Marcello Lippi, answering whether his side had indeed been lucky throughout the tournament as many critics suggested, was quick to point out the injuries of Totti, Nesta and Gattuso either in the run-up or during the tournament. As for me, I've seen this side making their luck rather than being a victim of it. And always, it has been their legendary defense which has kept all their opponents off the scoreboard save for an own goal and provided the foundation for their offense.

Today was no different. Perhaps prompted by the horrific suicide attempt of former Juventus player Gianluca Pessotto amid a domestic match-fixing scandal, current Juve star defenders Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta played magnificently. Zambrotta, in fact, opened the scoring in just the sixth minute with a low left-footed shot that got past the Ukrainian keeper, hugging the right post. While striker Luca Toni was still scoreless, it meant a fifth Italian player got on the scoresheet and left Ukraine with an early mountain to climb.

Poor Andriy Shevchenko. The star Ukrainian has received no service up front from his teammates the whole tournament and has just one goal to his name, a dubious penalty he won. It would get no easier as the former AC Milan striker had to battle a defense that either played with or against him for the last seven seasons. His best chance came on a header he put high over the crossbar, but besides that Ukraine had their best chances rock the crossbar and get saved well by Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon in the second half, and that was about it. Meanwhile, Italy continued their domination when Toni had to dive to put in a header on Francesco Totti's great cross.

Later though, it was once again Zambrotta's time. He blazed up the sideline, expertly getting past a defender in Ukraine's box before crossing along the ground to an unmarked Toni for the easy put-away. Toni now had two to his name, and it's game on on Tuesday for the Azzuri against the German hosts.


* * *

I'm getting a funny feeling about England v. Portugal tomorrow. As awful as England has played so far, something in the back of my mind tells me England might just pull it together for this one. Maybe some of the pre-match English optimism that the rest of the world laughs at has got a hold of me, I don't know. What I do know, though, is this: Portugal are without Deco, their playmaker who makes EVERYTHING happen for them. The last match he sat out was their opener against Angola. After taking an early lead before Angola practically touched the ball, Portugal never did put in another, always seeming to be one good pass away. They knocked it around well but could never find a good penetrating ball. That's what Deco provides, and it could well be missing tomorrow. But as I said before, while Portugal has won all their matches, they have also happened to score first in all of them. So if they happen to do the same tomorrow, you'd better believe England are in trouble. As I've also said before, with Sven and his empty head at the helm, England are not a team that give one the feeling they can come back from a deficit as Sven is incapable of making adjustments that actually work. England therefore must strike early and dig deep into their longtime reputation of always fighting, never quitting and playing until the end. I'm looking forward to it, which, considering their recent ugly form, means I've definitely caught the England bug.

As for Brazil v. France: it should be excellent. I think my head would explode with anticipation if I tried to dissect this one. With France's recent renaissance, Brazil's lack of joy, as well as the recent history of 1998, there will be much to enjoy in this match. I can't wait.