By MSN’s Lee Harvey
Last updated July 10 2006
Italy 1 – 1 France
Italy win 5-3 on penalties
Italy and France produced an absorbing World Cup final that will be remembered for dramatic incidents and flashpoints rather than individual brilliance and sustained attacking flair. We look at the reasons the final was typical of the tournament as a whole.
1.
Another red card
Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt on Marco Materazzi ranks as one of the most stunning moments in World Cup final history. His violent reaction to what amounted to a sneaky nipple tweak and some verbals will forever taint his legacy and overshadow the fact that he became only the fourth player to score in two World Cup finals.
Germany 2006 set a record for World Cup red cards – it was sadly inevitable that someone would be sent off in the final itself.
2. Big players fail to turn up
They may have been carrying slight knocks but the performances of Henry and Totti, two of the most celebrated players in the world, were typical of a tournament where the world’s best players consistently failed to live up to the hype. Step forward Ronaldinho, Kaka, Lampard, Deco, van Nistelrooy and countless others.
3. Mentions of 1966
John Motson’s insistence in shoehorning in the fact that Italian midfielder Simone Perrotta was born in Ashton Under Lyme (the same birthplace as Geoff Hurst, you know) was indicative of BBC and ITV’s endless obsession with England’s one moment of glory.
Worst mention: Tunisia vs Spain – "There’s keeper Boumnijel, the only player in this game alive when England won the World Cup in 1966." Just stop it.
4. Fear of failure
The last 60 minutes of the final saw few chances and two sets of players that were petrified of making a mistake – something that characterised many of the games in the knockout stages (Mexico vs Argentina and Germany vs Italy being the key exceptions) and blighted the tournament as a whole.
5. Lack of goals
While World Cup finals are always cagey – this was the first final in 20 years where both teams scored – the absence of sustained attacking play was notable throughout the competition.
Of all the leading nations, only Germany were committed to playing two fully fit and able strikers up front. Miroslav Klose won the Golden Shoe with a paltry total of five goals. Nobody else scored more than three.
6. Defensive dominance
Towering performances from William Gallas, Lillian Thuram, Gianluca Zambrotta and, most notably, Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro stood out in the final and reflected the overall dominance of defenders over attackers throughout Germany 2006.
7. Basic technical deficiency
Comfort yourselves with the fact that it’s not just England who can’t do the basics. How many French and Italian corners were easily cleared by the first defender? How many players were able to beat their markers and make a telling cross? Worst of all was Eric Abidal, whose hilarious attempted throw-in will live long in the memory.
8. Controversial refereeing
Argentine referee Elizondo controlled the final well – just as he did in the England vs Portugal game. However, some controversy will surround his award of a soft penalty when Florent Malouda tumbled over in in the Italian penalty area. He also took an age to reach the right decision to send off Zidane - and possibly became to first referee to get an assist from video technology.
Overall, too many games were ruined by soft red cards and debatable penalty decisions. Portugal's phoney war with the Netherlands was marred by 16 yellows and 4 reds in a game that contained only 25 fouls. Worst of all, Graham Poll was humiliated on a global scale when he gave Croatia’s Dario Srna three yellow cards.
9. Holding midfielders
The tireless performances of Gennaro Gattuso and, until his 55th minute injury, Patrick Vieira stood out in a hard fought match. The tidy, all-action performances of Torsten Frings, Claude Makelele, Michael Essien and Owen Hargreaves were the notable performances in what was a World Cup of attrition.
10. Hospitable hosts
Have there ever been more magnanimous World Cup hosts than Germany? Banners saying "thanks to all our guests" were visible at both the third place playoff and the final. Berlin’s Fan Mile and the Fan Fests across the country were resounding successes. Throughout the tournament, the performance of fans from all over the world stood out above those of the players.
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