Italy is the world champion of football, and the dream of seeing Zinedine Zidane’s teammates lift the trophy has flown away, or rather, smashed against the crossbar in an always cruel penalty shoot-out.
The Berlin night was thus not the kindest to Domenech’s men, even if the flashes of brilliance from a Ribery or the assurance of a Barthez could have given hope for a happier ending for the blues dressed in white.
Certainly, the French did not lose this final, but the bitter taste of defeat will remain in everyone’s mouth for many months to come. A few powerful images will also mark the minds; we will remember that penalty scored by Zinedine Zidane who, in Panenka style, gave the tricolors a short-lived lead. Also memorable will be that “headbutt” delivered by the same Zidane, which caused him to leave his teammates and the football world a few minutes before the end of this final. And then, we will long rewatch David Trezeguet’s penalty shot hitting Buffon’s crossbar and bouncing back out. In short, these are images that will forever remain in our minds.
The dream of an entire nation thus halted in Berlin, but a new adventure started in Germany with a French team that found new morale before beginning a series of qualifying matches for the Euro, where they will meet Italy again, as well as Ukraine and Scotland.
Thus, it is the “Nazionale” that wins this 2006 World Cup, claiming a fourth title after those in 1934, 1938, and 1982, inching closer to Brazil, which holds the record with five World Cup wins.
Meet again in 4 years for another global adventure of soccer.
