..completely lost his marbles and head butted Materazzi and he's off. Now why did he do that. His last ever game as a pro. Now I see...Zidane and Materrazi were jawing and the Italian must've said something about his mum, cos Zidane just lost it...
It must be Italy now or will France be able to hold for PK's...anyway a really bizzare incident.
And so the end is near...France versus Italy is just a few hours away. Time now to reflect on the best and worst of Germany 2006.
Best Game I saw LIVE: Italy v Germany I loved this match for a number of reasons. Firstly the atmosphere was everything you'd want at a World Cup semi-final. It was raw, passionate and pre-dominately German but with enough Italian flavor to know that they were there. Secondly the pace of the match was relentless with two teams playing at the peak of their ability for 120 minutes and thirdly the finish was more dramatic than any script you could think to write.
Worst Game I saw LIVE: England v Ecuador I cannot begin to describe how stupifyling boring this match was. 89 minutes and 50 seconds of nothing except for a free-kick by David Beckham that the Ecuadorian keeper, Cristan Mora surely should've have saved. I felt desperately sorry for the 1,000's of English fans who paid way over the odds for their tickets.
Best Goal I saw LIVE: Joe Cole and Maxi Rodriguez Two of the most unbelievable strikes you'll ever see and the best part about both of them was that I was right behind the players as they struck these sweet efforts.
Best Stadum and I saw them all From an atmospheric standpoint nothing beats the Westfallen Stadium in Dortmund. Tall, imposing stands and yet very compact. This place rocks however if we are talking granduer, the Olympic Stadium in Berlin is stunning. It reeks of history and power.
Worst Stadium: Stuggart A souless arena that should be put to sleep. The runing track around the stadium takes away all intmacy.
Most Entertaining Team I saw LIVE: Germany As a neutral at close to 16 matches I would have to say the hosts, take this award. They played football the way I wished every team would've and could've played. They took chances, they were positive and they weren't afraid to lose. Jurgen Klinsmann should be congratulated for this approach and I hope it rubs off on World football in general.
Worst Team I saw LIVE: England On paper a team capable of...I guess that's why they play the matches eh! A really disappointing effort that once again goes to prove that living in a fantasy land gets cruelly punished when ot comes to reality.
Best Fans: England I know I'll be accused of bias but it's true because inside the stadiums whenever the Three Lions played it was always incredible despite the fact that the team played so poorly. The noise, color and atmosphere generated by these fans is unsappassed. Granted there maybe a few loonies amongst them but I feel that this tournament proved that English fans can once again travel the world and be welcomed as passionate and knowledgable supporters of the game.
Best thing about Germany: The People What a country. The German people opened the arms and accepted the world. It's been a non stop party that will leave a big gap in peoples lives when its gone...Well done.
Worst thing about Germany: The Trains De Bahn are great and we the press were lucky enough to be given a Bahn card that allowed us to travel for free. However they were always packed to the rafters and most times you had to stand for hours on my travels around Germany.
What kind of impressions do you have of Germany after 31 days, I'd love to know?
I've just witnessed and experienced the rapture. One million Berliners came to the historic Brandenburg Gate to pay homage to the 'Mannschaft' and it blew my mind. I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear as the players took turns on the stage and one million worshippers screamed their names. Just imagine if they'd won!!
This has been the World Cup for fans and the bar has now been raised. Every other country that hosts this month long party has been served notice - it's about the fans.
Sometimes the key to a great team is not what happens on the field but off it. In Italy’s case, a scandal of epic proportions has rocked the domestic game but in a weird twist of fate that has taken the pressure off the national team and in this environment they have thrived.
It is easy to forget that the Italian sporting press is one of the most brutal in the world - careers have been destroyed, reputations tarnished and once famously the team was greeted with rotten tomatoes when they returned home from the 1966 World Cup early. That won’t happen this time around and the whole Azzurri nation can thank one man, coach, Marcello Lippi!
Lippi, 56 has transformed a bunch of talented individuals into a hard bitten battle unit that is now unbeaten in 24 matches, a record they have not matched since 1939. He has also managed to keep the team focused on the football and not the scandal that threatens to destroy domestic Italian football - no mean feat given the amount of grisly news emanating from Rome.
It is as a master tactician though that Lippi has earned my admiration. The secret to tournament play is to peak at the right time while in the same breath gain results without expending unnecessary energy in the Group stage. Other than the freak result against the United States (1-1), Lippi’s team cruised to the top of the Group without impressing through what many thought was going to be a very difficult Group E.
Suspensions, injuries and above all, red cards which can cripple teams have not overly effected the Azzurri because Lippi has skillfully reshuffled his troops in advance of the next match and on the fly against the US and Australia.
He recognized that Gianluigi Buffon was his number one despite the fact that the ‘Juve’ keeper had been injured for a large part of the Serie A season. He understood that Francesco Totti would not be match fit until at least the 2nd round and played the Roma general behind Luca Toni and in front of a four man midfield saving his engine and letting Guttoso do the hard work. But most importantly Lippi can read a match.
How many coaches in the world would put on two attacking players in the semi-final of a World Cup during extra-time – not many? The introduction of Alessandro del Piero and Vincenzo Iaquinta swung the game Italy’s way and paved the path to victory against Germany. That is the confidence of a man in complete control of his emotions and more importantly his coaching intellect.
I believe Italy will be crowned World Champions for the 4th time on Sunday because of Lippi and the following factors…
Buffon is by far the best goalkeeper in the tournament and as I’ve stated before always makes the big saves at the crucial point of the matches.
Fabio Cannavaro is playing the best football of his career. I’ve been raving about the Italian captain now for about three weeks. Every time I see him he gets better and better. His battle versus Thierry Henry will be one for the purists as it pits pace and artistry against sheer will and tactical decision making.
Gennaro Gattuso will shut down Zindine Zidane in the heart of midfield. The AC Milan player has put together a resume of frightening quality in this tournament. Not one opponent has been able to rest away the midfield area from this terrier. His energy levels are off the charts and as we saw from the semi-final versus Germany when he was carrying a yellow card, his discipline was perfect.
Francesco Totti who has been somewhat protected by Lippi has yet to put together a master-piece. This is a player who has the vision to open up the toughest of defenses and in a way this final could signal the passing of the torch from Zidane to the Roman General.
And finally, the bench that Lippi has at his disposal is stacked with world class match winners. His opposite number, Raymond Domenech is limited but Lippi can call on the likes of Del Piero, Alberto Gilardino, Iaquinta and Filippo Inzaghi, one of the deadliest scorers in European football if need be - and this could be the deciding factor in a tight, tense match.
We in the media have all been talking about 1982, the year Italy started slowly and then picked up steam to win the tournament in style - history has a funny way of repeating itself.
On Sunday as a neutral I would like to see a classic but if Italy gets their noses in front it will be game, set and match to the Azzurri. With all the drama they are experiencing at home yet with the will to post the best defensive record in the tournament it would be hard to deny them the right to be called World Champion – and on the players shoulders will be carried the man responsible for this epic run to the title, Marcello Lippi.
Any World Cup tournament is defined by the quality of its matches or, in some cases, the quality of its best player. At Germany 2006, the superstars have in all honesty failed to shine and we are still without a match that could be released for posterity on DVD and watched endlessly like Archie Gemmil scoring for Scotland against Holland during Argentina ‘78.
Even terrible tournaments, like Italia 90, had something to remind of us of why we love football so much, but we are a long way short of even mediocrity this time. Unless something dramatic happens in the final, this tournament could go down in history as the worst since 1962.
The best player in the world, Ronaldinho, has taken his dreadful hair-style and big teeth back to Brazil to face the abuse of his countrymen. The best player in England, Wayne Rooney, has taken his attitude problem back to Manchester to face trial by media. The best player in Argentina, Lionel Messi, is on vacation wondering why he was used so sparingly in Germany.
Argentina and Spain peaked too early and went home prematurely. Brazil and England were so far from fulfilling their reputations that they looked ridiculous.
Things have been so bad that Zinedine Zidane, once thought to be so over-the-hill that his presence here was regarded with amusement, has suddenly become the sole name of glamour.
Zidane is 34, has not been the best player in the world since 2000, yet he did as much as anybody to ensure that France defeated Brazil in Frankfurt on Saturday night and with one kick of his right foot did the same to Portugal on Wednesday night. In one sense, he went back to the future; back to Paris on Sunday July 12, 1998.
And yet, there was a time when it seemed as though France would not even qualify for the second phase.
They were seen as in decline. Zidane seemed to personify their problem but then something happened.
In the second round, France conceded a goal to Spain. Suddenly, France seemed liberated. Suddenly, they looked as though they could exceed all expectations. Having defeated Spain and Brazil, they now find themselves just one match away from another World Cup final.
Zidane scored the third goal against Spain and took his personal momentum into the match against Brazil. There, he was brilliant, reminding us of the good times and of why we built him up so much.
He goes into each match of this tournament knowing that defeat will end his professional career. That could have been a burden but it seems to have inspired him, forced him to appreciate the opportunities open to him.
This, however, should not have been Zidane's tournament. And this should not be France's tournament. This should have been the tournament of Ronaldinho, of Messi, of Rooney. This should have been the tournament of Brazil, of Argentina, of England. It should have been the tournament of goals.
Six of them came in the opening match, when Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2. Alas, after 60 matches, we have seen just 138 goals - an average of 2.3 per match. Only Italia 90 endured a lower strike-rate.
The game, as Danny Blanchflower famously said, is about glory but glory has been difficult to find in Germany. True, the hosts have helped to unite the nation and turned the German flag into a symbol of joy but each tournament needs its superstar and its defining moments.
Ronaldo saved the 2002 World Cup. Zidane saved the 1998 World Cup. Romario and Roberto Baggio saved the 1994 World Cup. Salvatore Schillaci and Lothar Matthaus saved the 1990 World Cup.
Diego Maradona reigned supreme in 1986. In 1982, there were great players (Paolo Rossi, Socrates, Zico) and great matches (Brazil-Italy; West Germany-France). In 1978, Mario Kempes saved the tournament. In 1974, Holland arrived with a new style of play and saved a tournament that was, inappropriately, won by the hosts.
As we go back through history, we can see the matches, the teams and the superstars that have defined World Cup tournaments. Jairzinho in 1970, Eusebio in 1966, Garrincha in 1962, Pele in 1958 - the list is endless.
But in 2006, there is little about which we can be excited. Zidane's emergence as potentially the star of this tournament says more about the tournament itself than it does about him
I have no idea why Cristiano Ronaldo is being touted as the favorite for this award. As far as I'm concerned it's a two horse race between Franck Ribbery of France and Phillipe Lahm of Germany because it should be U23 and under. If FIFA picks Ronaldo it's surely a PR move of style over substance.
The French lead at half-time but haven't actually done anything but score from the spot. Portugal through Maniche, Ronaldo and Figo when they run with the ball look quite exciting but they don't really go anywhere. In fact 'Big' Phil seems to be putting out more energy than the 22 on the pitch because he's doing his nut on the sideline. He is very unimpressed with our match ref, Jorge Larrionda.
This match needs a spark and the longer it goes the more frustrated Portugal will surely become and thoughts of Euro 2000 return.
Carvahllo definitely clipped Henry who then turned in an OSCAR winning performance. Zidane tucks it away with ease showing England how it should be done.
Now we'll have a game because Portugal have not been behind in this tournament to date.
Sfter last night's humdinger at the Westfallen, this all seems very tame. Let's have a 1st half goal ot it's only going to get as tight as a gnats chuff the longer it goes on.
..anytime he get's the ball is being roundly booed. There must be loads of disappointed England fans in th stadium, which by the way is a beauty for watching football.
Decent start to the game with both teams having chances.
The final stretch is here and boy do we need it. Back to the hotel at 3.30am last night, train to Munich 11am, arrive Munich 6pm, grab a bite and on my way to the Allianz. It better be a good game but pray for no overtime!
I wonder if we'll see a repeat of the epic Euro 2000 semi when Portugal lost the plot and Zidane kept cool.
I'm hoping for a 3-1 French win but given the dearth of goals in the knockouts, 1-0 will probaly do.
I was reading on the Guardian that statistically this World Cup is well on the way to being the worst ever in terms of goals.
Who will break into the 'B4' and who will avoid the drop. So many questions will be answered over the next nine months because it's back - the greatest show on earth - The Barclays Premier League.
