GOAL !... GOAL ! ... GOAL ! ...GOAL !...
GOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLL !!!!!!!!

Andrea - CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!


t.

Congratulations Andrea.

Very exciting game.

Eric

Congratulations Italy. zidane was a disgrace tonight.

Well done Italy.
I agree that Zidane was totally out of order tonight.

Italy deserved to win in regular time; that goal was not offside. Poor Zidane; not the way anyone should end such a great career.

I played a gig today to an empty dance floor as everyone was in the bar area watching the game. I thought the game was over when a cheers sounded and I found out later it was for Zidane's red card. I actually had some very happy, loud dancers for the last set - after the game ended.
Ciao,
Jerry

CONGRATS!!!! VIVA Italia.. I never had a doubt from the beginning!! http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/013521.html


[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 07-09-2006).]

hehehe watch this http://www.gazzetta.it/openxlink.shtml?http://widelec.org/zidane.html

Although I agree that Zidane had a weird exit, Italy wasn't near the level that France delivered during the second half and the extra time. Winning on penalty kicks is simply sad but that's the name of the game....

Zidane will be remembered no matter what, i think much more than people will remember that Italy won the cup.

Great photos!!!

Andrea, congratulations to your Country on your win, and thanks for posting the terrific pics. Were you by any chance amongst the celebrants in the pictured crowd shots? Ok, here's how we celebrated in San Francisco's North Beach (Little Italy) District:



More World Cup Italian Win Celebration in San Francisco (North Beach) Pics

YES!!! I knew I liked San Francisco!!!

Scott... no, I wasn't amidst the celebrating crowd... you know... I celebrated already in 1982, and the second time it just isn't the same...

P.S.: Scott, since you like trivia, did you know that a World Cup Final is the single sports event most watched in the whole world?

Shakira performing in Berlin before the match

Former United States President Bill Clinton with his daughter Chelsea was also present to the final of the World Cup

I m from France.
I was playing at a wedding here ...
The wedding start after the match. There was big screen in the room
mmm... the only one who was happy was the drummer... he is italian

Anytime it's the game... and bravo Italia.
Sorry for Zidane... he give 5 minutes of his last match for his honnor...

Andrea - thank you for the BEAUTIFUL photos ...
t.

I admit that I do not usually follow soccer (footbol), but my interest was obviously spurred by my recent visit to Italy and the fact that Italy was in it ...
I also think it is a pity that after so long a battle on the field, the game should be decided by penalty kicks ... the truth be told, not once during the penalty kicks did either goalie come close to blocking a shot ... if it were not for the missed kick ... ??? ...
However, if Italy's performance were no where near that of France, shouldn't France have been able to score ??? ... or perhaps it was only by their extra effort that France kept Italy from scoring ...
t.

The italian played incredibly well in the first half, that's how they were able to tie the score after such a short time... After that, they were dominated during the rest of the game. It's true that France did not win, but penalty kicks never determin who the better team is, it just shows who the luckiest team is. Now, Materazzi is starting to admit that he insulted Zidane... If racial comments have been made, that is really really sad.

Claude,
the italian team was really tired in the second half because they still had the 120' played against Germany in the legs.
We won not because we played better, but because we were more determined to win; our coach Marcello Lippi said, the day before the match: "Tomorrow we will sit at the table and the one who is more hungry will prevail".
And you know what? He was right!

Andrea,

I agree that the Italians were definitely more determined to win. I just wished that the ending wouldn't've been as ugly.
Like they said, Zidane's behavior is understandable but not excusable and I agree with that.
I just think that both players should've been kicked out but what's done is done.
Congrats to you though
Cheers,

Claude

... and to think there were actually people who said we were wrong when we picked ITALIA !!! ...

t.

What are you guys talking about?
This was the lamest nr.1 team ever since. A false penalty against Australia. Weak against Ghana. A lame (!) case against the german player Frings who just defended himself. And a final that showed a disappointing team against france. With a guy who couldn�t stop insulting Zidane in the worst way. Italy could have been a worthy Nr. 1 - but they were stumbling from one game to the next - very lucky and proven unfair. I have no respect for such a "winner". I have no sympathies for Zidane acting that way. You know why? Because the guys reaction proved that it pays to insult, simulate, nag, foul. This was something that was discussed as well by the international press - except in Italy may be. Some italian polticians are seriously considering an amnesty in the pending italian soccer scandal now. I can�t believe it. Am I just another angry German whow can�t get over the half final. Nope. Nr. 3 was fine and it was a pleasant game. Which cannot be said about the final, where they should have disnmissed the italian guy as well from the green.

Heinrich

Wow,

I understand you being angry but it seems you only pointed out what worked in Italy's favor, if you examine the world cup and probably all sporting events you will find this happens all the time and it comes down to who's luck is working and who's isn't.

I think all players that have made it into any pro league has an amazing amount of skill and talent, so to say that 1 team happened to make it to number by way of an unfair advantage is preety impressive.

Also I've played allot of sports in my time including soccer for and against italians, trash talking is the most used part of the game. And I have heard worst that the terrorist remark, as a pro, thinking for the greater good of the team, he should have waited till after the game.


just an opinion

Originally posted by Heinrich:
A lame (!) case against the german player Frings who just defended himself

False! Frings hit poor Julio Cruz, who was simply trying to calm down his team-mates: I know him well because he plays in Italy and can assure you that he is the most peaceful guy in the world. By the way, if the Argentinian coach (Pekerman) had had a bit more of wisdom, Germany would have been out of the Cup and we would have met Argentina in the semi-final, and, if you want to talk scandal, let's talk about the referee in Germany-Argentina... what do you say?

And a final that showed a disappointing team against france. With a guy who couldn�t stop insulting Zidane in the worst way.

False again. In the first part of the match Zidane was under the control of Gattuso and Pirlo and Materazzi took over only towards the end.
And, speaking of insults, they say that he said something about Zidane's sister... so what? A real pro -like Zidane was supposed to be- would have settled the thing after the match, and not on the field, in front of one billion five hundred million people watching the match, leaving his team in a situation of disadvantage.

And don't worry about the amnesty: there will be none: wait and see.

Heinrich, don't be so bitter: we felt the same way when you won in Rome in 1990 (by the way, that was a lame final!!) You have to understand, like we did back then, that organizing a World Cup doesn't mean that you have won it already.
And let me tell you one more thing: Klinsmann was really clever to resign; he knows that your team is nothing special and the third place is much more than you deserve...


[This message has been edited by Dreamer (edited 07-12-2006).]

Hi Dreamer,

Not bitter at all.
Frings got a light slap by Cruz a moment before, which can be seen on the video. By the way Frings and Cruz, both said it was no bad thing, Cruz said in front of the press, hd didn�t even notice a thing. And talking about Argentina. Mezelder was hit on the floor by an argentinian, who kicked him in his nuts. And another one hit a german player from behind badly on his head. Ther�s the scandal! By the way, since when is it the business of italian media to pitch up a big boohoo late after the game? They were trying to avoid Frings for the coming game. Nobody cared about the german players who really got beaten, strange isnt it?
About Zidane and an italian guy saying "something about his sister" according to your words. Strange attitude! This guy was insulted several times. Some minutes ago they had a press conference, Zidane talking about this and. He excused his blackout, but doesn�t feel sorry. Apart from that lipreaders read: "You sun of a terrorist bitch!"

Rome 1990 - yeah that was a lame final indeed and my honest regrets. I watched it in an italian restaurant and told the guys at the end I felt sorry for them.

I never said the german team is special. Nor do I have to be told that organising a WM is not winning a WM. I even tend to say Italy has been the better team against Germany. And that was exactly the only game where they showed their skills The rest was uninspiring and boring. Whereas the german team played very well against Sweden, Protugal, Poland. They deserved Nr.3 , no more no less. That said I betted for Italy and could not put up any more with their behaviour on and off the field. If you think they deserved it - I definitely think they did not for several reasons. End of story. I won�t discuss football any longer here - I had to say this, but thats my final word to it.

Heinrich

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/5169342.stm

(Zidane's interview with Canal Plus)

ZIDANE-ERKL�RUNG

"Harte Worte gegen meine Mutter und Schwester"

Zinedine Zidane hat sich zum ersten Mal zu seinem Kopfsto� im WM-Finale ge�u�ert. Demnach habe Italiens Verteidiger Marco Materazzi die Mutter und Schwester des 34-j�hrigen Franzosen beleidigt. Zidane entschuldigte sich f�r seinen Aussetzer, bedauert diesen aber nicht.

(from www.spiegel.de )

Sure, insults happen all the time on the field. but there are some that can be let go and others that require actions.

What Zidane did was unexcusable because it's not who he really is. But what about all those FIFA regulations about racism ???

Fifa is so screwed up that they only punish what they see and not what they hear.

None of the referees saw what happened and had to use the fourth referee that saw it on a screen. Yet, they don't want to use replays to determine whether a goal was valid or a penalty was justified or not.

So in the future, you can call black people in any team anything you want, or asian people names and get away with it ???

I'd say it's wrong what Zidane did but he might also have figured that no one would punish the italian for making racist comments (if that was indeed the case)... so he'd have to take action himself.

Honor is more important than winning.

[This message has been edited by wizboy (edited 07-12-2006).]

Zidane makes apology for headbutt

Zidane has spoken about his sending-off for the first time

Zinedine Zidane has apologised for the headbutt on Italy's Marco Materazzi which earned him a red card in Sunday's World Cup final penalty shoot-out loss.

The France legend did not reveal what Materazzi said, but claimed it was "very personal" and concerned his mother and his sister.

"I want to ask for forgiveness from all the children who watched," Zidane said.

Materazzi responded to the French TV interview with a statement again denying insulting Zidane's mother.

Italian defender Materazzi, who scored the equaliser on Sunday, said: "I didn't mention anything about religion, politics or racism.

"I didn't insult his mother. I lost my mother when I was 15 years old and still get emotional when I talk about it.

"Naturally, I didn't know that his mother was in hospital but I wish her all the best.

"Zidane is my hero and I have always admired him a lot."

Zidane was sent off for headbutting Materazzi in the chest in the second period of extra-time in the final in Berlin.

He appeared on French TV station Canal Plus to explain his actions.

Zidane refused to say sorry to Materazzi and said he did not regret what he did after being provoked by the insults.

But Zidane, who was playing in his final game before quitting football, added: "They were very hard words. You hear them once and you try to move away.

"But then you hear them twice, and then a third time.

"Before anything else I am a man and some words are harder to hear than actions. I would rather have taken a blow to the face than hear that

I can't regret what I did because it would mean that he (Materazzi) was right to say what he said

"I want to apologise," he said. "But I can't regret it because if do that would be like admitting that he had every reason to say what he said. I can't do that because he was not right to say what he said."

Zidane also called for Materazzi to be punished for his provocations.

Since the incident, rumours have run rife about what Materazzi said to get such a reaction from the Frenchman.

There were claims the Italian had called Zidane a "terrorist", but in Tuesday's edition of the Italian newspaper La Gazetta dello Sport, Materazzi said: "It was the kind of insult you will hear dozens of times and just slips out of the ground.

"I didn't call Zidane a terrorist and certainly didn't mention his mother.

"I did not bring up Zidane's mother; for me a mother is sacred."

Zidane, who was born and grew up in Marseille, is the son of Algerian immigrants and has suffered taunts about his heritage throughout his football career.

Zinedine Zidane was shown the red card during the World Cup final
Zidane was shown the red card during the World Cup final

The two players initially clashed in the Italian penalty area before words were exchanged.

Materazzi said: "I held his shirt, for only a few seconds.

"He turned towards me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance, up and down.

"He said 'if you really want my shirt, you can have it later.' It's true, I shot back with an insult."

Fifa is to investigate Zidane's sending-off while Fifa president Sepp Blatter has hinted the France star could be stripped of his World Cup best player award.

(from www.bbc.co.uk )

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5778880

Same interview reported by a different source; there is also a video online, if someone is interested. You can hear Zidane speaking in french.

According to rumors on Google,italian player told Zidane like this("You fuc*ing muslim terrorist!,you'll never win the game").Zidane who is an Algerian muslim(but french citizen)got mad and hit the italian player.


[This message has been edited by jamman (edited 07-12-2006).]

Please, read the text of the interview with Zidane himself and don't go after "rumors" on the net.

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/?trk=1&e=3

Video of the interview with Zidane (spoken in french)

I still see Materazzi as a coward and a disgrace of Italian Football. It's too easy not to take responsibilities for your actions.

FIFA World Rankings July 2006

After World Cup 2006 Brazil remain top, followed by Italy, Argentina and France. England rise to 5th with Portugal in 8th.

1 Brazil
2 Italy
3 Argentina
4 France
5 England
6 The Netherlands
7 Spain
8 Portugal
9 Germany
10 Czech Republic

11 Nigeria
11 Cameroon
13 Switzerland
14 Uruguay
15 Ukraine
16 USA
17 Denmark
18 Mexico
19 Paraguay
20 C�te d'Ivoire

I tend to agree with this ranking and think that Brazil is, overall, a better team than Italy; yet, they lost to France and maybe would loose to Italy too, because the Brazil we saw in the World Cup lacked the determination required to win.

Claude,
I don't like Materazzi either.
In 1998 a stricker named Guivarch (I think he was from Bretagne) broke Cannavaro's face with his elbow. He deserved a red card, but nothing happened, maybe because the match was played in Paris. France won that match after the penalty kicks. Of course we weren't happy.
I think that Guivarch was a disgrace for the french football, but this does not change the fact that in 1998 France won the World Cup.

Andrea,

Unfortunately, I watched nearly all the 1998 World Cup matches except for the one against Italy. I only made it back home in time to watch the semi and final. But any players in any teams that play 'dirty' football should be looked at as a disgrace to their country, I agree. I don't think Italy shouldn't deserve their win, only I should say that Materazzi did not deserve his cup, even though he was the one that tied the score for Italy.

What an absurd discussion here.
I have been absent from the forum for a very long time for the simple reason I have nothing musical to contribute........alas.
One of my very best friends is Italian and we watched the final at his place. (here in Holland).
First of all I think that there was not ONE team that really shone throughout the Championship, worse even I think not ONE team truly deserved the cup. And to pre-empt your criticism, even though I would have liked Holland to win I had been saying for months that Holland did not even deserve to go to Germany and that they had no true business being there, simply because our team sucked.
But Italy, and once more (Dreamer and all the others) I congratulate you on winning ,but it is absolutely ludicrous to maintain that they were the best team and that deserved the title. They were by far the luckiest team though.............
As for Zidane, a great great player who made a terrible mistake. I am glad he was awarded
best player of the tournament all the same...

Greetings from Holland,
with a national team that once was the pride of a nation, these days only our trainers seem to be "cream of the crop"..............

Dreamer writes: And let me tell you one more thing: Klinsmann was really clever to resign; he knows that your team is nothing special and the third place is much more than you deserve...

Dreamer, and your source is? Has Klinsmann ever stated these words?

Congratulations, Italy...till the next World Cup!


A win today might be a loss to the same team the next day. In football, as it's been proven countless time, there is no BEST team. BEST only lasts a fleeting moment in time. A lot depends on the outcome and often it has nothing to do with talent. Even Brazil loses so even with its five World Cup victories it still is as vulnerable as all the other teams.

Well said ... I am an Italo-American who very recently had the wonderful fortune to visit and experience Italy ... While not being a soccer fan at all, filled with my even more enthusiastic Italian pride, I was rooting for Italy to win ... I do not know if one team is better than another, or if a foul is a foul ... I only know that when the ball passes into the net, a point is scored ...
However, I also know that if a team plays poorly, as is being said about the Italian team, than another team should beat them at some point, unless those other teams are playing even more poorly ... AND while a team could very well get lucky for one game, maybe two, can we call it luck if the go all the way and win the championship??? ... if that is true, I would love for some of that luck to run off on me ... maybe then Technics would start producing keyboards again !!! ... which is where I am going now, as we all should, to make BEAUTIFUL music ...
CIAO,
t.

PS I started this thread (SORRY !!!), and I wouldn't mind being the one to 'finish' it ...


[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 07-12-2006).]

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 07-12-2006).]

I don't usually keep track of soccer, but this year I was actually interested in it. So, yes, congratulations to Italy! I thought Germany was going to make it to the finals...

When I watched the game, the event was HUGE...how many people were actuall present at the game? It looked like 10x more people than what we see at the superbowl.

>>>Dreamer writes: And let me tell you one more thing: Klinsmann was really clever to resign; he knows that your team is nothing special and the third place is much more than you deserve...
Dreamer, and your source is? Has Klinsmann ever stated these words?<<<

Taike, just to answer this quesion and get this right: This is nothing but a very subjective assumption by somebody: Klinsmann never said it and surely never thought of it. Everybody in Germany wanted Klinsmann to stay, because he built up a desolate and heavily critisezed bunch of players to a very brave playing team, that deserves the word "team" in the sense of: Winning is a business of every single member of the crew. This was maybe the most important point why he got so popular. Klinsmann resigned because he felt burnt out and because some bitter old V.I.Ps in german football critisized his new methods of training the team and complained about some other stuff. Unfortunately Klinsmann has a very good memory and seems not so forgiving. He told the players and everybody who wanted to know how proud he was of the spirit and the success the german team achieved after two years of hard work. Thats why everybody wanted to keep him and they tried very hard including the players. They put pressure on him when he started and they put pressure on him when the WM was over, just in a different way, too much of what he could take. 2.) He was living up to the idea that Germany could go for the finals, he had high hopes for it and said this many times. Still he was more than happy how they beat Portugal in the semi final. The comment above, clever Klinsmann is leaving because his team isn�t worth staying with is simply - well - "uninformed", to say the least.

Heinrich

per italian lip readers-

Materazzi first told him: "Hold on, wait, that one's not for a feccia ('shit', 'scum') like you." Zidane then allegedly told Materazzi that if he really wanted to have his shirt, he could have it afterwards. It is unclear what Zidane specifically said , but the claim is backed by Zidane's body language as he walked past Materazzi. Materazzi allegedly replied: "I'd rather take the shirt off your wife." he reportedly added: "We all know you are the son of a terrorist whore."