Azzuris at Top of the World

7/9/06: Italy 1 (5) – France 1 (3)
Headers and Head Butts

Late in the first 15 minute overtime, Zinedine Zidane sprang two French players loose on the right wing with a nifty pass, then drifted into the middle of the penalty box hoping to get a return cross. That cross found him wide open in front of Buffon. His hard header was going straight into the goal but Buffon, who had drifted slightly to his left, was able to get his right hand on it just enough to deflect it over the bar. It was a spectacular save and one that would alter the course of this game dramatically. France would continue to push forward while Italy would continue to defend either out of inability to penetrate the French defense, exhaustion, or cynical tactics which had them betting they could win the penalty lottery.

In the second 15 minute overtime, Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi got involved in a tussle in front of goal after one of many failed French attacks into the Italian zone. They jawed back and forth, probably talking the kind of trash that would make Michael Jordan proud, when inexplicably Zizou took a step back and headbutted Materazzi (who seemed not to be looking now) violently in the chest, knocking him down. The referee, Hector Elizondo, of Argentina had not seen the play initially and relied on other officials to view a replay on a monitor to tell him what happened. When he was told, Zidane was expelled from the game with a red card.

Those two plays changed France’s chances for good. It was in essence a one goal and one player turnaround. Italy would not go on to score (again either they couldn’t or didn’t try) but France would miss Zidane sorely in the penalty shootout. Already missing Vieira to injury and Henry to exhaustion, France had no leadership going into the crucial penalty kick phase, a part of the game that I think is more mentally excruciating than in almost any other sport.

In the days since the match, many have attacked and many have defended Zidane for his actions. He has been victimized in the press around the world and strangely enough apparently rewarded by FIFA at some level with the golden boot award. I will only say that whatever may have prompted his actions, he must have immediately regretted his actions because he knew at that instant that he has hurt his team. We will know more about what kind of trash Materazzi may have spewed that got under Zidane’s skin later. Whatever it was, it was apparently a tactic that has been used against Zidane before as he had been suspended for a headbutting incident in the Champions League and had also been suspended for stamping on a Saudi player in the 1998 World Cup. Materazzi’s actions were a result of serious study I’m afraid and Zidane’s temper got the best of him.

Italy would go on to win the penalty kick shootout by kicking 5 perfect shots, none of which Barthez, a keeper not known for his penalty kick stopping prowess, could have stopped even if he was somewhat adept at that part of the game. France’s David Trezeguet missed his, and the penalty lottery was over.

Zidane and Materazzi had been leading men in this play all day. Materazzi committed the early infraction in the box on a fast breaking Malouda, which led to Zidane’s conversion of the ensuing penalty kick. Materazzi himself equalized with a powerful header off of a cross. The Italians would try that play curling outswinging cross twice again in the first half with success: once Luca Toni rattled the cross bar and another header went just high.

My theory is that obliged to chase the equalizing goal, the Italians pressed forward until they got it. Since they got it fairly early in the game, the pressure was off and I didn’t see them really pushing the attack that much more after about the 60 minute mark. Once the game got into extra time, the Italians retreated even further back into their catenaccio defensive shell. Coaches are often criticized for their cynical tactics, for playing for the PKs, and I think that’s exactly what Lippi did. When Zidane imploded, this tactic must have seemed like pure genius.

I was at the 1994 World Cup Final and saw Italy’s Roberto Baggio sky his last penalty which gave Brazil the victory. That elegant Italian side (with Maldini, Dino Baggio, Franco Baresi, and a host of other very talented Italian players) showed glimpses of offensive genius in the overtime, and in one play Baggio almost scored the winning goal off of a wall pass. The Italians back then also played the infamous catenaccio, as have Italians for generations, but they differed from this team in that they showed a willingness to win the game in regulation.

What’s strange about that is that the Italian gamble was a high stake one. They had lost numerous World Cup games on penalties. In 1990 they were eliminated by Argentina and in aforementioned 1994 World Cup Final by Brazil in the Final. Yet they still bet they could win one. This time they got it right.