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Danke
July 9th, 2006
Before we get to the good and the bad, let's get the ugly out of the way -
Zinedine Zidane's moment of madness.
You'll probably read the same thing in a thousand places but I may as well
say it too: it's a miserable way for a great career to end but you can't
excuse what he did. We may not know what provoked Zidane but someone with
his experience must have heard or seen just about everything there is to
hear or see on a football pitch. Pray that Marco Materazzi didn't make a
racist remark - that would just be depressing.
I have been an unashamed Zidane fan. (Who hasn't?) But the joy that he
provided throughout the knockout phase was undone with one moment of
insanity. Minutes earlier he forced a great save out of Gianluigi Buffon
with a fabulous header. If he'd spent the entire second half of extra time
standing on one spot, we'd still remember him with reverence.
Unfortunately he finished his career with a moment we'll wish we could
forget. It's so sad.
And the game went to penalties. I don't have a problem with penalties
earlier in the competition but I never feel comfortable about any Final
finishing that way.
Before 1994, I hoped that, somehow, there would never be a World Cup Final
decided by a penalty shootout. I then hoped it would never happen in an FA
Cup Final...
It's reality, but one can accept reality without liking it.
Peter Goldstein wrote a piece called Enigma after Italy won its semi-final
against Germany. Go back and read it again because it's one of the finest
columns on this site.
The Italian team is certainly an enigma. Today it didn't produce anything
close to the performance that we saw in the semi-final. After equalising
France's opening goal, the Italians kept the French under pressure.
But after some glimpses of good Italy, bad Italy resurfaced in the second
half. France was the team with ambition and until Zidane lost his head,
his midfield was in control. Italy simply chose to sit back.
I don't understand - and may never understand - why the Italians do this.
They are a capable team and have the ability to play good attacking
football. But most Italian teams are obsessed with defence.
Did you know that after Italy won the 1970 semi-final against West
Germany, the players were heavily criticised for conceding twice in extra
time? They had just played in one of the greatest matches in the
tournament's history and won 4-3 (the score after 90 minutes was 1-1).
Does this mentality make sense to you?
[I have just seen Marcello Lippi blame "physical breakdown" for Italy's
lack of energy after half time but I'm not buying it. Had France taken a
2-1 lead, the Italians would have suddenly found enough energy to power
the entire city of Berlin.]
Nevertheless, the French couldn't score again and that meant penalties.
Zidane's header late in the first period of extra time was the closest
they came to regaining the lead.
It wasn't a bad World Cup Final. Indeed, given some of the tedium we've
endured since the Final of Mexico 86, it was quite refreshing. I would
just love to have seen a winning goal in extra time.
Even though I will remember watching this match at a friend's house in my
home town, I will remember these World Cup finals as the first I attended.
In five hectic but rewarding weeks, I had a fantastic time. I went to 12
international football matches in 8 different cities. Using different
means, I got my hands on tickets to 10 World Cup finals matches, including
a round of 16 match and a semi-final.
I've seen games involving Germany, Italy, Brazil and the Netherlands -
half of international football's heavyweight nations. (I still need to see
England, Argentina, Spain and France.) I also saw a Portugal match and
that gave me the chance to yell abuse at Luis Figo. Surely that's
priceless?
I had my ups and downs with travel, hotels, weather and tickets. (Happily
there were more ups.) And, most importantly, I followed the Socceroos'
extraordinary ride. More than anyone or anything, they took me to Germany.
Every Australian match was a wonderful event. The games against Italy and
Brazil may not be classics but the Aussies showed that they had the skill
and determination to compete with two giants of the sport.
Nothing may ever equal the eight unbelievable minutes that saw Australia
turn a one goal deficit into a 3-1 win against Japan. So much of it is now
a blur. The things I recall most clearly are the group of fans I was
crazily jumping around with and Super Timmy Cahill's second goal. It came
off the inside of the post and I was perfectly placed to see that the ball
would cross the line. I can still close my eyes and see that ball crossing
the line and it's an amazing memory.
(Before these World Cup finals, I wrote that I didn't have a favourite
World Cup goal. I have one now.)
Against Croatia, Australia reached the last 16 - our Promised Land. It was
an electric night in Stuttgart and I feel privileged to have experienced
that as well as the joy of the Japan match.
Australia's fans made me as proud as our players did. We were a hit in
Germany and it became more apparent as the tournament continued. People
that saw me wearing my Australian shirts would enthuse about our team and
our supporters.
Fans give the World Cup its special atmosphere. They're everywhere and
they're determined to have fun and make friends. I now understand why
people keep going back to World Cups and I already can't imagine missing
South Africa in 2010.
The last words have to go to the wonderful host nation.
Something special has happened in Germany in the last few weeks. A country
that feels ashamed of events that took place more than 60 years ago was
able to enjoy itself and show the right kind of national pride.
The generation of Germans that was responsible for the Second World War is
dying out and there is no reason to taint later generations with its
history. They went out of their way to make this World Cup a memorable
experience for everyone that visited and they deserve the right to wave
their flag and celebrate their nation.
Thank you Deutschland. Danke.
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