13.5 mins
italy must win the penalty kicks. france looses the perhaps last chance.
in penalty shoots it would be important to have zz out there.
yes.... penalties, yes nervous time, yes tragic ends and yes the glory. coming in next 10 minutes...
barthez don't want to hear anything from his coaches basically he needs quiet. he knows what to do. he has been there.
ita2 fra2 (note that i am counting the real goals too)
ita3 fra 2 (ita chasing the evil indeed)
ita4 fra 3 ( o yea this stadium is worthy of new history now)
ita5 fra 3 ( ita closer than ever on PKs)
ITALY ITALY . HisTORY is made...BELLA ITALY...
sign off from yours truly unless a delicious fist fight developes at the end worthy of mediterrannean boys...the rest is better to watch with tears.
where is zizu? indeed. he has to be there for the medal.
sorry guys i can't just leave now.yep he ain't there. i forgave him....what a tragic end for most unlikely person.they should put him an intensive watch.i hope italy brings the joy into this unforgettable event.
although I want to brag through my teeth on many levels (winning through PKs and a four star) I cannot feel more angered andembarrassed with the red card--on what appears to be a racist remark by Materazzi to Zidane. Although Zidane should have a stiff upper lip I can't imagine him losing his cool unless there was some sort of blatant slur which could not go unheeded with some sort of reprisal. All Italians should feel good for the four star, but this not something to feel pride over. I can only hope that the behavior of Materazzi will be admonished/criticized and that all europeans will analysis this event more thoroughly for the future...
now if it wasn't what I fear than viva Italia, but I fear the worst! especially when a player who rarely shows such rage loses his cool....
Not to counter what you are all saying, but is this true about Zidane's expulsion? Is there a news source out there saying that Materazzi made a racist remark?
no news story (yet), but Zidane usually isn't like that. In fact the last time he was sent off for something like this was against Saudi Arabia...was that one motivated by some sort of aggravation too? we will never know the truth I bet, because Zidane is too proud.
and no nevermore, I stated Italy early in this thread.
this whole thing with zidane doesn't make sence is all I'm saying. France was playing well...he was tied up by Materazzi (a possible foul) and walking away to continue then there are some words....then Zidane headbutts him with a rage that can't be described as furstration! what else could it be? WHY would he do it? the only other thing I can think of is that he said something about Zidane's wife which IS a very Italian thing to do.
if he really wanted to hurt him, he would head bang him on the face.
refree should go further and eject both of them or at least find out, for the record, what happened. if the remark was indeed racist, italy should return the cup.
Not sure its typical? I'm not sure about that--how many red cards has zidane ever got? and also remember zidane isn't some yuppie, he grow up in the some of the worse slums in france. Now pair that with his usual even keel behavior--this is atypical I would say.
I agree nevermore....what is the difference...but then again what is the difference between me and an one else...not much, but people are still racist
again I also most say that this is all conjecture. It is my observation and feeling about the event...
it has to be something about his ancestery, wife/ family or calling a name on him. the world will ask what has been said there or what provoked zidane to do this.
after seeing the video above, i think one can expect all kinds of garbage from materazzi. i have known and seen players like him before, who knows the time to say profanities on other player using the sound of the audiance blanketing the exchange so no one can really hear except the target, usually utilizing predetermined words easy to mis understand in other languages or cultures.
zz head butt is going to be a big discussion for days to come. but he should deal with it. damn. typical mediterrannien temper.
this incident stole a lot of joy from an otherwise beautiful world cup.
the berlin olympic stadium... really damned?
this was the first full football match i've ever watched. i ordered a zidane jersey immediately afterwards. even though i don't even know how to spot an offsides call yet, the headbutt was amazing and worth me wearing zidane's jersey. that guy doesn't take any shit from anybody, and didn't even blink knocking that smug italian dude on his ass. i mean, come on, this is the last game of his career, the final game of the world cup, you know materazzi must have said something pretty ridiculously offensive to get zidane pissed enough to risk getting ejected from this game. but a line was obviously crossed and zidane let it be known. awesome.
Leaving this unfortunate mess aside, it seems that this World Cup has exemplified why I think the US is never going to accept soccer to the extent the rest of the world has.
-The American commentators are unsophisticated and do a crap job of relating the subtleties of the game. For an entire month I've heard nothing about the relative merits of a team using one formation over another, or any insight into why a productive scorer is sidelined for the first half of a game. I have heard dozens of explanations of the off-side rule, and careful descriptions of the 17 "yard" box. It's like watching American football and the commentators spending all their time talking about the distance between the field goal uprights. No wonder people here aren't excited.
-Penalties are assigned at the discretion of the referee... that is never going to be exact enough for the American public! No coaches challenge? No automatic review? Most of the world is accustomed to dealing with a justice system that is flawed and unreliable. The American justice system is just as flawed, but uses DNA evidence to conceal its failings. In Europe and the rest of the world, controversy and debate is part of the fun. That's not going to fly here.
Anyway, enough accusations and controversy. I'll be watching the Tour de France.
i read the whole article because i thought it was such an interesting story.
i knew zidane was never a saint. he definately deserved to be ejected from the game, but i don't think he deserves the public strutiny that will surely follow this incident. if you think this act is classless, then i would argue that 99% of the players on the field lack class bc all players have done their share of dirty work...it's a part of the game.
it's amazing how closely this parallels the incident with figo of portugal, whom by the way is also a real madrid player who will soon be retiring. he head butted some guy in the head! and has totally slipped under the radar from this incident.
i just think the press, politicians, and fans wanted zidane to be something other than the premier football player that he is. now they have to act outraged and suprised to cover up the fact that they were wrong about him all along. he was never a saint. he was just an excellent player.
i see this headbutt incident as an act of authenticity...not putting up with materazzi's antics no matter what the stage. i will still look back on zidane's career with much respect and admiration.
looks like after the initial shock, zizou's legendary status is going to be on the rise.
he is bit of a cult hero at the moment. a fighter who is not afraid to head butt against the supremacy.
yesterday, he was a football great, later on a stupid team leader who couldn't deal with his anger, today, he is his people's hero against racism and struggle.
if he decides to go into politics, a huge support for him is guaranteed now.
i, for one, am on his side.
i'd love to agree with you...the italians do play soccer well..their
defense is nice to watch as is their goal keeping...
BUT they dive more than greg louganis..the way they acted on the
field was second only to portugal in terms of lack of class. i wonder
how far totti can walk without falling down off the field because on
it he can barely walk five steps without being on the ground.
it was nice to see how so many of them scored though. they have
nine different scorers or something like that?
and its nice to see that video to see that zidane was retaliating to a
bull shit move by an italian defender.
Now Italy is the winner here in Germany
as Germany was in Italy in 1990.
Then the Italian team was kicked out of the cup in its own country by the German team. Now vice versa.
I think it's good this way:
Congratulations Italy
....and good luck JUVE in the third Italian league :-)
What on earth went through Zidane's mind last night, i don't know...
What a shame, he's leaving the game in total disgrace, that headbutt will be a huge stain on his carreer and that's all he'll be remembered for... You can take the man out of the street but you can't take the street out of the man.
I'm more disappointed by that than France losing the final actually, even though he's sending-off definitely contributed to france losing a game that was well within their grasp... i chucked all my frozen pizzas in the trash can last night and i think i'll stay off the espresso for another 4 years...
Dobey
Orhan is probably right. I'm sure they said something about his mother. And I disagree with John Jourden, ZZ has always been known for being sometimes too hto blooded. I mean, he's always quiet and all, but when somebody pushes him too far, that's his usual reaction. He's done it before.
I think it's all been planned, since he already knew Italy was going for the penalty shots and they wanted to revenge from the Euro cup where they lost on penalty shots. He didn't want to leave on a lost game, so he decided it was the best way for him to leave, also as an hommage to his "lascard" origins. We have to analyze the behaviour of players in a national team as individual behaviours more than team spirit. For example, it doesn't matter too much for Zidane if he looses the game, but it was obviously more important for Henry (already lost the Champ league against Barca) and for Thuram, who's probably going to retire after that, like many other French players on the field. Plus, it was the last opportunity for Zidane to kick someone's ass on the field...
I have mixed feellings about this event. On the one hand, I agree that it's not a very nice example for the public. But in the hand, as another line added to the legend, it was strategically an interesting idea. And I don't believe in any moral or fairness on the field. You just have to look at the behaviour of italian palyers, always overacting to find more faults and to disorganize the adversary, which is a clever strategy. Or just remember a few slow motion actions on this game or others, and see how many small kicks in the butt and slaps in face you have on almost EVERY action on the field. Soccer is not a nice game, it is inscribed in a very constraining set of rules, but all these rules are interpreted not so nicely by coach and players...
I know ZZ has got a track record, especially with regard to headbutting. he's definitley not a saint. he flew off the handle out of the blue last night, the thing the italian guy said to him must have been pretty bad for him to lose his shit so quickly... still, there is no excuse for doing what he did. i still think it's a sad way to end a career though it'll probably take us another 10 years to re-build a good team, i remember mexico 86 and the 8 years of football nothingness that followed for France after Platoche retired. that's what lies ahead fro the team i'm afraid. not to mention that we'll have to play italy again in the group qualifiers for euro 2008. anyways, we'll live to regret coming so close to winning it yet failing so miserably in our quest and the emotional scar will be huge. i'm depressed today.
It's not that depressing i think. It was a good game, only they lost every occasion to score. That one shoot by ribery that was so close to the goal could really have transformed his carreer.
And at least French politicians won't be able to use a soccer victory for other purpose this time ...
World Cup Predictor Game
13.5 mins
italy must win the penalty kicks. france looses the perhaps last chance.
in penalty shoots it would be important to have zz out there.
yes.... penalties, yes nervous time, yes tragic ends and yes the glory. coming in next 10 minutes...
barthez don't want to hear anything from his coaches basically he needs quiet. he knows what to do. he has been there.
ita2 fra2 (note that i am counting the real goals too)
ita3 fra 2 (ita chasing the evil indeed)
ita4 fra 3 ( o yea this stadium is worthy of new history now)
ita5 fra 3 ( ita closer than ever on PKs)
ITALY ITALY . HisTORY is made...BELLA ITALY...
sign off from yours truly unless a delicious fist fight developes at the end worthy of mediterrannean boys...the rest is better to watch with tears.
CONGRATS ITALY
zidane what a stupid fucking thing to do....i bet if he was there, italy would never have won
i wonder how zizu will do when he comes for his silver medal.
what a scandal..
so far he is not around. but this is not his show any more. glory is with the italians. france takes home a spectacular shock.
deciding a championship on penalty kicks?
where is zizu? indeed. he has to be there for the medal.
sorry guys i can't just leave now.yep he ain't there. i forgave him....what a tragic end for most unlikely person.they should put him an intensive watch.i hope italy brings the joy into this unforgettable event.
the golden cup looks more humble with italy...
so far no tears from me...
maybe zizu was the one at the end who possessed the demon, sacrificed himself and save the humanity from the evil. just like in the movie...
although I want to brag through my teeth on many levels (winning through PKs and a four star) I cannot feel more angered andembarrassed with the red card--on what appears to be a racist remark by Materazzi to Zidane. Although Zidane should have a stiff upper lip I can't imagine him losing his cool unless there was some sort of blatant slur which could not go unheeded with some sort of reprisal. All Italians should feel good for the four star, but this not something to feel pride over. I can only hope that the behavior of Materazzi will be admonished/criticized and that all europeans will analysis this event more thoroughly for the future...
now if it wasn't what I fear than viva Italia, but I fear the worst! especially when a player who rarely shows such rage loses his cool....
respect zidane
if thats right john, what a sad end to a cup which was supposed to deal with racism as a theme. very sad indeed.
I hope it's not true either, but the question will remain why?
Not to counter what you are all saying, but is this true about Zidane's expulsion? Is there a news source out there saying that Materazzi made a racist remark?
Umm..ahem....was I the only guy over here who predicted that italy will win ?
Viva me ! viva me !
neeways ,It shouldnt have ended in pks . but life's like that .
Now would be a nice time to be on the streets Milan or Rome !
no news story (yet), but Zidane usually isn't like that. In fact the last time he was sent off for something like this was against Saudi Arabia...was that one motivated by some sort of aggravation too? we will never know the truth I bet, because Zidane is too proud.
and no nevermore, I stated Italy early in this thread.
this whole thing with zidane doesn't make sence is all I'm saying. France was playing well...he was tied up by Materazzi (a possible foul) and walking away to continue then there are some words....then Zidane headbutts him with a rage that can't be described as furstration! what else could it be? WHY would he do it? the only other thing I can think of is that he said something about Zidane's wife which IS a very Italian thing to do.
Whatever the reason, it was still very atypical for ZZ.
for that matter, I dont see much of a racial difference between Zidane and Materazzi !
Ive heard that Zidane is an ethnic kabyle and thats not too different from the mediterranean racial stock .
materazzi has always been a violent type .He's been in controversy many times.
if he really wanted to hurt him, he would head bang him on the face.
refree should go further and eject both of them or at least find out, for the record, what happened. if the remark was indeed racist, italy should return the cup.
to shakira...
shakira can pass off for an italian.
Not sure its typical? I'm not sure about that--how many red cards has zidane ever got? and also remember zidane isn't some yuppie, he grow up in the some of the worse slums in france. Now pair that with his usual even keel behavior--this is atypical I would say.
I agree nevermore....what is the difference...but then again what is the difference between me and an one else...not much, but people are still racist
again I also most say that this is all conjecture. It is my observation and feeling about the event...
I ant to be on the streets of milan or rome with some vino
AND
is shakira like 4'-10"?
no shit.. !
what ?
are there any Italian women architects here on archinect ?
since the world cup is now over, i have nothing better to do except add fire to this zidane/materazzi scandal.
watch this video. it's amazing materazzi was never ejected from this game
video
it has to be something about his ancestery, wife/ family or calling a name on him. the world will ask what has been said there or what provoked zidane to do this.
after seeing the video above, i think one can expect all kinds of garbage from materazzi. i have known and seen players like him before, who knows the time to say profanities on other player using the sound of the audiance blanketing the exchange so no one can really hear except the target, usually utilizing predetermined words easy to mis understand in other languages or cultures.
zz head butt is going to be a big discussion for days to come. but he should deal with it. damn. typical mediterrannien temper.
this incident stole a lot of joy from an otherwise beautiful world cup.
the berlin olympic stadium... really damned?
skakira is from colombia and her dad is lebanese and she is a good belly dancer.
from a nytimes blog comment- it was an ugly nipple twist.
see the video
i didn't see the nipple twist, but zidane must be one stupid idiot to blow his whole career out the window like that! sheesh.
Forza Italia!!
It's totally unexpected and without precedent for an Italian player to use such classless, unsportsmanlike behavior just to draw a retaliatory foul.
Hmmm.
WE WON, WE WON, WE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!
Wer really deserved to win this world cup!!!! better us than the french!!!!!
it's 3 am and parties all around city of Milan are in full bloom, WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thats not legal?
this was the first full football match i've ever watched. i ordered a zidane jersey immediately afterwards. even though i don't even know how to spot an offsides call yet, the headbutt was amazing and worth me wearing zidane's jersey. that guy doesn't take any shit from anybody, and didn't even blink knocking that smug italian dude on his ass. i mean, come on, this is the last game of his career, the final game of the world cup, you know materazzi must have said something pretty ridiculously offensive to get zidane pissed enough to risk getting ejected from this game. but a line was obviously crossed and zidane let it be known. awesome.
this short piece, written long before today's match, offers some possible insight into Zidane's actions:
http://www.kabyles.com/article.php3?id_article=2271
...be sure to scroll down to see the text.
Leaving this unfortunate mess aside, it seems that this World Cup has exemplified why I think the US is never going to accept soccer to the extent the rest of the world has.
-The American commentators are unsophisticated and do a crap job of relating the subtleties of the game. For an entire month I've heard nothing about the relative merits of a team using one formation over another, or any insight into why a productive scorer is sidelined for the first half of a game. I have heard dozens of explanations of the off-side rule, and careful descriptions of the 17 "yard" box. It's like watching American football and the commentators spending all their time talking about the distance between the field goal uprights. No wonder people here aren't excited.
-Penalties are assigned at the discretion of the referee... that is never going to be exact enough for the American public! No coaches challenge? No automatic review? Most of the world is accustomed to dealing with a justice system that is flawed and unreliable. The American justice system is just as flawed, but uses DNA evidence to conceal its failings. In Europe and the rest of the world, controversy and debate is part of the fun. That's not going to fly here.
Anyway, enough accusations and controversy. I'll be watching the Tour de France.
i read the whole article because i thought it was such an interesting story.
i knew zidane was never a saint. he definately deserved to be ejected from the game, but i don't think he deserves the public strutiny that will surely follow this incident. if you think this act is classless, then i would argue that 99% of the players on the field lack class bc all players have done their share of dirty work...it's a part of the game.
it's amazing how closely this parallels the incident with figo of portugal, whom by the way is also a real madrid player who will soon be retiring. he head butted some guy in the head! and has totally slipped under the radar from this incident.
i just think the press, politicians, and fans wanted zidane to be something other than the premier football player that he is. now they have to act outraged and suprised to cover up the fact that they were wrong about him all along. he was never a saint. he was just an excellent player.
i see this headbutt incident as an act of authenticity...not putting up with materazzi's antics no matter what the stage. i will still look back on zidane's career with much respect and admiration.
looks like after the initial shock, zizou's legendary status is going to be on the rise.
he is bit of a cult hero at the moment. a fighter who is not afraid to head butt against the supremacy.
yesterday, he was a football great, later on a stupid team leader who couldn't deal with his anger, today, he is his people's hero against racism and struggle.
if he decides to go into politics, a huge support for him is guaranteed now.
i, for one, am on his side.
atleast mauresmo brought some cheer to the french.
and if your going to hit someone you might as well do it properly, it was a fantastic headbut
la perfecta!!
i'm still getting over the fact that the world cup got over so soon... sorry.
mateo..
i'd love to agree with you...the italians do play soccer well..their
defense is nice to watch as is their goal keeping...
BUT they dive more than greg louganis..the way they acted on the
field was second only to portugal in terms of lack of class. i wonder
how far totti can walk without falling down off the field because on
it he can barely walk five steps without being on the ground.
it was nice to see how so many of them scored though. they have
nine different scorers or something like that?
and its nice to see that video to see that zidane was retaliating to a
bull shit move by an italian defender.
Now Italy is the winner here in Germany
as Germany was in Italy in 1990.
Then the Italian team was kicked out of the cup in its own country by the German team. Now vice versa.
I think it's good this way:
Congratulations Italy
....and good luck JUVE in the third Italian league :-)
at least the US can say that they were the only team that played italy in this tournament and didn't lose!
yes, dot, because of a self-goal....
Congratulations Italy
What on earth went through Zidane's mind last night, i don't know...
What a shame, he's leaving the game in total disgrace, that headbutt will be a huge stain on his carreer and that's all he'll be remembered for... You can take the man out of the street but you can't take the street out of the man.
I'm more disappointed by that than France losing the final actually, even though he's sending-off definitely contributed to france losing a game that was well within their grasp... i chucked all my frozen pizzas in the trash can last night and i think i'll stay off the espresso for another 4 years...
sigh...
Dobey
Orhan is probably right. I'm sure they said something about his mother. And I disagree with John Jourden, ZZ has always been known for being sometimes too hto blooded. I mean, he's always quiet and all, but when somebody pushes him too far, that's his usual reaction. He's done it before.
I think it's all been planned, since he already knew Italy was going for the penalty shots and they wanted to revenge from the Euro cup where they lost on penalty shots. He didn't want to leave on a lost game, so he decided it was the best way for him to leave, also as an hommage to his "lascard" origins. We have to analyze the behaviour of players in a national team as individual behaviours more than team spirit. For example, it doesn't matter too much for Zidane if he looses the game, but it was obviously more important for Henry (already lost the Champ league against Barca) and for Thuram, who's probably going to retire after that, like many other French players on the field. Plus, it was the last opportunity for Zidane to kick someone's ass on the field...
I have mixed feellings about this event. On the one hand, I agree that it's not a very nice example for the public. But in the hand, as another line added to the legend, it was strategically an interesting idea. And I don't believe in any moral or fairness on the field. You just have to look at the behaviour of italian palyers, always overacting to find more faults and to disorganize the adversary, which is a clever strategy. Or just remember a few slow motion actions on this game or others, and see how many small kicks in the butt and slaps in face you have on almost EVERY action on the field. Soccer is not a nice game, it is inscribed in a very constraining set of rules, but all these rules are interpreted not so nicely by coach and players...
I know ZZ has got a track record, especially with regard to headbutting. he's definitley not a saint. he flew off the handle out of the blue last night, the thing the italian guy said to him must have been pretty bad for him to lose his shit so quickly... still, there is no excuse for doing what he did. i still think it's a sad way to end a career though it'll probably take us another 10 years to re-build a good team, i remember mexico 86 and the 8 years of football nothingness that followed for France after Platoche retired. that's what lies ahead fro the team i'm afraid. not to mention that we'll have to play italy again in the group qualifiers for euro 2008. anyways, we'll live to regret coming so close to winning it yet failing so miserably in our quest and the emotional scar will be huge. i'm depressed today.
It's not that depressing i think. It was a good game, only they lost every occasion to score. That one shoot by ribery that was so close to the goal could really have transformed his carreer.
And at least French politicians won't be able to use a soccer victory for other purpose this time ...
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.