FIFA World Cup Photos: Italy celebrate 4th FIFA World Cup title!!!

FIFA World Cup Photos: France end World Cup on a sad note

ITALY 5, FRANCE 3 (pk)

Italy 5

Andrea Pirlo

Marco Materazzi

Daniele De Rossi

Alessandro Del Piero

Fabio Grosso

France 3

Sylvain Wiltord,

Eric Abidal

David Trezeguet

Willy Sagnol

Zinedine Zidane gave France the lead in the seventh minute with a penalty, and Materazzi equalized 12 minutes later. But Zidane was sent off in extra time after head-butting Materazzi.

ITALY wins FIFA World Cup!!! Italy 5 def. France 3 on penalty kicks

Italy beat France 5-3 on penalty kicks to win the World Cup final match on Sunday. It was the fourth world crown for the Azzurri.

It was just the second time a World Cup final game was decided on penalty kicks. The first time was 1994, when Brazil beat Italy. France was without its captain and best penalty kicker, Zinedine Zidane, who was red-carded in the 110th minute.

Zidane, who was playing the last soccer match of his career, headbutted Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest after the two exchanged words while walking down the field.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first 90 minutes. The teams then played two scoreless overtimes.

In the ninth minute of overtime, Franck Ribery of France shot wide off the far post. It was the closest any player had come to scoring in overtime.

Four minutes later, Zidane hit a header that Italian goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon managed to palm over the net.

In the first half, Italy's Materazzi headed a corner kick past France's goaltender to tie the World Cup final match at 1-1 in the 19th minute. Andrea Pirlo's corner kick set up Materazzi just to the left of the goal. Materazzi's header just got past diving goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.

In the sixth minute, Zidane scored on a penalty kick to give France a 1-0 lead.

Zidane faked the kick left and after the Italian goaltender dove, he softly kicked a shot that hit off the crossbar and barely bounced into the goal.

That penalty kick was set up by a foul against Materazzi.

It was the first goal that Italy had allowed in more than 460 minutes of World Cup play this year.

Zidane went down after a collision with an Italian player in the 81st minute, but moments later he returned to the game as the crowd went wild. He appeared to be in pain as he ran after returning.

In the 62nd minute, Luca Toni put a diving header past France's goalkeeper that appeared to give Italy a 2-1 lead, but an offside flag nullified the goal. Minutes later, replays showed that the linesman probably got the call correct, and the match remained tied 1-1.

Italy again came close to taking the lead in the 77th minute, when Pirlo's penalty kick from 30 yards away curled wide of the post.

World Cup LIVE!!! - Italy 1, France 1

France 1 vs Italy 1

Marco Materazzi headed a corner kick past France's goaltender to tie the World Cup final match at 1-1 in the 19th minute on Sunday. Andrea Pirlo's corner kick set up Materazzi just to the left of the goal. Materazzi's header just got past diving goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.

At the half, the score remained tied 1-1.

In the sixth minute, Zinedine Zidane scored on a penalty kick to give France a 1-0 lead.

Zidane faked the kick left and after the Italian goaltender dove, he softly kicked a shot that hit off the crossbar and barely bounced into the goal.

That penalty kick was set up by a foul against Materazzi.

It was the first goal that Italy has allowed in more than 460 minutes of World Cup play this year.

One minute into the game, France got some potentially bad news when Thierry Henry, one of the team's two biggest names, went down after taking an apparent elbow to his face. Henry stayed down for a couple minutes before getting help off the field.

Moments later he returned to the game.

Dream World Cup Final: France vs Italy

After more than two years of competition featuring 194 teams, 910 games and more than 2,600 goals, the World Cup will be decided on Sunday with either Italy crowned champions for the fourth time or France for the second.

A billion people will turn their attention to Berlin's Olympiastadion where two teams drenched in World Cup history will do battle in the 18th final. The match has left bookmakers divided but is littered with fascinating sub-plots that fans of each side can cling to in the desperate hope that they are fated to triumph.

For France it is the opportunity to complete the circle of recovery after they were knocked out after the first round without scoring a goal four years ago. Striker Thierry Henry's frustration goes back even further as he seeks to banish the bitter-sweet memories of 1998 when he watched the final from the bench as France triumphed 3-0 over Brazil.

And there is Zinedine Zidane, who retires after the match with his reputation as one of the game's greats long-assured but who craves the ultimate leaving gift.

2000 Revenge

Italy go into the game under the cloud of the domestic match-fixing scandal which might yet see half the squad playing second division football next month but which has also helped mould them into a formidably spirited unit. They are also seeking revenge for the agony of the 2000 European Championship when the title seemed theirs before France snatched an injury-time equaliser then won it with David Trezeguet's golden goal.

While Zidane's departure seems to demand victory, Italy can point to a similarly neat and equally deserved last page scenario that would see their superb captain Fabio Cannavaro lifting the trophy on the occasion of his 100th international appearance.

However, all the historical twists will be forgotten on Sunday when the destination of the trophy will be decided not according to some grand design but more likely by a moment of inspiration or a fatal loss of concentration.

It seems certain that the match will be in keeping with the rest of the tournament as a cagey affair with little likelihood of a feast of goals. That was certainly the case in their last World Cup meeting in the 1998 quarter-finals when France advanced on penalties after a goalless draw.

Grey edge

Five of the side who played in that game and went on to win the trophy and then beat the Italians again in the Euro 2000 final are in the squad for Sunday - Fabien Barthez, Lilian Thuram, Trezeguet, Henry and Zidane but only Cannavaro and Alessandro Del Piero survive for Italy.

The grey edge to the French side was one of the reasons so few people gave them a chance in this competition but they have countered the critics with performances of increasing confidence as they dispatched Spain, Brazil and Portugal.

Italy too have every reason to back themselves. Their superb defence, fighting spirit and a coolness in front of goal that has produced 10 different scorers of 11 goals, took them deservedly past Australia, Ukraine and Germany.

Both sides are littered with potential match-winners and both have experienced players highly qualified in the art of stopping such performers.

Can Zidane possibly match his two-goal heroics of the 1998 final, can Henry deliver one of his special moments or can new boy Franck Ribery complete a dream tournament by scoring in the final?

Conversely can Luca Toni follow in the footsteps of 1982 hero Paolo Rossi, will Andrea Pirlo net one his sumptuous free kicks or could the rampaging Gianluca Zambrotta charge his way into the history books?

If not, there is always penalties.

Probable Teams:

ITALY (4-4-1-1): 1-Gianluigi Buffon; 19-Gianluca Zambrotta, 23-Marco Materazzi, 5-Fabio Cannavaro (captain), 3-Fabio Grosso; 20-Simone Perrotta, 21-Andrea Pirlo, 8-Gennaro Gattuso, 16-Mauro Camoranesi; 10-Francesco Totti; 9-Luca Toni.

FRANCE (4-2-3-1): 16-Fabien Barthez; 19-Willy Sagnol, 15-Lilian Thuram, 5-William Gallas, 3-Eric Abidal; 4-Patrick Vieira, 6-Claude Makelele; 22-Franck Ribery, 10-Zinedine Zidane (captain), 7-Florent Malouda; 12-Thierry Henry.

Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina).

All you need to know about the World Cup final

It will finish on Sunday in Berlin in the historic Olympic Stadium with either Fabio Cannavaro of Italy or France's Zinedine Zidane hoisting the most prized trophy in sport - the FIFA World Cup.

Over the last month, the world has cheered, argued, booed, sung, complained, whined, laughed, cried in sadness and cried tears of joy. This World Cup does not figure as one of the best — in truth, it struggles to make my top ten and I have watched eleven of them — but it has had its memorable moments, as all World Cups do.

No matter what has gone before, the final game this Sunday has the ingredients that could provide us with one of the grandest of World Cup finales. Italy leads with 17 wins, 7 losses and 8 draws. However, you have to go back to the 1978 World Cup in Argentina to find Italy's last win over France. Since then, France is unbeaten in their last six meetings.

1938 World Cup quarterfinal — Italy 3-1 France (host)
1978 World Cup group stage — Italy 2-1 France
1986 World Cup round of 16 — Italy 0-2 France
1998 World Cup quarterfinal — Italy 0-0 France (France 4-3 on penalties)
2000 Euro 2000 final — Italy 1-2 France (after extra time)

Italian Coach Marcello Lippi (58) has enjoyed a more successful career as a coach than he did as a player. He was a journeyman player for a number of Italian clubs before moving into coaching in 1982. He worked his way through the ranks and by 1989 he was in charge of Cesena in Serie A — Italy's top league.

He joined Juventus in 1994 and made his reputation with the Turin giants. During two spells with Juve he led them to five Serie A championships and won the Champions League once. Juventus also reached the Champions League final on three other occasions under Lippi. He took over the Italian national team after the European Championships in 2004 and Italy is currently unbeaten in its last 24 games.

Raymond Domenech (54) also took over the national team after France lost in the quarterfinals of the 2004 European Championships. His playing career took him to a number of French teams including Lyon, Strasbourg, Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux before retiring in 1984 to move into coaching.

He was in charge of Mulhouse and Lyon of the French league before being placed in charge of the French youth team in 1993. He remained in that position until he replaced Jacques Santini after the Euros. During his time in charge France has only lost one game.

Zidane eyes second World Cup for France as Italy seeks Fourth

Zinedine Zidane will try to end his career with a second World Cup victory when he leads France against three-time winner Italy in today's World Cup final in Berlin.

The 34-year-old Zidane, whose two goals helped France defeat Brazil in the 1998 final, has driven the team into the showpiece game and will quit afterward. He set up the goal that defeated defending champion Brazil in the quarterfinals.

The final is among the closest to call in tournament history. After the semifinals in which Italy beat host nation Germany in extra time and France scored the only goal against Portugal, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power said the game was as even as a flip of a coin. Germany beat Portugal 3-1 in yesterday's third-place playoff.

More bettors have since backed Italy, which is the 8-11 favorite. France, which won its only title eight years ago, is rated an even chance, meaning a successful $10 would yield $10. Italy scored twice in the last two minutes of extra time against Germany to advance to its sixth World Cup final and first since losing in a penalty shootout to Brazil in 1994.

European Record

A victory over France at Berlin's Olympic stadium would give the Italians a European best fourth title after winning soccer's biggest prize in 1934, 1938 and 1982. Brazil leads the all-time list with five victories.

France's first World Cup success was founded on a backline that allowed two goals in seven matches. This time, the defense has again been breached twice, a record second only to the Italians, who let in just one goal so far.

The only player to beat Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon this World Cup was teammate Cristian Zaccardo, who sliced the ball into his own net in a 1-1 draw with the U.S. Another shutout would see Buffon pass fellow Italian Walter Zenga's World Cup record of 517 minutes without allowing a goal.

All set for France-Italy World Cup Final!

France vs Italy

The 2006 World Cup trophy goes to either France or Italy. These two European giants face each other in the final at the Olympiastadion of Berlin, on Sunday.

The Italians will have to do without one of their more influential players, as Alessandro Nesta has been out injured since his side's win over the Czech Republic in the group phase. Marco Materazzi is expected to start, together with Zambrotta, Cannavaro and Grosso, defending Gianluigi Buffon's goal. Midfield should consist of Pirlo, Perrotta, Gattuso, Totti and Camoranesi, while Toni should start up front.

The French have no significant injury problems. Barthez is to start in goal and will be assisted by Sagnol, Abidal, Thuram and Gallas in defense. Makelele, Vieira, Malouda, Ribéry and the great Zinedine Zidane are to form the midfield line, while Thierry Henry begins alone in Les Bleus' attack.

Facts:

Italy have reached the World Cup final every twelve years since 1970, when they lost to Brazil. In 1982 the Azzurri beat West Germany and in 1994, a penalty shootout had Brazil come out as winners.

France most recent victory came in 2000, when the team won the European Championships in the Netherlands and Belgium. Interestingly, all three knock-out rounds opponents of 2000, again faced France in this tournament, and in the right order as well.

Spain, then France's opponents in the quarter final, were now defeated in the round of sixteen. Portugal faced France in the semi final in 2000, and just as this year, they lost. In the final, the then reigning World Champions faced Italy, just like now.

Head to head:

These two teams have had 32 previous encounters. Italy won 17 times, France only 7. Although there were four meetings at World Cup's, their most famous appointment was the final at Euro 2000.Italy thought to have secured the victory thanks to a goal from Marco Delvecchio, but Sylvain Wiltord levelled just before full time, for David Trezeguet to score a golden goal in extra time.

Probable line-ups:

Italy: Buffon; Zambrotta, Grosso, Cannavaro, Materazzi; Gattuso, Camoranesi, Pirlo, Perrotta; Totti; Toni.

France: Barthez; Sagnol, Abidal, Thuram, Gallas; Makelele, Vieira, Malouda, Ribery, Zidane; Henry.

World Cup: France and Italy - Settled and similar

The World Cup final Sunday night brings together two teams with settled lineups. Both have managed to avoid suspensions. Both are largely free of injury - Alessandro Nesta, the Italian center back, is likely to be the only significant absentee.

Both teams play the same formation: four defenders, a band of four across midfield and one man supporting the lone striker. The principal difference is that Italy has shown far more willingness to attack in numbers than France.

FRANCE

Fabien Barthez

The goalkeeper is one of the survivors of the great team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. But he has been far from great in Germany. He used to compensate for his lack of size with brash aggression. Here he has seemed nervous, but so far neither he nor France, which has conceded only two goals, one from a penalty, has been punished.

Zinédine Zidane

The French talisman has always been a man for the big game and this, he insists, will be his last. He was superb against Brazil. It was his first good World Cup performance since the 1998 final. He contributed little in the semifinal, where he often found himself facing three Portuguese midfielders. While the French reluctance to commit men to attack means he can expect to be outnumbered again, the Italians, less defensive than Portugal, are unlikely to feel the need to give him that much attention.

Thierry Henry

Center forward is the one position at which France has unquestionably the better player. Yet, in a team that orbits around Zidane, Henry continues to struggle to find his dazzling club form. He is France's top scorer with three goals and he won the penalty that produced the goal against Portugal. In that game, he worked selflessly as a decoy, pulling wide and dropping into midfield to create space for Zidane, Malouda and Ribéry.

ITALY

Gianluigi Buffon

He has done nothing to undermine his reputation as the best goalkeeper in the world. Indeed, playing behind a superb back four, he often does nothing. The only goal he has conceded was an own-goal by Cristian Zaccardo in the 27th minute of the second group game against the United States. If he stays unbeaten for the first 64 minutes Sunday, he will break the Italian Walter Zenga's 1990 World Cup record of 517 minutes without a goal.

Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Grosso

Two defensively sound fullbacks - this is Italy, after all. Zambrotta caught the eye with his tricky attacking play until Grosso scored a goal any striker would have cherished, with three minutes left in extra-time in the semifinal.

Fabio Cannavaro, Marco Materazzi

At just 1.75 meters, Cannavaro is tiny for a central defender. Yet so good is his leaping and his timing that he wins the ball in the air against big strikers. Everything Cannavaro does is impeccably timed. He is without a rival as the best central defender at this World Cup. He is the organizer of the Italian defense and a deft ballplayer and passer. Materazzi, standing in for Nesta, looked clumsy when he was sent off against Australia, but gave a much smoother display in the semifinal.