Σπιτάκι

To παραμύθι του Ζιντάν τελικά το είχανε γράψει οι Brothers Grimm.

Ντροπή και αίσχος. Ένας καταπληκτικός τελικός τα πρώτα 90 λεπτά, με ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέρον πρώτο ημίχρονο, κατέληξε σχετικά βαρετός στην παράταση, πριν τα γαμήσει όλα ο Ζιντάν δέκα λεπτά πριν το τέλος.

Τέλος πάντων. Ήθελα να κερδίσει η Γαλλία, μα πάνω απ’ όλα ήθελα καλό παιχνίδι, και γενικά ήταν πολύ καλό, και (εκτός του Ζιντάν-incident) θα αξίζαν τη νίκη και οι δύο ομάδες. Απλώς μας τα χάλασε στο τέλος. Δεν του άξιζε τέτοιο φινάλε. Ας είχε πάει σαν το Γερμανία-Ιταλία.

Διπλή ήττα, αφού δε μπόρεσα να πάρω και το τηλέφωνο της γλυκήτατης μα απαρηγόρητης Mylene. Oh Ζιζού, τι μας έκανες : )

109 mins: ZIDANE SENT OFF FOR STICKING THE HEED ON MATERAZZI!! Oh. My. God. In his final professional match, Zidane had been sent off for a disgraceful headbutt on Materazzi. He just rammed his head into Materazzi’s chest; it was really firm and nasty. Horrible. Now that really is a headbutt. It was also completely off the ball and at first it seemed he’d got away with it, but after talking to his assistant - and possibly after an intervention from the fourth official - the referee was alerted to what happened, and sent Zidane off. He has always had a nasty streak, but this was just ridiculous. What on earth did Materazzi say to provoke that? Either way, it was a disgusting, nasty, blackly comic headbutt, delivered with a Hitchcokian suddenness, and it’s an unbelievable ending to Zidane’s lustrous career. It was a JFK moment and a GBH moment rolled into one oh-my-giddy-aunt moment. And he could still end up lifting the World Cup!

Domenech and France will forever wonder what would have happened tonight had they really gone for it - in intent as well as substitution. Perhaps, just as a causal link is drawn between Sven-Goran Eriksson’s tactics and Wayne Rooney’s indiscretion, so a connection can be made between Domenech’s caution and Zidane’s frustration at France’s inability to ram home their obvious advantage and give him his fairytale finale. Maybe that’s why he was simmering, ready to boil over at the tweak of a nipple, although even if that is the case it does not excuse a truly appalling act.