World Cup Fever Explodes like a North Korean Missile
So it's down to France versus Italy, and I never thought I'd say this, but how can you not root for France? They have played elegantly, and their star, Zidane, is incredibly fun to watch. A truly selfless player, he has remarkable ballhandling and passing skills. (He plays, a friend said to me, like the Brazilians were supposed to.) Zidane is retiring after the Cup, and it would be cool for a player of this caliber to go out on top.
The Italians scored two lovely goals to beat Germany, it's true, and doing that against a home crowd is no small thing. But for much of the Cup, their ability to plummet to the turf and feign agony has been their defining characteristic. That's how they beat the charming underdogs, Australia's "Socceroos"—by successfully faking a foul and being awarded a penalty kick.
Their play has not always been so inspired. Why, we Americans almost beat Italy, and we played most of the game with only nine men on the field. (Plus, we were abominable.) Even in the Germany game, the Italians were outplayed much of the match, until they stepped it up during the overtime.
Of course, I am still mourning the exit of my beloved Brasilians, but I can not say that they were robbed; they never played up to their potential, and although the score was only 1-0, they were soundly beaten by France. In flashes, Brasil played the most exciting soccer of the tournament. But Ronaldo and Ronaldinho never played up to expectations—it seemed that every time the ball wasn't close to Ronaldo, the camera caught him walking—and team captain Cafu was just too old. Let us hope the Brasilians retool and come back with more heart and more passion in 2010.
So my pick on Sunday is France. (Remember the Socceroos!) But whoever wins, this World Cup has just been glorious. Isn't there something refreshing about a sport where we Americans don't feel the need to insist that "we're number one," and can just enjoy the competition?
Remember the Socceroos! Because only the Italians
—and a blind ref—would call this a foul.
