Posted on 07/09/2006 3:34:19 PM PDT by SkyPilot
BERLIN (AP) -- Zinedine Zidane cut short his dazzling World Cup and closed his career with an ugly head butt -- and a loss.
The France captain was given a red card for slamming the crown of his bald head into the center of Italy defender Marco Materazzi's chest after the two exchanged words while walking down the field in extra time.
The game was tied 1-1 when Zidane was sent off, head bowed, in the 110th minute Sunday. Without their sharpshooting captain, France couldn't unlock Italy's defense and went on to lose in a shootout, 5-3.
Zidane's strike was clearly intentional, and referee Horacio Elizondo of Argentina briefly consulted with his assistant referees before showing the 28th red card of the tournament. The previous World Cup record of 22 red cards, set in 1998, was broken before the quarterfinals round began.
Zidane, whose sparkling play carried France much deeper into this tournament than anyone expected, previously said he would quit soccer when it was over. He passed coach Raymond Domenech as he walked off but did not look at him -- then continued past the golden World Cup trophy and disappeared into the tunnel, his head still down.
Earlier in Sunday's match, he had given France the lead with a seventh-minute penalty -- his 31st goal for France and third in a World Cup final. Zidane was treated for what appeared to be a shoulder injury in the 80th minute; trainers took him off but he returned, holding his right arm awkwardly and wincing in pain.
Minutes before Zidane was sent off, France striker Thierry Henry was substituted for in favor of Sylvain Wiltord. In the first half, Henry bumped his head in a collision and crumpled to the ground, then went briefly to the sideline and returned.
Eight years ago, Zidane was red-carded for stomping on an opponent while playing Saudi Arabia. At this World Cup he collected two yellow cards and was suspended for France's third group match against Togo.
Five years ago, Zidane was also red-carded for butting Jochen Kientz in a Champions League match for Juventus against Hamburger SV. A year later, his volley gave Real Madrid its ninth European title.
Zidane headed in two goals when Les Bleus beat Brazil 3-0 for the World Cup title in 1998.
I guess the French coach didn't get the right astrologer for the day...who would have told him not to field Zidane...
Could have fractured the guys sternum.
It was really a cheap shot.
Still, I wonder what Materazzi said that made him suddenly change his tone?
I think Marco deserves credit not only for the goal he achieved in regular play, as well as the penalty kick score he personally made but 'mostly' for his getting France to throw the match by appealing to Zidane's emotional side and getting him to head butt him. What a great italian strategy to remove the #1 French penalty kicker!! Go Italy!!
Instead, he makes an a$$ out of himself and his nation in front of 1 billion people watching around the world.
So typically French.
Hey do you remember what sign of the zodiac he wouldn't let players on the team be under? It was either the sign of Libra or Scorpio.
Scorpio.
He called him a Frenchman?????
I tuned in to the World Cup for the FIRST time ever to see that flagrant foul. The guy looks like a thug and everyone is being way to nonjudgmental in the commentary about the guy and his "career". He took himself out and hurt his team. And the sport is boring.
It was unreal. What a way to go.
And I hate celery.
"So typically French."
No, so typically French MUSLIM.
YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBV52GPhNjw
Far from boring for me.
The guy will self destruct with five years. Probably in a bar room brawl.
For those of you who don't know, the French coach is really into astrology and won't let any Scorpios play for him and he isn't much of a Leo fan either. Whatever. His lame god certainly didn't do much for him today.
Celery is just a conduit for peanut butter.
I didn't know that until you said so.
Yup - you're right.
I bet no one else in the media is reporting he is a Muslim.
Wow. That is weird. Unstable even.
Courtesy of Gomez everyone, here is the video again.
Typical french muslim.
A shot like that to the chest can actually kill a person if the heart is shocked in the wrong way.
Head butts are very useful in bar room brawls
He wouldn't let Scorpios play. And only let a couple of Leos play. What a dope. And Zidane, what a loser. Such a terrible way to exit a great career...
Is he a Muslim?????
Italian wine is better than French wine?
It's the new French Surrender 2 step.
Seems he turned out to be the goat.
I believe he is, because if you leave the Muslim faith (his parents were Muslims and that is 100% fact), then you are subject to death.
This is Muslim law. If you leave Islam, you are to be killed.
Moreover, Yahoo Answers has published this.
It's in the Top Ten but probably not the worst:
10. Ty Cobb starting a brawl in Philadelphia after a hard slide into third.
9. Ron Artest instigates a brawl in Detroit that spills over into the stands.
8. Zidane head-butting an opponent in a World Cup final.
7. Joe "Turkey" Jones pile-driving Terry Bradshaw into the turf head-first.
6. Todd Bertuzzi sucker-punches a Colorado Avalanche player from behind and puts him in the hospital.
5. Wayne Maki cracking Ted Green's skull with his stick during an *exhibition* NHL game.
4. Kermit Washington's punch that fractured Rudy Tomjanovich's face.
3. Juan Marichal beating Johnny Roseboro over the head with a baseball bat.
2. Dennis Rodman marrying Carmen Electra.
1. Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear.
Billy the goat, photographed before the unfortunate incident, with his handler Lance-Corporal Dai Davies. (Associated Press) Billy, a six-year-old goat that is the mascot for the Royal Welsh Regiment in western Cyprus, was demoted to fusilier from lance-corporal Saturday after his superior officers ruled that his disruptive behaviour ruined a regimental parade at the British army base in Episkopy.
The parade included several international dignitaries who had been invited to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday.
Billy allegedly darted from side to side, throwing soldiers off their stride. But his worst offence was "trying to head-butt the waist and nether regions of the drummers," said Capt. William Rose
That said, I have to give a reluctant hand to the French team. They played an excellent match and were a formidable challenge to the Italians. The final could have easily gone either way.
France must be in collective shock.
I am waiting for them to Blame America any minute for this.
Maybe he called him a dirty name....like, "French muslim."
Zidane's head was much bigger than the country he was representing...
Zidane describes himself as a "non-practicing Muslim".
He knows if he calls himself a non-Muslim, he is setting himself up to be killed. As famous as he is, a rebuke of Islam would be something that ignite Muslim fanatics to kill him.
On the other hand, he seems to have secularized with the rest of France (and Europe for that matter) and does not want to be known as "religious."
Zidane should to be charged with assault.
I'm especially glad the Italians won after watching that.
My daughter thinks he's cute.
How did you do that so fast?
I found it elsewhere.
So does about 90% of Italy right now...
Typical cowardly behavior from a Frenchman.
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