Danke und Auf Wiedersehen

The end has come and gone. The world has a new World Cup champion, an old World Cup champion, but a new one nonetheless. Let's take a look at the final two games of this thoroughly entertaining tournament. Saturday afternoon saw the Portuguese and the Germans facing off in Stuttgart, Germany for the glory that is 3rd place. I was really disappointed to see the Portuguese team fall apart during the latter part of this tournament. Even though they did make it this far, there was a feeling of shame or disappointment that loomed heavily over their heads. And that was such a shame coming from a team that I had grown to admire and root for. On the completely opposite side of the spectrum, the Germans, who had been nothing but gracious and amazing this entire tournament, continued to fuel the home crowds enthusiasm and love for this wonderful game. The Germans came to play, even if it was only for 3rd place, and they gave it their all. This game belonged to one man, and one man alone, Bastian Schweinsteiger. His name was one that I had come to enjoy hearing the announcers scream, if only because they sounded silly doing it. But there was nothing silly about his skill and level of play. He was a strong competitor, and a powerful force for the German team. And he made his presence known in their final match this time around scoring twice on the uninspired Portuguese team. And an autogoal made by Petit on the Portueguese side seemed to be the final nail in their coffin. They did manage to score once (in the right net) late in the 2nd half, very late, but it was too little too late. Final 3-1. On to Sunday, which brought with it the big game that would pit Italy vs. France in the historic Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. The venue would once again witness history in the making as two European greats squared off for the ultimate prize. I was conflicted with this final. On one hand we had the Italians, who played a crucial role in eliminating the United States from this World Cup. And on the other hand we had the French, who are generally disagreeable to begin with. There is just something about the French that didn't sit right with me. I was never impressed by them this World Cup, but perhaps I'm in the minority. I would have rather seen the 3rd Place game be the final, but what can you do? It is what it is. The game was heavily contested on both sides. I hate to admit it, but it was pretty exciting and engaging. The French opened up the scoreboard early in the 1st half off of a penalty kick by Zinedine Zidane. This would be his Swangsong match, and it looked like he was going down in a blaze of glory. Not shortly thereafter, the Italians retaliated with a goal of their own. The game was all tied up at one apiece into the half break, and it would continue to be so straight through the end of regulation and 2 halves of extra time. This final would be decided by Penalty Kicks. Unfortunately for the French, they had lost many of their key players to injury, substitutions, and a red card. (The red was assigned to Zinedine Zidane for unsportsmanlike conduct when he headbutted one of the Italian players in the chest, seemingly unprovoked. That was definitely the wrong key to end his career on!) This definitely hurt the French, and the Italians, with the best goalie in the world on their side, had it pretty much in the bag. After all was said and done, the final score 6-4 (with goals and penalties). So, after 30 action packed days, 32 teams, 64 matches, and countless hearts broken, the Italians would emerge victorious for the 4th time in their illustrious history. At the end of it all, here are your top 4:World Cup Germany 2006 Champions: Italy

2nd Place: France
3rd Place: Germany
4th Place: Portugal

Thanks to everyone who was interested enough to follow my coverage of this awsome event. Now is the time for soccer withdrawls. The shivers, the shakes, and the cold sweats will last four agonizing years as we eagerly await the debut of the African Continent's 1st ever hosting of the World Cup. We've got a date 4 years from now for World Cup South Africa 2010. Thank You Germany!