Beauty's in eye of Azzurri World Cup final was ugly, chippy By ROB LONGLEY -- Toronto Sun Mon, July 10, 2006

Gianluigi Buffon, the brilliant Italian goalkeeper, sprawled on the Olympic Stadium green, caressing the World Cup trophy as if it was a beautiful bouncing baby.

He kissed it, rubbed it and showed it to his friends -- both his triumphant Azzurri teammates and, via television, their enraptured fans around the world.

It didn't matter that the birth had its complications and got downright unsightly at times.

The finished product, after a 1-1 draw against France was decided 5-3 by penalty kicks, breathed a new life into Italian soccer at a most opportune time.

Victory came amid the match-fixing scandal dragging down the game at home. And the nation's fourth title arrived with delight after an agonizing 24-year wait.

The shower began immediately, with confetti and fireworks lighting up a perfect German summer night as one of the world's greatest soccer nations busted out with pride.

Capping off a month of gritty play and impressive resolve, the night ended in triumph of will for Italy.

"Maybe it wasn't pretty, but we were hard to beat," midfielder Gennaro Gattuso said. "The scandal has given us more strength and resolve. A nation that has won the World Cup four times has the strength to get back on its feet."

STUNNING CONTRAST

In stunning, inexplicable contrast, the night ended in sorry shame for a World Cup legend.

French captain Zinedine Zidane was dealt with a red card at the worst possible moment, seriously compromising his team's chances the rest of the way. After ramming his bald head into the chest of Italian Marco Materazzi, who had clearly egged him on, Zidane was ejected in the 110th minute.

It left France without its go-to guy for penalty kicks and a World Cup moment that pathetically will be remembered alongside Zidane's brilliance in France's 1998 victory.

"To see him finish his career this way is sad," French coach Raymond Domenech said. "His loss definitely affected our chances the rest of the way."

Such warts on the evening will be easily dismissed by the Italians and their fans. Instead, they will recall the delight of France's David Trezeguet missing his penalty kick off the crossbar to bring the ecstatic conclusion within reach.

Moments later, it was Fabio Grosso's deciding score that triggered an incredible celebration on the field and wherever else they bleed Azzurri blue.

"My players have unlimited heart, character and personality," said Italian coach Marcello Lippi, who was mobbed by his players on the field. "Winning the World Cup is the greatest satisfaction that any coach or footballer can feel."

For those without Italian blood -- and perhaps even some with -- the game cannot be sold as a masterpiece.

At its best, it was ragged and sloppy; at its worst, nasty and belligerent. But the final was not the occasion to live up to the tournament motto of "A Time to Make Friends."

The Italians came out as if it was the Stanley Cup on the line not the World Cup, intent on hitting everything that moved. It resulted in a penalty kick seven minutes in when France's Florent Malouda was hit by Materazzi and flopped inside the penalty box.

Getting a jump on what he hoped to be a happier ending to his career, Zidane chipped a shot off the bottom of the crossbar that landed inside the chalk of the goal line.

But when Materazzi evened things 12 minutes later, so began a tedious evening of waiting for penalty kicks.

After Zidane's ejection, the sellout crowd of 66,000 turned against the Italians for the remainder, loudly whistling their disapproval at every touch.

Some were, no doubt, upset with the red card, but Zidane's bit of savagery was an easy call, even though it took an on-field conference by the officials.

Other dissenters objected to Italy's lack of movement despite having an extra man for the final 10 minutes.

"They played for penalties because that was the only option for them," Domenech said. "We were prepared. Once again we were largely superior to our opponents."

That is up for debate, of course. Buffon and his mates have a shiny gold trophy to prove it.