After 30 days and 63 matches, it's down to two teams and one match for the most coveted team championship in the world of sports. The historic Olympiastadion in Berlin will be filled with more than 70,000 today to watch Italy battle France for the 18th FIFA World Cup crown.
An interesting, unexpected final matchup to say the least. No one gave Italy a chance mainly due to the scandal unfolding surrounding allegations of match fixing and gambling at the highest levels of its domestic league. As for France, it was forced to call on several of the old guard to survive qualifying. No way they would have the legs to advance to Berlin on July 9, right?
Incredibly, they are both there today -- probably because of those same pre-tourney negatives. Italian manager Marcello Lippi admitted after the thrilling semifinal win over Germany that the Serie A scandal actually brought his team together. Back home, the country "has fallen back in love with soccer again," according to one story on FIFAworldcup.com.
The French, meanwhile, have used the old tag as a rallying force. The team nickname, for the time being, has changed from "Les Bleus" to "Les Vieux" -- from The Blues to The Oldies, with four starters from the 1998 championship squad taking the field again today.
So, who will lift the solid gold trophy today after 90 minutes (or more) of action? We decided to check in with the brain trust of the New England Revolution to get their thoughts. All three are World Cup veterans who started for their respective countries, and each had interesting things to say about the tournament and the match.
Revs head coach Steve Nicol started for his native Scotland in the 1986 World Cup. "I think they're two completely different teams," said Nicol. "I just see France as a lot of individuals, and I don't see them playing as a team like Italy. France certainly has outstanding players but, for me, they don't play as a complete team. Italy is more of a team, in my opinion."
It's a view somewhat shared by his assistant, Paul Mariner, who was the star striker for England in the 1982 World Cup. "Italy has been extremely resilient, and they've put their key players in the right positions to succeed," said Mariner. "I witnessed the demise of France in Japan (in 2002 Cup, when they did not qualify for the second round), and they were absolutely awful. It was pure arrogance on their part. But this time, they've got all the players together, with the older players with very good heads driving the young players.
"I think it's going to be a terrific game," Mariner continued. "As usual, it's going to revolve around set pieces, refereeing decisions, some individual brilliance or error. But I like Italy to win it, because they look so strong."
Marlborough's Mike Burns, the Revolution's director of soccer, was a two-time Cup participant for the United States, starting two matches in France '98, and he honestly said he can't pick a winner. "I'm not trying to cop out or anything, but I seriously don't know," he said. "You can flip a coin, both teams are so close, and I won't be surprised if either of them win."
All three of them are in agreement concerning the greatness of Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro as the tournament's best defender. "He's been absolutely outstanding," said Nicol. "The only thing he doesn't have is size, but he jumps like a basketball player. He can pass the ball, reads the game well, makes tackles -- he does it all.
"He's the best defender in the world right now," echoed Mariner, "and (Gianluigi) Buffon has taken over the mantle of best keeper in the world."
While Burns won't pick them, he does feel that today "has the classic makings of an Italian win. Their defense is air tight, and they'll somehow find a way to get a goal."
All three point to the strength in midfield as the main reason for the pair's success. "For France, that triangle of Zinedine Zidane, (Patrick) Viera and (Claude) Makelele has been strong," said Mariner. "For Italy, Andrea Pirlo has been the maestro orchestrator, while (Gennaro) Gattuso has been the destroyer."
The Revs' trio hope to be back from Chicago in time for the match, as they've enjoyed the tournament and don't want to miss the finale. "The tension of the knockout stages is the best," said Nicol. "And it's been interesting to see how difficult it is to break defenses down. There's a reason goal scorers get paid the money they do, because it is the most difficult part of the game."
Look for another defensive struggle today. Personally, my call is 1-0 Italy -- another classic Azzurri victory, just like Burns said. But that's just one man's opinion.
(Mike Biglin is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at mbiglin@cnc.com.) |
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