Italy wins the World Cup.

After a game in which France scored first (Zidane, penalty, 7 minutes in), played masterfully during regulation time, and dominated the second half and extra-time, she was out-gunned in the penalty shoot-out (5 of 5 vs. 3 of 4). And that, mes amis, is the end of France's storybook run.

M. Zidane was red carded (scil., evicted from the game) in extra-time for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Sr. Materazzi had applied an Alpha-monkey nipple tweak to M. Zizou's person. We suspect the Italians, desperate for some advantage, hit on unsettling M. Zidane's zen-like calm. Headbutts are, of course, unsporting and deserving of carding, but so are provocative Italian intimacies. The difference -- Zizou was caught and Sr. Materazzi was not.

Play-by-play can be found here.

If you are a Pave regular, you know that we have broken theme to pull for France. We believed -- and still believe -- that the French team, slow to start, showed great heart and M. Zidane more than any. We do not confuse our quarrel with French policies or French attitudes with what is excellent in France. And, as we are not cultural relativists, we believe that we backed an excellent team. We know the French view these things differently.

But before any French start moping and weeping in their navels, they should take a moment and congratulate Les Bleus on a spectacular effort.

PFFT (What is this?): Chapeau, Les Bleus 4 | Chapeau, Zizou 5 | Rayonnement français 0