Will the real French and Brazilian teams please show up? I am admittedly stunned by France’s 1-0 victory not so much because it’s unbelievable that France could score—when you have Zidane in your midfield all things are possible—but because Brazil never seemed to take the pitch. This was a game that saw France uncharacteristically dominate, and exceed Brazil in scoring chances. I cannot explain Brazil’s lethargy, but this game was a strong reminder of the 1998 final which France also dominated. Perhaps France just has Brazil’s number. Certainly everyone played like it.
I will say in closing, however, that my opinion of Henry remains unchanged. He was utterly unmarked on his winning goal, and even I can do well with those kind of odds. (Plus two French players were offside on the goal, but anyway….)
Zidane, however, remains terrific.