The Footie

And now, for the first (and quite possibly only) time, I am going to blog about sport.

Just finished watching the tail-end of the World Cup Final. Happily, I've managed to avoid watching any matches thus far in the tournament, but I wandered downstairs earlier and flicked on the television just as the penalty shootout began. ARGH. So of course, there was no changing the channel after that. I can't stand penalty shootouts, no matter what the sport. Obviously, they're a necessary evil, because someone's got to win. But by the time you get to a penalty shootout, the game is no longer about skill, or the best team winning - it's purely about luck. And if you're the unlucky side who loses, it's a crushing blow.

That said, I'm quite pleased the Italians won. Unless I have some vested interest in a particular side, I usually cheer for the underdogs. And since Italy last won the World Cup in 1982, and France just took it in '98 (and at home, to boot!), I reckoned the Italians deserved it.

But I imagine that what the commentators will focus on most about this match will be the spectacle of Zinedine Zidane going down in flames. God knows what was going through his head when he decided it would be a good idea to head-butt one of the Italians in the chest. But to end one's professional sporting career by being red-carded out of a World Cup Final? Oh, the shame.