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World Cup: Battle of the mean needs special spark

Italian supporters paint a car with the colors of the national flag in Naples on Friday. PHOTO: EPA

It is a fitting tribute to a World Cup where defenses have ruled that today's final between France and Italy will see the stingiest teams in the tournament go head-to-head.

With just three goals conceded between the finalists in their 12 games so far, it is not difficult to envisage a tense climactic battle that may need something special to unlock it.

And in the form of mesmerizing captain Zinedine Zidane, France believe they hold the skeleton key.

At the age of 34, Zidane will bid au revoir from soccer on the biggest stage of all, bringing the curtain down on a glittering career that has seen him win every major honor the sport has to offer.

Now a global audience of 1.5 billion will focus their gaze on Berlin's 69,000-capacity Olympic Stadium to see if the French magician can pull off one last, glorious conjuring trick.

Win or lose, Zidane's place in the pantheon is assured, his role in helping France to the final after coming out of international retirement adding luster to the legend.

French players Zinedine Zidane and Frank Ribery, rear, train in Aerzen on Friday. PHOTO: EPA

Written off as past their sell-by date as they stumbled through the group phase, France's fortunes underwent a renaissance once the knockout rounds began with Zidane inspiring the revival.

Now they are only 90 minutes away from a second World Cup in eight years, the crowning achievement in a decade of glory that began when France, and Zidane, reached the semi-finals of the 1996 European Championship.

The common thread of the past 10 years has been Zidane, along with his friend and defensive stalwart Lilian Thuram, who will win his 121st cap today before his expected retirement.

"It's going to be very difficult and we are going to have to be at the top of our game, but we have the weapons to do it."

Zinedine Zidane, France captain

"It's going to be very difficult and we are going to have to be at the top of our game, but we have the weapons to do it," said Zidane, scorer of two goals against Brazil in the final in Paris eight years ago.

It has been a remarkable transformation for France, who were booed and jeered by their own fans in their final friendly matches before the tournament as coach Raymond Domenech groped blindly for the right formula.

No one associated with today's final appreciates the threat of Zidane better than Domenech's Italian counterpart, the masterful Marcello Lippi.

Lippi was Zidane's manager for three years at Juventus when the French maestro was at the peak of his powers.

"France have recovered the best Zidane and have grown through the tournament," Lippi said. "Zidane is probably the best player there has been in the past 20 years."

Despite the high praise, if anyone can come up with a plan to thwart Zidane, it is the shrewd 58-year-old, who has overseen Italy's stealthy progress into their sixth World Cup final.

Victory for the Azzurri will confirm Lippi as the most successful manager in the history of Italian soccer, adding the greatest prize of all to the five Italian titles and Champions League crown he won with Juventus.

While a fairytale finish beckons Zidane and France, Italy too are driven by their own sense of destiny, having seen their domestic soccer buried in an avalanche of corruption scandals in the weeks leading up to the finals.

Lippi's role in forging such a battle-hardened team against such a lurid backdrop will go down as a masterpiece of man-management.

"We have shown that we have got some great footballers and that we are not criminals," Italy striker Alessandro Del Piero said. "Everything that's happened off the pitch has brought us closer together."

France may take a psychological advantage into the final, having beaten the Italians three times in major tournaments since 1986.

Their most recent victory over the Azzurri came in the final of Euro 2000, when Italy were just seconds away from winning before France equalized and David Trezeguet struck a golden goal winner.

Italy have moved on since then. Only two members of the side beaten in Rotterdam -- captain Fabio Cannavaro and Francesco Totti -- are expected to start in today's final at the 69,000-seat Olympic Stadium. France on the other hand will take to the field with five of the side that prevailed in the Netherlands.

Italy have seen their back four breached just once in six matches, due in part to the superb form of their captain Cannavaro.

France's defensive effort has been been similarly hard-nosed, with only two goals conceded so far.

The evergreen Thuram has been outstanding at the heart of the French defense, shielded by Claude Makelele and Patrick Vieira.

But no one has been better than Zinedine Zidane; the ultimate goodbye awaits.
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