I’m happy that Italy won [1] the 2006 World Cup. Well, not really happy, just happier than if the Gauls would have taken the prize. C’est la vie, mes amis.
It is sad, however, that a World Cup final had to end in a penalty kick shootout. I’ve never liked the shootout as a resolution to a tie. It’s almost as if everyone decides that since they can’t resolve the match playing soccer, why not just end it by playing a different game?
My apologies to the players, but I think the game would be best served with a baseball-like finally. Just keep playing overtimes until one team either drops from exhaustion or scores. True, it gives the term “sudden death” a bit of double-entendre, but at least they end by playing the same game they began.