I’m happy that Italy won 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.