Zidane leaves his mark for good and bad reasons

BERLIN, July 10: Zinedine Zidane left his mark on the World Cup final for good and bad reasons.

His successful seventh minute penalty for France against Italy meant he became the fourth player to score three goals in the history of the showpiece final.

But his sending off in the 111th minute meant he also became only the fourth player to be sent off in a World Cup final.

Zidane's early spot kick added to the two headed goals the French playmaker scored in the 3-0 win over Brazil in the 1998 final on home soil in Paris.

Geoff Hurst scored three goals in England's 4-2 win over West Germany in 1966 and is the only man to score a hat-trick in the final.

Pele scored three times in two finals with two goals in Brazil's 5-2 win over Sweden in 1958 and one in the 4-1 victory over Italy in 1970, while Vava also scored twice for Brazil in their 1958 win and another against Czechoslovakia in a 3-1 victory in 1962.

West Germany's Paul Breitner is the only other player to have scored in two finals with a goal in their 2-1 victory over Netherlands in 1974 and another in the 3-1 defeat by Italy in 1982.

Zidane became only the fourth player to be sent off in the final when Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo red carded him for head-butting Marco Materazzi in the chest nine minutes from the end of extra time in the last match of his career.

The only other players to be sent off in the final were Pedro Monzon and Gustavo Dezotti of Argentina, both dismissed in the 1990 final against West Germany, and France's Marcel Desailly, who was sent off against Brazil in 1998.

REUTERS

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