THE CLASH OF TITANS

 

Image Credit—CGTN.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup saw many greats bidding farewell to the beautiful game. However, the names of Zinedine Zidane and Luís Figo will be at the top. The two Galácticos announced retirement from their national sides at the conclusion of the mega-event. While Luis Figo was knocked out by France in the semifinal stage of the tournament, the Frenchman Zidane, on the other hand, failed to conquer the final frontier as he suffered a defeat at the hands of Italy in the final. Moreover, it is pertinent to note that it was the infamous headbutt in the final that grabbed all the headlines instead of the goal he scored in his final game.

However, in this post we will be talking about the semifinal clash that took place between the two strong European sides in Munich. Portugal was facing the 1998 champions France in this vital match. In the quarters, they knocked out the English by the barest of margins, whereas the French made it to the semis by knocking out the defending champions, Brazil. Both teams were in the best of form. So everyone was expecting an exciting clash.

And boy! The match we had was incredible. The two sides were literally going hammer and tongs. Both teams made multiple attempts to breach the defense of each other; however, the defenders and goalkeepers of both sides stood strong against every attack. It was literally a penalty, which turned out to be the difference between the two teams.

In the 31st minute of the game, a foul on Thierry Henry earned the French a penalty, which was easily converted into a goal by their charismatic captain, Zidane. However, in the 77th minute, the Portuguese came close to equalizing when a free kick by Cristiano Ronaldo was missed by the French keeper, which, on a rebound, provided Luis Figo with an opportunity to score. Unfortunately Figo missed it by the closest of margins, which eventually resulted in a Portuguese defeat.

The match was nothing short of a spectacle in which we saw heavyweights take on each other. Moreover, the match is also remembered for the fact that it turned out to be Figo's last international match, who then announced retirement from international football. Furthermore, the number 7 jersey was handed over to a young Cristiano Ronaldo, who was emerging back then as a successor to Luis Figo.

Interestingly, a decade later, Ronaldo, as one of the greats, won the UEFA Champions League title with Zidane as his manager. Moreover, Portugal also won their first international trophy in 2016 with Ronaldo as their captain and leader. Thus, it can be said that the baton was rightly passed by both Zidane and Figo that night in Munich.

To watch the Highlights of that Match, Click Here.