No Italian opponent has scored in this World Cup. France has allowed two goals overall.
No Italian opponent has scored in this World Cup. France has allowed two goals overall. Even with all the offensive flair on both sides, defense will decide the title Sunday in Olympic Stadium.
The World Cup's third-place playoff game can't possibly carry anything close to the glamour of the final. What it does bring is a chance for Germany and Portugal to take a little bit more prestige out of the tournament.
One flash of inspired genius might be all that separates France and Italy at the end of Sunday's World Cup final which is likely to see the defences of both sides dominate.
Argentina's Horacio Elizondo will referee Sunday's World Cup final between Italy and France, the FIFA said on Thursday.
The rival captains of World Cup finalists France and Italy are among 10 nominees for the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player in the tournament.
A dozen yards in front of every soccer goal sits the intersection of crime and punishment. It's called the penalty spot, and it's where World Cup dreams often go to die.
A tight, technical, low-scoring affair is in prospect for Sunday's World Cup final between France and Italy if the history of their previous meetings in the tournament is repeated.
France start as favourites to win the World Cup final because they are less stressed than Italy, Azzurri forward Alessandro Del Piero said on Thursday.
Yet another big soccer game decided on a penalty call. Yet another spot kick turned down for the team that lost.
After 11 wins and a draw, Luiz Felipe Scolari's record unbeaten World Cup run as a coach came to an end at the 13th hurdle on Wednesday when France beat Portugal by the only goal of an open semi-final.
The third-place playoff will remain a World Cup fixture because, at least according to soccer's governing body, the losing semifinalists still have something to play for.
Polar icebreaker Snow Dragon arrives in Antarctic
Xi's vision on shared future for humanity
UN's top environmental honors go to three in China
German trains collide near Duesseldorf, several people injured
China beats Germany 7-4 in men's curling Olympic qualification
Bayern beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in UEFA Champions League
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 20100000002731 
