Fabio Cannavaro - costly mistakes (Allsport).
HOW THE FINAL WAS WON AND LOST
By Damian Spellman, PA Sport
GOALKEEPERS
Francesco Toldo will consider himself desperately unlucky to have finished up
with a loser's medal after pulling off a string of fine saves, and like opposite
number Fabien Barthez, was given little chance with the goals he conceded.
DEFENCE
Italy's defence took them to within seconds of glory with another magnificent
display, but slight mistakes by the unfortunate Fabio Cannavaro twice let the
French in. France were not as compact at the back and were punished by Marco
Delvecchio, and Marcel Desailly was fortunate to finish the game on the park
after elbowing Cannavaro.
MIDFIELD
Zinedine Zidane was largely well contained by the busy Demetrio Albertini and
Luigi Di Biagio, but Didier Deschamps and Youri Djorkaeff initially and later
Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires kept their side on the offensive even when they
looked dead and buried.
ATTACK
Thierry Henry ensured that the Italian defence was always occupied and David
Trezeguet made no mistake when he was given the chance to pull the trigger, but
Francesco Totti and Delvecchio ensured that the World champions were never in
complete control. And had Alessandro Del Piero been able to find a finish,
Wiltord's injury-time strike could, and perhaps should, have been to no avail.