France beats Portugal

Published 10:51 pm Thursday, July 6, 2006

Zinedine Zidane converted a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, giving the French a 1-0 victory over Portugal and a berth in the World Cup final.

France, which was supposed to be soccer’s over-the-hill gang, meets Italy at Berlin on Sunday night in a matchup of blue — France’s Les Bleus vs. the Italian Azzurri.

The French will be making just their second ever appearance in a World Cup final — the other was their famous 3-0 victory at home over Brazil in 1998. Italy, trying for its fourth title, will be in its sixth final.

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