Football: Italia v France

Germany is out, thus ending my dream of painting my face red yellow and black and taking the train to Berlin for the finals. Brasil is out, thus paving the way for a different champion to be crowned. It comes down to two European countries rich in their traditions of food, wine, fashion, and liesure. Here is how these teams match up in a head to head contest of their cultures. If anyone has anything to add, please do so, especially if you disagree.

Wine-
France has world renowned Bordeaux that is probably overpriced.
Italy has fine Chianti that is reasonably priced.

Winner- France. Who cares about price in a sport where athletes make millions...

Fashion-
French dress well, smart and conservatively, but I don't think this is close. Italian men and women dress better than anyone in the world.

Winner- Italy

Cars-
France has Citroen and Renault, practical and reliable cars. Italy has Lamborghini and Ferrari, cars that the French players drive to the stadium in.

Winner- Italy

Food-
French cuisine is rich, fatty, high in protein and tasty. Escargot, Fois Gras, Creme Brulee.
Italian cuisine is leaner and higher in carbs. Pasta, Pizza, Proscuito, Parmesan.
While I think the Italian diet of carbs is better for football players, I'm worried it might wear off too quickly if the game goes to 120 minutes. The French will ultimately still have fuel to burn. Also, since the French have the knack for taking any food, animal, or animal part and turning it into something exotic, I'm certain nobody on the French team will have food poisoning. This might anger a few of you, it's a close call.

Winner - France

Music-
Italy has the monopoly on opera. Movements of music are decribed in Italian, even the great German composers used Italian. Perhaps I'm not cultured enough, but the greatest composer to live in France was Frederic Chopin. He was Polish. Germany's top two scorers were Polish. Italy beat Germany, therefore

Winner- Italy

Cinema-
I've seen many French films that I've loved, and I've seen some really boring ones.
I've seen many Italien films that I've loved, and I've seen some really boring ones.
Tiebreaker- French movies have more naked women.

Winner- France

It's tied 3-3. France has to work for it's points, primarily because Italy is a strong defensive team.

The real football analysis? - The Italians are the stronger team on Defense. They have relied on very quick strikes to get their goals. While you might think that the French ways of protesting and striking would lead to whining about calls on the field, the players are very reserved. Italians, however, stay on the ground long enough so they can write a song about how much pain they are in. The rule of thumb is if you fall and cry, the call will go your way. Edge to Italy there. France has an experienced team, some of whom won the world cup in 98. Most notably, Zinedane Zidane, the 30 something veteran for France, is probably one of the 15 best players in world cup history. He is not a speedster or magician like the brazillians, but his moves are elegant. He was able to school Ronaldo and Ronaldhino, as well as all of Spain. His match against Portugal was lackluster, but this is the last time he will be in world cup action. He will be ready. My pick is Italy 2-1, they are better. Though I'd like to see France pull it off for Zidane.