Zidane looking for a final glory

Munich: Zinedine Zidane will end his football career in the World Cup final.

And the fact that France made the title game had much to do with the soon-to-retire midfielder.

Zidane, who came out of international retirement to help France qualify for this year's tournament, scored from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute to give his team a 1-0 victory over Portugal.

After Thierry Henry was clipped by Ricardo Carvalho, Zidane sent the spot kick into the bottom left corner, just out of the reach of Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira.

It was Zidane's 30th goal for Les Bleus on his 107th appearance, and his second at this World Cup.

That puts him in a tie for fourth place with Just Fontaine and Jean-Pierre Papin on France's all-time scorers list.

Zidane also scored in the second-round win over Spain.

The 34-year-old Zidane says he will retire from football after the World Cup, 12 years after he made his international debut and eight years after helping the team win its only World Cup title.

Six years ago, also against Portugal, Zidane's golden goal penalty sent France into the European Championship final, where Les Bleus also played Italy.

That match went to extra time and David Trezeguet scored with a golden goal to win it.

Zidane's performance against Portugal was solid and make up for the disappointing 2002 World Cup, when France was eliminated in the first round without scoring a goal.

France coach Raymond Domenech praised Zidane's contribution.

The midfielder was competitive throughout despite knowing he had a yellow card from a previous game and that another would rule him out of the final.

"He's worked hard solidly for the past month to be ready to play a match like this," Domenech said.

"He played all out to reach the final without holding back."

However, Wednesday's effort could not match his quarter-final showing against Brazil - one of his best performances and perhaps better than in the 1998 final.

His precise passes split open Brazil's defence, his fakes sent players the wrong way, and he even twice pointed one way as if to indicate the direction of his pass and then turned around sharply in his signature spin move.

"When you see him play like that, it's others who should be stopping, not him," France defender Lilian Thuram said after the win over Brazil.

Zidane, who played his last club season for Real Madrid, was named FIFAWorld Player of the Year three times.

He won the prestigious Golden Ball in 1998, awarded to the best player in Europe.

A player of uncommon skill and rare technical poise, Zidane's ability to control almost any ball, his elegance, vision of the game and penchant for big-game goals has seen him compared with some of the greatest creative talents in the game, like Michel Platini and Johan Cruyff.

"Technically, I think he is the king of what's fundamental in the game - control and passing," Platini has said.

"I don't think anyone can match him when it comes to controlling or receiving the ball."

At the club level, he has won every major honour with Juventus and Real Madrid, having started his career with Cannes and then playing with Bordeaux until moving to Juventus in 1996.

In Germany, he collected yellow cards against Switzerland and South Korea as stumbling France drew its opening two matches, despite a strong performance from Zidane against the Swiss.

"He didn't want to finish on a low note after his substitution against South Korea," French football federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said.

"He came back, he beat Spain, then Brazil and now Portugal. Why should he stop now? What a wonderful way to close a chapter on his career."