I came in on the last bit of regulation, watching merely out of curiosity and hoping to see Italy win.

I admit that I know basically nothing but the basics about soccer, and I've never taken much of an interest in it...

...but I ended up watching to the very end, completely interested in the outcome, and enjoying the wonderful spirit involved in the game.

There are a lot of reasons to appreciate this sport, and I'm glad that this helped me realize it.

Zidane's head butt was quite a highlight - I couldn't believe he did that!