Phantom of the Opera - final act will haunt Zidane forever

It was Grand Opera all the way - and when the curtain came down at the Olympic Stadium, il Divo was missing from the world stage he was supposed to leave in a blaze of glory.

France's captain Zinedine Zidane, the il Divo - Italian for 'divine male performer' - had been banished in disgrace. The two billion-odd worldwide television audience saw Zidane headbutt Italian defender Marco Materazzi on his chest deep into extra time after heated words were exchanged between the two.

But Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo - the same official who sent Wayne Rooney off - missed the incident. And it was only after play was halted owing to Materazzi writhing on the floor, was Elizondo informed of the headbutt by the fourth official, who apparently saw the incident on video.

For the first time at the World Cup, we saw the referee send off a player having been influenced by outside forces. The irony of the situation is that Fifa - mainly its president Sepp Blatter - is totally against video refereeing.

Zidane fell victim partly to technology, and to the intervention of a fourth official. This is commonplace in sports like rugby union, where the touch judges can bring to the notice of the referee any foul play. But this must be a first in football, certainly at the World Cup.

It was classical opera. The theme had been set earlier by none other than Placido Domingo, the Spanish tenor, and pop vocal group Il Divo, who sing in operatic fashion. They were part of the entertainment put on by the organisers before the match and during half-time.

But the real drama unfolded in four parts on the pitch and it all involved Zidane. The first act came early in the first half when Zidane put France in the lead with a penalty - an impudent chip that deceived Gianluigi Buffon, rebounded off the underside of the bar and dropped down a foot over the line.