http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002 ... 20,00.html
ZINEDINE ZIDANE'S injury-time double turned a famous victory for England into a horror defeat.
Frank Lampard's 39th minute header and Ledley King's superb defending edged Sven Goran Eriksson's men towards glory in their Euro 2004 opener.
But Zidane swerved home a 20-yard free-kick, then Steven Gerrard's woeful back-pass led to David James tripping Thierry Henry and Zidane stroking the favourites' penalty winner
The manner of the loss piled on the agony for England - because Zidane's Real Madrid team-mate David Beckham had missed a spot-kick just 18 minutes earlier.
Yet, for the first 45 minutes, few displays could have more vindicated Eriksson’s selection and tactics.
Lampard - picked ahead of Nicky Butt in midfield after impressing in the friendly against Iceland – seemed to have done enough by conjuring the poaching prowess of his best ever season at club level.
And defender King, an even later selection as stand-in for John Terry, slotted in as if he had 50 more caps than the two he now has.
He - more so than fellow rock Sol Campbell - defied France to the extent that the European champions appeared to be running out of ideas, despite their second-half pressure
And then there was Rooney.
His fearless power, mobility and ball-holding - as England’s main front-line link with their midfield – ruffled France’s defence throughout the first hour.
Nonetheless, the Everton striker, 18, was lucky not to be booked in the second half as his famous aggression brimmed around breaking point.
Before the interval, England’s four classy midfielders were at least as fluid and neat in their short passing as their awesome counterparts, Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Claude Makelele and Robert Pires.
Paul Scholes and Lampard, in particular, buzzed busily and tidily as England kept possession with reassuring verve.
But slowly long balls from defence entered their game.
And, just when it seemed France were on top, the previously-quiet Beckham curved in a typical free-kick from the right that Lampard rose to nod home high into the near post.
France, though, poured forward with increasing style after the break, although King, Campbell and co limited them to scant chances.
The Euro 2000 champions gradually outpassed England, Henry belatedly flashing into life.
Rooney, however, then produced the pick of his contributions – a surging, weaving run over 30 yards.
The unmarked Darius Vassell – just on for Michael Owen – was rightly demanding the ball in the middle, but instead Rooney took on the last man, Mikael Silvestre, who tripped him a yard inside the box.
Silvestre escaped with a yellow card and Beckham’s penalty was firm but perhaps not wide enough - former club-mate Barthez springing to his right to parry it out.
Vassell’s fizzing shot, three minutes later, reared up into the face of Barthez.
But otherwise it was still a case of France drifting forward incessantly, putting together stylish passes until often foundering around the penalty area, thanks above all to King.
So no-one could have expected the most amazing climax to a big match since Manchester United's late double snatched the European Cup from Bayern Munich in 1999.
Yet Zidane zipped a free-kick from the right of the penalty area 'D' into the opposite bottom corner.
And, 60 seconds later, Gerrard bizarrely chose to volley a pass back, Henry nipping past James, who was merely booked before being punished far more by Zidane's penalty.