Getting Started
Alright folks, so yesterday I got this crazy itch to replay that legendary Brazil vs France clash from the 2006 World Cup. You know the one – where Zidane totally bossed it? Went digging through my old game boxes, man it was dusty. Found my ancient FIFA 06 disc buried under a pile of random cables. Took a good five minutes just scraping sticky stuff off the case.
Plugged in my old PS2, heard that satisfying whirring sound. Slid the disc in… and nothing. Blank screen. Panic mode for a second. Remembered I’d need that crusty memory card for saves. Found one covered in cat hair in a drawer. Popped it in, gave the console a gentle whack on the side… bam! That glorious EA Sports intro tune blasted out. Nostalgia hit like a truck.
The Setup Shuffle
Navigating the menus felt like time travel. Weirdly slow cursor movement. Picked International squads, scrolled down forever. Found Brazil – Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaká, all the legends in their prime pixels. France had Henry and young Ribery looking baby-faced. My mission: fix history. Needed Brazil to win this time, no Henry handball nonsense. Selected Semi-Finals stage, RheinEnergieStadion turf.
- Brazil formation: Went classic 4-4-2, stuck fat Ronaldo and Adriano upfront for muscle.
- France tactics: Let the AI keep it default. Zidane pulling strings scared me enough.
- Difficulty level: Cranked it to World Class because why not? Suffer properly.
Kickoff Chaos
First whistle blew. Instant pressure – controlled Cafu sprinting down the wing like 2002 was yesterday. Crossed it low… Ronaldo connected! Shot fizzed juuuust wide. My hands were sweating already.
France came right back. Zidane? Magic feet. Weaved through Roberto Carlos and Juninho like training cones. Out of nowhere, he chips a perfect ball over Lucio. Henry volleys! Dida saves it point-blank! Controller nearly left my hands. Heart pounding. That Zidane man… still got it.
Then disaster. Makélélé tackles Emerson near halfway. Quick pass to Viera. He hoofs it long towards Trezeguet. Juan slips! Trezeguet rounds Dida… easy finish. 0-1 France. Threw my head back groaning. History repeating itself? Not on my watch.
Second Half Fightback
Switched tactics at half. Pushed Roberto Carlos up as a winger. Needed chaos near their box. Worked! 70th minute, Kaká threads Ronaldinho cutting in. Ronaldinho does that no-look pass… found Cicinho overlapping. Low cross. Adriano toe pokes it home! Equaliser! Did a little victory couch hop. Game on.
Extra time was pure stress. Legs like concrete blocks in-game. Got desperate near the end. Controlled Lucio, dribbled it straight from defence! Dummied past Makélélé somehow. Saw Ronaldo making a run. Chipped a through ball. Ronaldo takes it on the chest… fires! Barthez save! Rebound falls… Henry clears it off the line! Unbelievable. Chewed my thumbnail clean off.
Penalties. Dark memories surfaced. Selected players carefully. Ronaldinho first – sent Barthez the wrong way. Swish. Trezeguet stepped up… smashed it off the bar! Huge roar! But then Kaká… skied it! Nerves got me. Head exploded. Final penalty: Ronaldo. One step… paused… blasted it low. Barthez dove. Missed it! Brazil wins! Threw the controller down laughing. Justice served… virtually at least. Had cold pizza to celebrate.