WORLD AT BERLIN

RIGHT THROUGH this sultry Sunday, Germany's capital was in party mode. In front of the Reichstag and the central station, at the Platz der Republik, at the Adidas World of Football and Berlin's Olympiastadion -- which in the evening saw a congregation of the world's who's who.The list included Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Jacques Chirac, Joao Havelange, Thabo Mbeki.

RIGHT THROUGH this sultry Sunday, Germany's capital was in party mode. In front of the Reichstag and the central station, at the Platz der Republik, at the Adidas World of Football and Berlin's Olympiastadion -- which in the evening saw a congregation of the world's who's who.

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The list included Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Jacques Chirac, Joao Havelange, Thabo Mbeki.

And, adding to the excitement, France and Italy scored early in the 7th minute (Zidane) and in the 19th minute (Materazzi). They were locked 1-1 at full -time and the match headed for extra time.
Taxi hotlines played hold-on music for 20 minutes before struggling to accommodate rush hour, which lasted all day on a holiday. The area around the Brandenburg Gate filled up before noon to cheer all Klinsmann's men and again in the evening, long before Zizou lined up against Totti.

Even before Shakira went hippy, hippy shake. After a month of frenetic football activity which led to a foreign invasion by the thousands, it has come down to the one match that will decide it all and no one seems to know how to kill time. Drinking and singing is a nice way to do that. Correction: it seems to be the only way.