Full time

So we're all set. A France-Italy final on Sunday. Italy will be seeking the country's fourth World Cup title and first since 1982. The French will chase their second championship after taking the tournament on home soil in 1998.

It's also a rematch of the thrilling Euro 2000 final won 2-1 by France via a golden goal.

The game is still a few days away, but should be well worth the wait. Be sure to check back here Sunday afternoon for our live game blog of the World Cup final between Italy and France from Berlin. Coverage starts at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Full time

They're going wild on the Champs D'Elysees, and rightly so. After opening the tournament with a couple of uninspiring draws with Switzerland and South Korea, France has qualified for a date in Sunday's final against Italy.

Full props to Portugal, though. They had one heck of a tournament, winning their group before beating the Netherlands and England. This must also be said. A big obrigado to Luis Figo for all he's done on the world stage for Portuguese soccer. He'll be missed on the international scene. Thankfully he's still around in the pro game. Plus, he still has one more international game - Saturday's third-place game with Germany.

Full time

France is through to the final. The final score: France 1 Portugal 0.

94th minute

A wild finish. Portugal earns a couple of late corners and throws goalkeeper Ricardo up into the fray. If only this game, admittedly a bit of a yawner, had this kind of excitement for the first 90 minutes.

92nd minute

Fernando Meira misses a chance to pull Portugal even in the late going. The ball falls to the defender's boot, but he cracks the ball well over the bar.

90th minute

Portugal doesn't appear to have that sense of urgency right now. But there is four minutes of added time, so anything is possible.

87th minute

Saha sure doesn't waste much time. He comes on the pitch and almost immediately gets a yellow card. He'll now miss the final should France hang on.

85th minute

Thierry Henry, the man who won the French penalty, is out of the game in favour of substitute Louis Saha.

82nd minute

Finally. After 81-plus minutes, the first yellow card of the match is given. A careless challenge by Ricardo Carvalho costs the Portugal defender a card and he'll miss the final should the Portuguese pull off a stunning comeback.

78th minute

I knew Barthez looked shaky today! Portugal almost gets their equalizer after the French keeper brutally mishandles a free kick by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker fires a shot on target, but Barthez appears to almost bump the ball volleyball style. How awkward. The rebound falls to Figo, who heads the ball over the net.

A glorious opportunity wasted by Portugal. Time is running out for another one like it.

75th minute

Scolari makes his final switch of the day, taking off midfielder Costinha in favour of forward Helder Postiga.

Postiga is another master at taking penalties. Can Portugal give him a shot to work his magic? We'll know in the next 15 minutes or so.

72nd minute

France has taken off Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery in favour of Sylvain Wiltord and Sidney Govou.

68th minute

Let the tactical substitutions begin. Portugal has swapped Miguel and Pauleta for Paulo Ferreira and Simao.

59th minute

Miguel goes on a decent run for Portugal, but tumbles to the ground rather easily. There didn't appear to be any contact, but his teammate Pauleta still goes about appealing to the ref for a penalty. Funny how he had his back to the play at the time!

This sort of pleading and begging for a penalty during the most minor of contact MUST stop. It's unbelievable. Pretty much every team does it now. How many times over the past week has a guy tapped shoulders with a player and held his head in pain? Or, the poor player clutching his shin in agony after taking a minor knock on the thigh? Embarrassing. Absolutely embarrassing . Diving is bad, sure, but FIFA now has to address all this fakery and feigned injury.

52nd minute

Portugal is having trouble finding a way to penetrate the French defence. They are doing well at controlling the ball at midfield, but can't find a way to finish. WHOA! Pauleta almost corrects me on the spot! The Portuguese forward takes the ball in the penalty area and does a quick turn before shooting the ball off the side of the France net. A nice attempt, but it remains 1-0 France.

49th minute

A dangerous dash by Thierry Henry almost gives France a two-goal edge. The Arsenal star dances into the box with some nifty moves and forces Ricardo to make a finger-tip save out for a corner kick. The Portuguese keeper gets tested again moments later when the crafty Zidane finds Franck Ribery, who directs a dangerous-looking shot toward the Portugal net.

46th minute

Game on. No substitutions from either side just yet.

Halftime

It'll be interesting to see what approach Portuguese coach Luiz Felipe Scolari takes with his side in the second half. His perfect World Cup record is in serious jeopardy. France is a dangerous team to push forward on because they have a knack for burning opposing teams with their blazing counter-attack. Can "Big Phil" pull something special out of his back of tricks?

Fabien Barthez was tested a few times in the first half, but the French goalkeeper looks beatable today. Allow me to put on my Mr. Obvious cap for the moment and suggest the Portuguese fire some more shots his way. From all over the place. He doesn't look to have his best stuff today. He's no Gianluigi Buffon, to be sure.

The players are about to take the field.

Halftime

France goes into the break up a goal. What are your thoughts on the game? Does Portugal have the goods to come back? Does Ronaldo deserve to be booed? Was the penalty on Henry really a penalty? Have your say at Your View. The posts are piling up. Get in on the action.

44th minute

One final point about Zidane and his amazing peantly kick abilities. This guy could write the book on how to take penalties. I can think of at least 11 Englishmen who should read it.

40th minute

It's amazing how a goal changes the look and feel of a match. Zidane's marker has really pushed Portugal into attack mode. Should be one heck of a final 50 minutes (or more).

37th minute

There's likely to be some debate as to whether the penalty on Henry was actually a penalty. Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho knicked Henry right at the edge of the box, but it's one of those calls that could be seen either way - like many soccer infractions. For the record, both announcers think it was the right call.

33rd minute

GOOOOOOOAAAAAL! France 1 Portugal 0. Zidane calmly puts the ball in the lower right corner of the net, past an outstreched Ricardo. France has the lead. Will they continue to press or is it shutdown time?

32nd minute

Penalty! Thierry Henry is hauled down in the penalty area and France has received a penalty kick. Here comes Zidane to take it...

26th minute

Neither team has had a really great scoring chance over the past 10 minutes or so. Portugal has enjoyed a bit more of the possession. Things are getting more tentative after the fairly quick start.

20th minute

Quick note about today's international TV broadcast. The feed has a much more "North American" feel with the addition of a colour commentator. What a shame. There's been something really enjoyable about the lone play-by-play guy over the past few weeks of the tournament. They really know how to work the silence just as well as they craft the words.

Now it's just like any other broadcast. Talk, followed by more talk, and how about some more talk after that. Never a silent moment. It works in some sports, but it doesn't really suit soccer all that well.

16th minute

Luis Figo just fired a weak shot on the French goal, easily handled by Barthez, but the Portuguese star tumbled during the follow through. He received a bit of medical attention and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Figo was forced to leave the field momentarily, but he appears OK to return when the ref gives him the thumbs up.

11th minute

There's a great pace to the opening of this game. Maniche gives Portugal another scoring opportunity, but fires a shot narrowly over the crossbar.

8th minute

Cristiano Ronaldo is getting booed, whistled and heckled everytime he touches the ball. Must be some England fans in the house.

5th minute

Portugal has the first quality scoring chance of the game, as Cristiano Ronaldo goes for a run into the box, forcing French keeper Fabien Barthez to get a hand on the ball. Portugal's Pauleta almost picks up the rebound, but France survives the scare.

4th minute

A handful of players from both squads need to be on their best behaviour today or they'll risk missing the final, should they qualify. On the yellow-card bubble for Portugal are: Luis Figo, Nuno Valente, Ricardo, Nuno Valente and Ricardo Carvalho.

France also has several players carrying yellows into today's contest. They include Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Franck RIbery, Lilian Thuram, Louis Saha and Willy Sagnol.

1st minute

Game on. Portugal is wearing their traditional maroon and green tops, while France is sporting white shirts.

5 minutes to kickoff

What do you think is going to happen today? Which midfield maestro is going to come out on top? Do either of these teams have a chance against Italy? Have your say on anything and everything about today's France-Portugal semi at Your View

8 minutes to kickoff

Both captains, Figo and Zidane, look intense in the hallway prior to walking out on the field. This is likely the last World Cup game for one of these greats. Let the hype begin!

10 minutes to kickoff

Here's a look at historical head-to-head meetings between France and Portugal. The two countries have met several times in friendlies and exhibitions over the years, but only twice in big-time competitions. Both of those matches were semifinals of the European championships. France dumped Portugal 3-2 at Euro 1984. They won again 16 years later when Zinedine Zidane tallied a late golden goal to give France, the eventual champions, a thrilling 2-1 triumph at Euro 2000.

20 minutes to kickoff

Not much is expected to change for Les Bleus today. French coach Raymond Domenech is likely to field the same starters who upset Brazil 1-0 in the quarter-finals. Expect to hear the names Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry mentioned a few times today.

30 minutes to kickoff

Portuguese stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo are both nursing nagging injuries and it'll be interesting to see how long they can last today. There was some doubt as to whether they would be healthy enough to start today, but the magnitude of the moment suggests they'll likely play unless there's something really serious going on. Remember, Ronaldo was listed as doubtful for the England quarter-final and he soldiered through the pain to become one of the key match figures. Just ask Wayne Rooney.

Portugal should benefit from the return of Costinha and Deco, who both missed the quarter-final due to match bans stemming from the infraction-filled Portugal-Netherlands round-of-16 game.