France struggled in the early qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade several past members out of international retirement to help the national team qualify, which they accomplished following a 4–0 win over Cyprus on the final day of qualifying. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, France finished undefeated in the group stage portion and advanced all the way to the final defeating the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Portugal along the way. France took on Italy in the final. Zidane scored an early penalty, while Marco Materazzi equalized 12 minutes later. Zidane was shown a red card and was sent off in his last ever national match after headbutting Materazzi. Italy won 5–3 on penalties to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup.