Group F Fall-out

The End Of The Road For Japan
Well, it's that point of the World Cup and this much we know: Brazil is still Brazil. Brazil trounced Japan 4-1, in a game reminiscent of the Australia-Japan match. Japan had a 1-0 lead but Brazil stormed back.

You have to feel for Hidetoshi Nakata, who came into this tournament as the single most marked player on the Japanese squad. He was never satisfied with the level of commitment shown by the rest of the squad and this result is going to sit very heavily upon all of Japan. This is going to lead to a lot of changes.


Group F was a rough group to be in for Japan. Brazillian soccer is actually quite close to Japanese soccer, what with Japan coach Zico being a one-time great of Brazil and Alassandro Santos being a Brazillian-born Japan player. The J-League has incorporated lots of playing aspects from the Brazillians, so in that sense, they were playing the masters of their game.

With Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ze Roberto, Adriano and Emerson on the bench, Brazil could have been accused of taking their final group game lightly. Brazil, though, had started with more purpose than in their previous two games, forcing good saves from Japan's former Portsmouth goalkeeper, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi.

Japan responded with a move worthy of the famous yellow shirt. A five-pass build-up sent the ball into the penalty area and only a near-post interception from Arsenal's Gilberto Silva prevented Akira Kaji's dangerous low centre from causing problems.

Indeed, with Brazil reduced to mainly long-range attempts and Japan prepared to hit them on the counter-attack, this was turning into a thoroughly entertaining affair.

So when Japan scored, in the 34th minute, it was not such a big surprise. Junichi Inamoto instigated the move, feeding Brazilian-born Alex on the left, and he set up Keiji Tamada for a magnificent finish from 15 yards.

However, Brazil responded in first-half added time, with Ronaldinho's pass returned by the impressive Cicinho and headed firmly beyond Kawaguchi by Ronaldo to claim his first of the tournament.

The second half was only eight minutes old when Brazil took the lead, Juninho's swerving shot deceiving Kawaguchi from 30 yards. Ronaldinho fed Gilberto for the third, but the best was to come.

In the 81st minute, Ronaldo took a pass from Juan and created some space for himself before side-footing into the far corner of the net from outside the area.

Then there was Croatia, who were always going to pose a challenge through their imposing physical advantage, and then Australia. I never got the feeling that the Japanese media actually understood the Socceroos. If there was one team between Croatia and Australia that they shouldn't have designated as "easy target" (i.e under-estimate), it was probably Australia.

Harry Kewell Paying Off The Promise
Australia on the other hand drew with Croatia 2-2, and are thus, through to the final round.





That's Harry Kewell's goal levelling the match at the 79th minute.
If ever there was a much-maligned Australian player it's Harry Kewell. It took years for him to be allowed to represent Australia as freely as he wanted and now we're seeing the man we've been missing all this time. For years his club Liverpool would thwart atttempts by Australia to recruit him into the socceroos. What's worse, the club never stepped up to protect Kewell by saying so. As a result, Kewell took thrashings from the Australian press for not playing for Australia. Now, with that 79th minute goal that tied the match, his place in Australian soccer history is enshrined.

"Screw You All, I'm Still A Ronaldo Fan"


The way I see it, Ronaldo is the A-Rod of world soccer. Or A-Rod is the Ronaldo of world baseball. I don't know which. They're not exactly alike characters, but as guys who stand at the peak of the game, they're the 'it' men for their respective sports. You have to admire guys who get there through an over-abundance of capital 'T' Talent. Even when they go through a bad patch, one really shouldn't be writing them off.

Ronaldo is finally back to game shape.

Warning for the world: Ronaldo is up and running. Running may be a slight exaggeration, but the incredible bulk from Brazil scored his country's first and final goals last night, overtaking Pele to equal Gerd Müller's record of 14 World Cup goals and punishing Japan for their impertinence in taking the lead through Keiji Tamada.

Ronaldo equalised with a header, and after goals by Junior Pernambucano and Gilberto, fired his second to complete a win that ensures Brazil return here to face Ghana in the second round next Tuesday. Their delight was their compatriot Zico's disappointment; his tenure as Japan's coach would have continued only had they remained in the tournament.

Watched from the stands by Pele, a clearly emotional Zico sang both anthems. If Brazil are some way short of the standard of the 1982 side he played in, they are at least starting to find the higher gears. They did so, moreover, despite Carlos Alberto Parreira having rested five players.

Yet the Brazil coach persevered with Ronaldo, pairing him with the lithe Robinho, and the theory that the roly-poly attacker needed match practice was handsomely vindicated. Almost from the first whistle there were indications that his eye for goal is getting sharper.

It was an impression he was eager to confirm afterwards. "I'm very happy that I've made such a significant improvement, physically and technically, during the tournament," he said. "Patience is the key word. In all the difficult moments, I have managed to stay calm."

He's a villain in my part of the world because he dissed the Australians in the press saying he didn't know anything about any of them. My reaction? "yeah, yeah, whatever".
How many Australians know anything about, say, the Brazillians not possessed of single named jerseys? Or for that matter, who in wider Australia knew about 'Fred' beyond the true soccer fans? And there he was walkng in a goal against 'Straya.

Anyway, Ronaldo seems to finally have found his feet again, and they're mighty feet indeed. Watch out World.