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Triumph of pragmatism Brazil's midfield steel wins battle for supremacyPosted: Friday June 21, 2002 6:40 AM
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side -- reduced to 10 men after 57 minutes when match-winning goalscorer Ronaldinho was harshly red-carded by Mexican referee Felipe Ramos Rizo -- ironically took firm control of Friday's quarterfinal after the dismissal. England had no answer in the heat, with too many players failing to take responsibility for going forward. Its tepid display for the last half-hour sealed their fate in a 2-1 defeat. It did not take advantage of the extra man, did not create a single scoring chance of note in the second half and its long wait for a second world title goes on. Coach Sven Goran Eriksson was too cautious for too long and old nightmares came back to haunt 38-year-old goalkeeper David Seaman. The ghosts of Paul Gascoigne and Nayim, who both beat him with long range shots in big matches, manifested themselves again in Ronaldinho's free kick from 35 yards. It has Seaman's 73rd match for England and probably his last. Short-lived joy By the time Ronaldinho walked off Brazil had clawed back Michael Owen's 23rd minute opener for England with a Rivaldo strike two minutes into first half injury time and Ronaldinho's effort which left Seaman stranded. The Brazilian was sent off in the 57th minute for an over-the-top tackle on England defender Danny Mills. Television replays appeared to show Ronaldinho was hard done by. He had his studs on the ball before Mills and at worst was guilty of a careless, but not premeditated, foul. Until then the referee had not booked a player from either side in a match that was sporting enough, but rarely excited. It was a Brazilian performance typical of Scolari's win-at-all-costs approach and was in stark contrast to its earlier displays which brought it 13 goals in four matches. Ronaldinho set up Brazil's equalizer when Kleberson fed him a loose ball won off Paul Scholes. Ronaldinho raced through the heart of the England midfield and took advantage of space opening up before him with nifty footwork. That gave him the room to feed Rivaldo on the right and Rivaldo hit the ball with his lethal left foot first time. It was his fifth goal in five games and he remains on course to equal Jairzinho's 1970 record as the only player to score in every match in the tournament including the final. Started brighter England had started the brighter and with the backline of Cole, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and Danny Mills playing well as a unit and Seaman largely untroubled in goal in the early stages, England looked the more composed side and deservedly took the lead after 23 minutes. Lucio tried to intercept a long upfield pass from Emile Heskey but the ball bounced off his thigh and into Owen's path. He allowed the ball to run on before whipping it home for his second of the tournament and his 18th in 41 internationals. Brazil had won 12 World Cup matches after falling behind -- more than any other side -- and continued playing their patient build-up game. Unsung midfield anchorman Gilberto Silva kept the engine room humming if not exactly firing on all cylinders, and the match settled into a battle for midfield supremacy. Scolari had brought Kleberson into the starting line-up in place of the more creative Juninho to stiffen up the midfield and add defensive resolve, and his tactics worked. England did not have another serious attempt on goal for the rest of the match. Visions of Nayim In 1991 playing for Arsenal in an FA Cup semifinal against archrival Tottenham Hotspur, Seaman was beaten by Paul Gascoigne's 30-meter free-kick. Four years later ex-Spurs player Nayim, playing for Real Zaragoza, sent a 40-meter plus shot high over Seaman's head to win the European Cup Winners Cup final for the Spanish team. Seaman was a meter or two off his line when Ronaldinho took his free kick and it was a bad error of judgement. Brazil, which struggled to qualify for the finals before Scolari came in to organize the team, is now through to the last four for the third successive tournament and for the 10th time overall. The four-time champion will meet the winner of the Turkey vs. Senegal quarterfinal, in Saitama next Wednesday. Whoever it plays next the performance is likely to be
effective rather than pretty. Pragmatism rules.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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