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Brazil exorcizes ghost of '98 flop
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) -- Four years later, Brazil finally laid its ghosts to rest. As the South Americans danced and hugged after defeating Germany 2-0 on Sunday to win a record fifth World Cup, the sting of their traumatic 3-0 loss to France in the '98 final faded in joy and jubilation. They did it with a surprising defense that jelled when it counted and a whirlwind attack led by the Three R's -- Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. Ronaldo was the hero, teaming with Rivaldo for a pair of second-half goals that sank the Germans. His eight goals were high for the tournament and the most in a Cup in 32 years. But the Brazilians also had a sense of unity that was missing on the fractious '98 squad. "The secret is enthusiasm, friendship, union and sacrifice," coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "We had to revive the image of a victorious Brazil," he said."We scored and began to impose strength and respect." It was an image they lost after '98. The specter of that defeat haunted the Brazilians, who never understood the reason for the team's mysterious collapse. Heavily favored against host France, Brazil sleepwalked through the final game. Striker Zinedine Zidane scored a pair to lead "Les Bleus" to a 3-0 win and its first Cup title. Another mystery that may never by solved was the zombie-like play of Ronaldo, who was hospitalized with convulsions hours before the match but then was cleared to play. "He still doesn't know what happened," said teammate Roberto Carlos. The defeat began a long slide for the Brazilians. They stumbled through Cup qualifying and nearly missed the tournament for the first time in history. As they lost a record six qualifying games and were humbled by Honduras in the Copa America, Brazil slipped to third in FIFA's world rankings -- the first time since 1994 they weren't No. 1. Next week, when the new rankings come out, Brazil is expected to regain the top spot. Second place never meant much to Brazilians, as Scolari knew when he took the job. "We tried to make the players understand that second place was the same as last," he said. Slowly Scolari built his team around a core of trusted players he knew from his days as coach of Gremio and Palmeiras, weighing character and dedication as much as pure talent. He gambled that Ronaldo could regain his old form after a two-year absence for knee surgery and rehabilitation. Rivaldo also got another chance to disprove claims that he never played as well for Brazil as he did on Barcelona -- a rap he says is unfair. "In '98 I also played well," he said. "But when you lose, people forget." They won't forget now. "Everything changes," he said. "People said Brazilian soccer was decadent and in crisis. But this will prove that Brazil's soccer is alive." |
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