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Analysis: Ronaldo banishes demons Posted: Sunday June 30, 2002 2:02 PM
YOKOHAMA (Reuters) -- A World Cup in which romance continually defied logic closed with the best possible fairytale ending on Sunday. Ronaldo can now live happily ever after. Oliver Kahn, Germany's inspirational skipper and the outstanding goalkeeper in the tournament might not feel quite the same way after gifting Ronaldo the first goal but, in time, he might come to agree that nothing was going to stop Ronaldo fulfilling his destiny in this match. Whatever else he does with the rest of his playing career -- or his life -- Ronaldo will forever be acclaimed as the man whose goals brought Brazil their unprecedented fifth world title in the 2-0 win over Germany. His redemption is complete. The nightmare of 1998 will no longer be the first thing mentioned about Ronaldo and the World Cup. All the knee injuries that have blighted his career for the last two years are over. For his goals after 67 and 79 minutes not only secured Brazil their win over Germany in a tense, absorbing and ultimately memorable World Cup final, they changed the perspective on the 1998 final. Ronaldo played like a shadow on the pitch when Brazil were beaten 3-0 by France in Paris after suffering a fit before the match. Now he is bathed in sunlight, the King of Brazilian football. Pele, El Rey himself, was on the victory podium at the end to hug and kiss the scorer and help FIFA president Sepp Blatter hand over the World Cup to Brazilian skipper Cafu. Joins Pele Ronaldo has also finally taken his place among the greats, joining Pele as the third highest scorer in World Cup history with 12 goals. At only 25, he could yet play in two more World Cups before the end of his career and end up as the highest scorer in World Cup history. Going into the match with six goals from the tournament -- including one officially credited to him despite being an obvious own goal off a defender -- Ronaldo had proved he was back to his best. It is no exaggeration to say that he could have finished the match with five goals after having three good scoring chances in the first half of the first ever World Cup match between Brazil and Germany. He finally found the net just when it seemed Germany had taken the sting out of the Brazilian attack and were mentally setting themselves for extra time and even possibly penalties. Although Brazil had dominated the first half, Germany started the second half well and Oliver Neuville was desperately unlucky not to score after 49 minutes with a swerving 35-meter free kick that Brazilian keeper Marcos pushed on to a post and away. But Brazil gradually won back control of the midfield where Ronaldinho never stopped looking for an opening for Rivaldo and Ronaldo while Kleberson also drove forward tirelessly. Good game It was never a great game but it was certainly a good one with some outstanding individual talent and teamwork. Gilberto Silva linked the busy midfield with the well-marshaled Brazilian back-line and almost capped yet another unassuming but important performance with a goal after 52 minutes. Kahn did well to save the shot. Kahn was utterly disconsolate at the end after his only mistake of the tournament. He failed to hold a shot from Rivaldo and spooned the ball into Ronaldo's path. Ronaldo made no mistake from six meters. Twelve minutes later the match was as good as over. A cross from Kleberson, a dummy from Rivaldo, and Ronaldo swooped past a challenge from substitute Gerald Asamoah, who had only been on the pitch for 90 seconds, to curl a right-footed shot home. German substitutes Oliver Bierhoff and Christian Ziege tested Marcos in the closing minutes but there was no way back for the Germans by then. At the end Brazilian skipper Cafu -- the first man to play in three World Cup finals -- walked 50 meters to commiserate with Kahn, standing stunned by his goalpost. Luiz Felipe "Big Phil" Scolari, the Brazilian coach, also had a hug for Kahn at the end -- but the keeper knew he should have done better on the first goal. At least he knows he was powerless to stop the second. So Brazil clinch the title for an unprecedented fifth time, Germany are runners-up for the fourth and Brazil emulate their 1958 predecessors by becoming the only other side to win the World Cup outside their own continent. Pele, 17 at the time, also scored two goals to set Brazil up for that victory in 1958 in Sweden. He will forever be the King. But Ronaldo was worthy of his own coronation on Sunday. And no one, apart from the beaten Germans, will begrudge him that. Even the Germans may drink to his health tomorrow -- as long as he does not play against them too often in the future.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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