Brazil recovers from Cup win hangover

Updated: Monday July 01, 2002 04:47 p.m. ET

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Brazilians returned to work Monday happy but a little bit shaky from celebrating their soccer team's 2-0 win over Germany in the World Cup final.

"Pentacampeao," or five time champion, was splashed across the front page of most major newspapers along with pictures of stars like Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Cafu hugging their trophy.

The victory took many Brazilians, who until a few weeks ago had all but lost faith in the national team, by surprise.

"I couldn't stop crying after the game they (the players) brought us much joy," cab driver Ulisses Costa Ribeiro said.

The victory also silenced the bitter criticism of national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who many fans hated as much for his disciplined workmanlike approach to soccer as his failure to call up Vasco striker Romario for the World Cup.

Talking to Jovem Pan radio, Romario said Scolari "should remain as coach of the national team," and that he held no grudge for not being included on the roster.

"He (Scolari) faced a lot of difficulties and put up with a lot of pressure, especially for not putting me on the team," Romario said. "But he defended his own ideas and at all times was coherent and this is one of the qualities of a winner."

And there was abundant praise for Ronaldo, who scored the two goals against Germany in Yokohama, Japan, that gave Brazil their unprecedented fifth World Cup win.

"I'm so happy that Ronaldo's knee has healed and he's going to be the best player in the world again," said Damiana Oliveira, 17, referring to the players 2 1/2-year absence due to knee injuries.

Globo television featured a pair of newborn twins dressed in tiny yellow national team jerseys who were named Ronaldo and Rivaldo after the team's two leading scorers.

The win did little to boost the country's ailing economy with the currency dropping about six centavos to trade at about 2.86 to the dollar and the Sao Paulo stock exchange shed 2.21 percent by mid-afternoon.

"It had a negative impact. In the past, winning the World Cup generally gave stocks a boost but not this time, I don't know why. The markets are going to be volatile like this until the elections," said John Carioba of the Indusval brokerage house.

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso declared Tuesday, the day the team returns from Japan, an optional holiday, allowing banks, businesses and schools to choose whether they want to stay open or not.

The national team is due to arrive in Brasilia at 10:00 a.m. local time (1300 GMT), and after a meeting with the president they will head to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.