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Group F review Samba stars saunter on Brazil played an unfamiliar brand of football as they went through with three wins, but the battle for second spot went to the wire. Steve Wilson reports



It wasn’t the kind of football we expected to see from Brazil, but it was good enough to see them through to the last 16 with a game to spare. The free-flowing ‘Samba Soccer’ never materialised as the reigning champions scraped past Croatia, with a superb goal from Milan’s Kaka, before making hard work of beating a physical Australia side to ensure their progress. In contrast to pre-tournament expectations it was their solid defence – conceding just once – that was their most impressive asset. The trickery of World Player of the Year Ronaldinho was seen only in fleeting moments, while former Inter man Ronaldo looked a shadow of his former self, albeit a slightly larger shadow. However, Il Fenomeno eventually silenced those who had mocked his weight by bagging two goals against Japan to equal Gerd Muller’s all-time record of 14 goals at the Finals. Ronaldo was understandably delighted with his achievement, but warned there was more to come from him in the tournament. “I’m happy to have equalled the record, scoring goals is always something I try to do,” said the Real Madrid ace. “It’s a thrilling achievement for me and a very happy day, but I hope that it’s not the end of my scoring at this World Cup.” Brazil Coach Carlos Albert Parreira had no doubts about the abilities of his first choice striker. “We always believed in Ronaldo. He is a special player and I’m sure he will be better as each game goes,” he warned ahead of the second round clash with Ghana. With all the other three sides losing to the South Americans it was the encounters between Australia, Croatia and Japan that determined who would take the runners-up spot. For the majority of their opener Japan looked set to pick up their fine World Cup Finals form where they left off on home soil four years ago, but Tim Cahill’s 84th minute strike – the Aussie’s first ever Finals goal – sparked an amazing turnaround that saw Guus Hiddink’s side earn a valuable 3-1 win. A missed penalty against Japan cost Croatia dear and they ended up going into their last match against the Socceroos needing a win to prolong their campaign. With Japan falling foul of a Brazil side that had finally found some life, the destination of second spot came down to whether the Balkan nation could beat their Antipodean relations. The bad-tempered clash descended into farce as English referee Graham Poll dismissed three players – one of them, Josip Simunic, after he received three yellow cards – in the closing minutes. But when the dust had settled Harry Kewell’s late equaliser earned Australia the point they needed to reach the next stage. “This team has enormous mental power to be able to come back when they are behind,” stated Hiddink. “I know this team, they can always react and they did again this time. This team has a lion’s heart, to fight until the end. They are very competitive and never give up – whatever happens.” A worrying appraisal from the World Cup expert, considering that his side’s reward for qualifying is a second round meeting with Italy – the nation he beat at the same stage four years ago with South Korea! STAR MAN – KAKA (BRAZIL) Produced the one moment of brilliance in Brazil’s opening match against Croatia with his perfectly placed shot from outside the area. His passing and runs created some of the few world-class moments the five-time winners managed to conjure up in their Group matches. While Ronaldinho’s most memorable moment was when he bamboozled himself and fell over his own fancy footwork against Australia, the baby-faced Rossoneri man stole the show from under his nose. KEY MOMENT Australia’s return to the World Cup Finals after a 32-year absence looked set to end in a disappointing defeat to Japan, courtesy of a controversial Shunsuke Nakamura goal. However, with six minutes left Tim Cahill single-handedly turned around their fortunes with a brace. John Aloisi’s third in injury time capped a superb comeback that left Australia in pole position in the battle for second spot.