 Goal King Ronaldo won the World Cup
for Brazil.
His eighth goals in seven games at
the finals this month ensured his
top spot as best goal scorer at the
tournament but far far more important,
the 25 year old striker started to
win Brazil’s fifth world title
with the first goal they have scored
in the final for 32 years.
The decisive goal all came from great
work and determination by the reborn
Brazilian star.
To emphasise that he can now be certainly
regarded as the player of the tournament
at the 2002 final he started the move
which won the game.
Ronaldo was put clear in the 65th
minute but he was tackled. However,
he showed great tenacity to win the
ball back again as Dietmar Hamann
was caught in possession. The Brazil
star played the ball to Rivaldo and
ran on ahead of the Barcelona star
perhaps expecting a through pass.
But Rivaldo had a rare moment of space
and decided to set himself and shoot
from centrally with his left foot
just outside the penalty area.
The ball took a nasty bounce in front
of German captain and goalkeeper Oliver
Kahn – awarded the Lev Yashin
trophy before the game as best goalkeeper
at the finals – and Kahn let
the ball bounce back off his chest
as he failed to catch or save the
shot properly and it rebounded straight
to the predatory Ronaldo who slid
the ball in low past the goalkeeper
who was stunned as the striker showed
world class instincts to follow up
the speculative shot.
Fifteen minutes later as Germany
tried and failed to get back into
the game, Kleberson played a square
ball across the face of the German
penalty area for an unmarked Ronaldo
to set himself with one step and strike
the ball low and wide of Kahn into
the corner.
Substitute Oliver Bierhoff almost
brought Germany back into the game
in the 83rd minute with a first time
show but Brazilian goalkeeper Marcos
dived well to make a great reaction
save low to his left to keep the two
goal advantage.
Oliver Neuville almost put Germany
into the lead but for the Palmeiras
goalkeeper who dived and turned a
great free kick from distance onto
the left hand post.
Midfielder Kleberson had hit the
bar from distance in the last seconds
of the first half with Kahn defying
Ronaldo in first half stoppage time
with s shot on the turn as he met
a mishit Roberto Carlos shot from
the left hand side at the edge of
the penalty area.
Kahn had saved well at Ronaldo’s
feet on 29 minutes when Ronaldinho
played the striker through on goal
and the same pair combined for a great
19th minute chance when a pass form
the 22 year old bisected the German
centre back pairing of Christian Metzelder
and Carsten Ramelow for Ronaldo to
make a rare error on his finish. As
he ran through wide on the left and
Kahn advanced, Ronaldo decided to
clip the ball wide of the goalkeeper
and the post with the outside of his
left foot when a right foot shot seemed
the best option.
The striker was no doubt saving himself
for a match-winning second half spell
but Brazil were nervous at times as
Germany were very hard to beak down.
 The Brazilians now have first hand
experience of what the rest of us
know: Germany are very hard to beat
but despite the best efforts of Neuville
and Bernd Schneider the world class
finishing of Ronaldo won the day and
buried forever his bitter disappointment
of the final defeat four years ago.
He ended the game in emotional tears
after his late substitution.
Germany: Kahn, Linke, Ramelow, Metzelder,
Frings, Schneider,Jeremies (Asamoah
77), Hamann, Bode (Ziege 84), Neuville,Klose
(Bierhoff 73).
Brazil: Marcos, Edmilson, Lucio,
Roque Junior, Cafu, Kleberson,Gilberto,
Carlos, Ronaldinho (Juninho Paulista
85), Rivaldo,Ronaldo (Denilson 90).
Attendance: 69,029.
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