Group F Japan 1 Brazil 4 Another 90 minutes of effort from Japan proved no match for half as much by Brazil here last night as the world champions did enough in the second half to suggest that they are warming to the task of defending their crown.
Chief amongst the positives for Brazil's coach Carlos Alberta Parreira was the display of striker Ronaldo who answered his critics with a goal in each half to join Gerd Muller on 14 as the leading scorer in World Cup final stages.
"He had a good night but he can still get better," said Parreira of the 29-year-old. "We always knew he knows how to make goals and he showed that again tonight but I'm still sure that we will see a lot better from him from the round of 16 on."
Ronaldinho, Kaka and Robinho all supported the team's lone striker with considerable flair as the world champions carved out a constant stream of second-half chances.
After Keiji Tamada had opened the scoring against the run of play for the Japanese and Ronaldo had equalised on the stroke of half-time, Juninho gave his side a lead they never seemed likely to surrender with a 25-yard shot that eluded the hands of the previously heroic Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi.
With their opponents then obliged to press forward, Gilberto took advantage of the growing space that opening up to make it 3-1 with a shot that flew across the face of the goal and into the bottom right corner.
Ronaldo, though, wrapped things up with the best goal of the night nine minutes from time when he produced a fine low strike from the edge of the area after a neat exchange of passes with the rapidly advancing Juan.
With qualification assured, Parreira had signalled that there would be changes but the overhaul was more dramatic than might have been expected. Against a side obliged to chase victory, the world champions started with five new faces from the team that took on Australia with the likes of Robinho, Juninho and Cicinho all getting a chance to impress.
Most eventually availed of the opportunity. The new personnel brought with them a slight shift to the shape of the team which appeared to open up promising avenues of attack to a Japanese side that had struggled in front of goal during their opening two group games.
Hertha Berlin's Gilberto, in for Roberto Carlos, was rarely seen occupying the space on the left side of a rather compact looking three-man defence. Juninho operated in the same space on the other flank, but ahead of both of them there was space to be explored and after they found their feet that's exactly what they set out to do.
Ronaldinho harassed his opponents with delicately judged passes from just in front of their back four while Robinho and Kaka both threatened with a succession of angled runs and Ronaldo lurked further forward.
The pace at which the ball and players moved proved a constant trial for the Japanese who countered by getting bodies, and lots of them, behind the South Americans and the goal. At one point Ronaldinho, when seeking to work his way into the box, found his way blocked by no fewer than seven boys in blue.
Kawaguchi made a handful of good saves as Brazil were allowed enough of a peek at goal to try their luck. Ronaldo, Robinho and Juninho all forced him into making stops in the opening half an hour with the touch he got at full stretch to an effort by the Real Madrid striker about the best of them.
Gradually, the Japanese started to nudge forward on the counterattack with central midfielders Hidetoshi Nakata and Junichi Inamoto working desperately hard to link to the two strikers with effective support from the full backs, Akira Kaji and Brazilian born Allessandro Santos (Alex).
Twice before taking the lead the Japanese had shown they could cause their more talented opponents trouble by getting the ball forward and wide. On the third occasion they made it count with Alex cutting in from the left before supplying the final ball for Keiji Tamada who left Lucio trailing in his wake before powering the ball past Dida and into the roof of the net.
Outside of Japan, though, the night was not about the exit of another of the also-rans but rather about one of the tournament's slumbering giants - that's the team, not their striker - showing signs of awakening.
The evidence here may not have been entirely compelling but there is reason to suspect that life is about to get more difficult again for Ghana
SUBSTITUTIONS
JAPAN: Nakata for Ogasawara (56 mins), Takahara for Maki (60 mins), Oguro for Takahara (66 mins). Subs not used: Doi, Endo, Fukunishi, Komano, Moniwa, Narazaki, Ono, Yanagisawa. Booked: Kaji.
BRAZIL: Ze Roberto for Kaka (71 mins), Ricardinho for Ronaldinho (71 mins), Rogerio for Dida (82 mins). Subs not used: Adriano, Cafu, Carlos, Cris, Emerson, Fred, Julio Cesar, Luisao, Mineiro. Booked: Gilberto. Referee: Eric Poulat (France).
Japan ... 1 Tamada 34 Brazil ... 4 Ronaldo 45+1, 81, Juninho 53, Gilberto 59 Attendance: 65,000
