WORLD CUP 2002/Semi-final Brazil -v- Turkey: In the stands at the end, the Brazilians looked as though they might dance on through the damp and chilly night here in Saitama. But it was on the pitch that the real celebration had taken place.
If Sunday's final match of this memorable World Cup is nearly as entertaining as yesterday's defeat of a brave Turkey side by a Brazil team that has started to flirt with brilliance, then we will have been lucky indeed. Certainly it will have surpassed the terribly disappointing affair that decided the title four years ago in Paris.
That night the spirit of Brazil seemed to desert them as soon as it became clear Ronaldo would be incapable of conjuring up some of his magic. To judge by his performance last night, and particularly the wonderful goal he scored to earn the South Americans their first meeting with Germany in a World Cup finals, the 25-year-old trickster has come to Japan intent on making amends.
Since the first game of this tournament, the Inter Milan striker has again assumed a starring role in Brazil's progress. But, oh, what a supporting cast he has about him. At the end of this game it was impossible not to feel for Senol Gunes's losing side, for they had given so much and for a long periods looked capable of cutting open a defence that is easily Brazil's weakest link.
When the four-times World Champions swept forward there was surely not a side that could have contained them. Turkey, to their credit, worked tirelessly to do so and goalkeeper Rustu Recber and a couple of his defenders performed some heroics along the way. But nothing could have prepared them for the goal which Ronaldo struck sweetly with the outside of his right boot without having given the slightest hint of what was about to come.
Seconds earlier there had been a chance at the other end and perhaps the speed of a break that involved Marcos setting Gilberto Silva off down the left after which Ronaldo took up the running and powered into the box took them surprise.
Certainly his shot, which the striker hit while appearing still to be weighing up his options, did and though Recber got a hand to the ball it wasn't enough to prevent it skipping inside the foot of his left post for the Brazilian's sixth goal of the tournament.
For the rest of us the real surprise had been the lack of a goal from either side during what was a first half of giddy excitement.
Ronaldo and Rivaldo, who were backed up wonderfully by Edilson, Cafu and Roberto Carlos, might have had a couple each but then the Brazilians didn't have a complete monopoly on the scoring chances and Turkey did enough to remind us every now and then that they hadn't landed in the semi-final without showing they had some guile and guts.
With their right back Fatih Akyel starting slowly, though, and Edilson on Brazil's left setting off at just the breakneck pace he kept up for the rest of the evening, Turkey had some rough times to endure early on. Recber kept his side in it more than once, his most memorable early intervention coming in the 23rd minute when,first, he stopped Rivaldo's shot and then Ronaldo's attempt to put away the rebound.
Just before the break he did much better again, somehow hauling himself off the ground to push the ball clear to Ergun Penbe when Edilson looked a certainty to get there first.
Tirelessly his back four, led by Alpay Ozalan, fought to limit his workload but with Brazil's wing backs getting forward far more than they had against England and Edilson proving just as big a handful as Ronaldinho had in that game, they had some problems coping. They weren't helped by the fact Brazil's movement off the ball was better than in any of their previous five games at these finals. Indeed, with the side showing again that they are steadily mastering the art of defending, coach Felipe Scolari suddenly found himself in the unfamiliar territory of clawing at his hair over the standard of the finishing.
Too often in both halves Brazilians took it upon themselves to try their hand at goal when team-mates were better placed to apply the finishing touch. Not for the first time Roberto Carlos was at fault on that score but so, too, on this occasion were the two star strikers.
For the Turks Hasan Sas was again influential. Hakan Sukur did well enough after a poor start and Yildiray Basturk performed wonders from just behind the two frontmen while constantly up against it. Their best chance to clamber their way back into the game came nine minutes from time when Sukur shrugged off Roque Junior to get on to the end of an angled Sas free kick from the left but the shot missed the target and after that there were only a couple of half chances for substitute Ilhan Mansiz to swipe harmlessly at.
The Brazilians, on the other hand, always threatened to add to their lead but Scolari, his side only one up but still casting an eye towards the final, replaced first Ronaldo, then Edilson and Kleberson. None of the replacements performed nearly as well as the starters, while Rivaldo gradually appeared to lose interest. As they started to look more and more like a team passing the time until the end some cracks began to appear. But the Turks had just about run out of steam themselves and though they battled on until the 94th minute, Marcos was only ever required to make a couple of serious saves.
At the final whistle the Turkish players crumpled to the ground, devastated by the opportunity they had missed to play their arch-rivals Germany for the title. Clearly, they would have relished the chance. The Brazilians, though, possess more of an armoury with which to test Rudi Völler's strong and defensive side and to judge by their supporters last night that game is already as good as won.
SUBSTITUTES
Brazil: Luizao for Ronaldo (68 mins), Denilson for Edilson (75 mins), Belletti for Kleberson (85 mins).
Turkey: Mansiz for Belozoglu (62 mins), Izzet for Davala (74 mins), Erdem for Basturk (88 mins).
YELLOW CARDS
Brazil: Gilberto Silva (41 mins).
Turkey: Tugay Kerimoglu (59 mins), Hasan Sas (90 mins).
MATCH STATISTICS
Brazil Turkey
18 Shots 9
11 Shots on goal 3
18 Fouls 16
7 Corner kicks 8
0 Offsides 0
44% Possession 56%
LEADING SCORERS: 6 - Ronaldo (Brazil); 5 - Klose (Germany), Rivaldo (Brazil), Tomasson (Denmark); 4 - Vieri (Italy), Ballack (Germany); 3 - Diop (Senegal); Keane (Rep of Ireland), Larsson (Sweden), Morientes (Spain), Pauleta (Portugal), Raul (Spain), Wilmots (Belgium).
