Match quotes: Big Phil Scolari could yet become a Brazilian soccer icon. If he does it will be in spite of himself. Scolari's team are unbeaten in this World Cup and find themselves with nothing but clear blue water between here and the final. Big Phil, though, looks like a man who'd rather be having root canal work done.

He doesn't talk the beautiful game, he doesn't trust the poetry of his nation's football. If you're going to let your football do the talking then make a grey, legally unimpeachable argument, Phil says.

His team, though, they can't help themselves. What did Phil say to them yesterday. What was his theme? "Be alive, don't die. That was the only thought we had, that was the subject of the talk we had before the match. To live because we didn't want to die." And a merry old soul was he. The Brazilian manager picked the bones of the game morosely.

"The dramatic moment of the match was when Ronaldinho was shown the red card," he said, stopping himself from gushing girlishly. "It was definitely not a red card, he was kicked by the English player just before, I did not agree with the decision but I told the central defenders to do their jobs, we started getting the full backs in line and made sure Rivaldo made the bridge to the attack."

Ten men. One suspected that Big Phil liked the exercise, welcomed the chance to be excused the obligation to play party football. He'd set his stall out that way anyway, dropping Juninho in favour of the defensive enforcer Kleberson. Yup, the 10-men thing was right up his street.

"Sometimes we have practised playing with 10 players and the media, especially the Brazilian media, did not understand what we were doing. The players did the job. They did what I had prepared them to do."

Practising how to play backs-to-the-wall stuff is not what Brazilian mothers raise their boys for. That has been Brazil's greatest problem and greatest advantage till now. There has been a widespread view that they should not be considered serious contenders for the title having nearly not reached the finals. They are thought to be a side that plays slow and at a level below their tradition.

They are better than advertised, though, and keep meeting opponents who fancy their chances a little to much. Big Phil finishes with some backhanded slaps.

"First of all I respect all the players who have been around the team in history but I must say never have I seen a group defend the national colours with such fighting spirit and with such determination. We are here to do our job the best way we can, the spirit of the group is sincere."

So there you have it. Determination and sincerity. Make something out of that if you will, Nike.

Ronaldinho was emotional but then he'd had a busy day. He spoke with, ehm, determination and sincerity, especially about Mexican referee Felipe Ramos Rizo, who snapped out the red card for a tackle on poor Danny Mills.

"I don't believe that it was a foul for a red card," he said. "I met Mills in doping control later and he also believes I did not deserve to be sent off. I don't want to say anything more about all this because it depends on FIFA, but I have the hope," he added when asked about missing the semi-final.

Sven-Goran Eriksson, who will also miss the semi-final, was more composed, but one suspects that he is never any other way. Perhaps England need a cup thrower, a kicker of walls, a master of oaths.

"We had an opportunity to reach the semi-final," he said, "and we didn't take it. We did well until overtime in the first half, we played good football and defended well and kept the ball, but they scored in the last minute of the first half and scored early in the second half.

"I think we should have done better 11 against 10 of course, but we didn't take advantage much. We lost, and congratulations to Brazil. They have a good team and play good football."

Perhaps he was mad inside. Perhaps it was eating him up. He is not an expressive man, however.

"I think we made a small mistake at the end of the first half and let them score, maybe the same in the beginning of the second half, but that happens in football. No regrets. The only thing is that I would have hoped we would have done better 11 against 10, we seemed tired, we lost a little shape and we knocked in balls to their centre backs instead of being patient and trying to go around them. We were tired, not patient enough. We were chasing, chasing.

"It ended up we had good efforts but they were always blocked. Brazil, even 10 against 11, when they have the ball they are very good at keeping it."

And finally the rallying call. "Well I think we can leave the tournament, unfortunately we have to go, but we have our heads up; we were in a difficult group, we had a good win against Denmark. We were very close but not close enough. In four years we will have more or less the same squad. Maybe we will do better."

David Seaman more than compensated for his manager's sang-froid. All players make errors, but goalkeepers have the loneliest aftermath. For Seaman, almost 39 and probably playing in his last World Cup, it was a sad way to leave.

"It's very hard to take but that's just life as a goalkeeper," he said as the sea of tape recorders in front of his face grew and grew.

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