Back to Brazil
Dan Nicholl
Posted Wed, 05 Jul 2006
The champions are out; long live the champions. A flattering 3-0 win over Ghana hadn't dispelled the suspicion that Brazil just weren't quite on the pace; by the same token, a dreadful start masked a school of thought that France could yet produce something special. And so it turned out: Brazil, with Ronaldinho nothing like the Barcelona version, looked devoid of samba spirit, while France, relentlessly attacked by their national media, drew inspiration from a supposedly fading star, and scored through a striker whose national form has been much maligned.
Thierry Henry made the difference to the scoreline, and precision touch it was; Zinedine Zidane called the shots, and a master class in controlling a football match left everyone watching wondering why on earth the Frenchman is retiring from all football once the tournament is over. Perhaps he just wants to leave on a high — on the back of his quarterfinal display, the trophy would appear France's for the taking. But has he got another two such games in him?
The same question, to a lesser extent, can be asked of the other galactico still at the World Cup: Luis Figo, who's clearly not as young as he once was, but is still an eminently classy footballer. More of a team effort from Portugal, however, who might not have had Deco or Maniche, but did have an advantage when Rooney's stamp got him a red card — and that advantage increased considerably the moment it went to penalties.
One day England will win a match of consequence through a shootout; it just doesn't look like happening any time soon. Only Owen Hargreaves managed to find the net, and when Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the English demise (and a great reception at away games in the premiership next season), the penalty spot jinx continued. So England head home, and Portugal head for the finals, with Maniche and Deco back. Zidane versus Figo? The old foes will be relishing their battle, and so will the rest of us.
Dan's pick of the day
Would it have made a difference? Probably not, but when Jamie Carragher scored in the shootout, and was then made to re-take the kick — which he missed — you felt England were finished. Gerrard and Lampard (one very forgettable tournament) were surprisingly off target, but the pressure was immense; had Carragher's stood, it just might have been different. One more variable for the English to agonise over.
