Thursday, June 22, 2006

Daring to dream

On paper it wasn't going to be much of a match. A mis-match, more like it. The best team in the world, bar none; vs. an Asian side with a nary a major scalp to their name. Brazil vs Japan, I felt, was going to be an academic match - with the Brazilians doing the teaching. But, as was quite rightly pointed out to me, you don't play football on paper. You play it on grass.

The Brazil team - long since slated as favourites for the tournament - were going through a bit of a rough patch. They won all their games thus far, but in a manner that was less than convincing. A scrappy win against Croatia; a 2-0 scoreline against Australia that was a tad flattering; and the threat from their South American neighbours in the form of a resurgent, creative, entertaining Argentina side who convincingly won their Group of Death underlined by a 6-0 mauling of Serbia & Montenegro... could the team that made it to the finals of the last three World Cups finally be dethroned?

Japan, on the other hand, did not come with much hope to get any further than perhaps the second round, if at all. The furthest they have progressed was the second round, and that was when they co-hosted the tournament with South Korea; Japan's only other appearance was at France 98. If Brazil needed to remind the world that their samba steps were still alive, this was perhaps the game where they had the most space to showcase and strut.

And even from the beginning, you could see the difference in the style. The fluid, hypnotic, almost dancelike moves of the boys in yellow contrasted with the more stoic, disciplined movements of the Japanese side. Brazil were never short of the stepovers, the shimmies, the backheels, the nutmegs and neat short passes that make them such a pleasure to watch. But in the opening minutes of the game, as much as Brazil tried to break them down, Japan would not be moved, perhaps inspired by an above par performance from their goalkeeper Kawaguchi. Anything the Japanese defence let through, Kawaguchi would stop short and in spectacular fashion, too.

Then the unthinkable happened. A neat play from the left side of the field saw Brazilian-born Japanese player Alex cross the ball into the box, for Keiji Tamada volley home a spectacular ball that beat Brazilian keeper Nelson Dida. Japan 1 Brazil 0. Brazilian mouths were probably gaping, Japanese mouths screaming in delight and neutrals everywhere rubbing hands in delight at the prospect of a real tasty game served up. Surely Brazil were going to turn it on now, they would not take the goal kindly.

It wasn't long before Brazil responded, and respond they did. Out-of-form striker Ronaldo, whose continous selection in the Brazilian first eleven baffled fans and pundits alike, soared into the air and headed home Brazil's equaliser. 1-1 at half time.

You knew, really, that Brazil were not going to let this be an upset. A dam, if rammed down many times by a log, would eventually crack and break. And in the second half the dam broke many a time. Ronaldo went on to score again to equal Gerd Muller's 14 goals scored in the World Cup Finals - not bad for an overweight lad. The final score was 4-1 but it could have been more of a mauling.

Brazil, indeed, were a joy to watch; and are beginning to remind us what they are capable of achieving. But to their credit, Japan didn't lie down and let Brazil trample over them. And for those twelve short, precious, magical minutes, Japan - and perhaps Asia, and champions of underdogs the world over - knew what it felt like to be a step ahead of the best.

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