England see fragility in the beauty of Brazil
Scolari's flawed artists compensate for suspect defence with brilliant attack to set up quarter-final against Eriksson's men
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.England last night came face to face with the enemy – the most exalted that any team could face on the road to a World Cup final – and as they slipped back into the night they did not quite know what to do with their hands.
After Brazil's 2-0 win over Belgium, the dilemma for manager Sven Goran Eriksson and his players in the stand was whether to rub them in anticipation of Friday's quarter final – or use them to shield their eyes.
Both reactions were legitimate because the game that could unlock the door to the final in Yokohama in the draining heat and humidity of a Japanese afternoon is against a Brazilian team that have never bounced so erratically between brilliant attack and bankrupt defence. When Rivaldo scored the superb 67th-minute goal which destroyed a tough and intelligent Belgium, Eriksson and his men were obliged to contemplate Brazil the Beautiful, a team as luminous and as delicate as a butterfly's wing in moments of exquisitely-balanced attack.
But a butterfly's wing is easily crushed – and there were times when the brutal work seemed well within the capacity of Belgium's veteran captain Marc Wilmots.
Twice he required Marcos to produce the kind of saves which are normally the requirement of goalkeepers of lesser footballing nations. When Wilmots overcame such defiance with a header that was resting in the back of the net before the Jamaican referee Peter Prendergast blew for a foul, there was a powerful sense that England were about to re-direct their quarter-final planning away from the fantasy of Brazil to the dangerous resolve and tactical nous of Belgium.
Prendergast's questionable decision – the justification of his late call seemed thinly attached to the possibility that Wilmots had nudged the Brazilian defender Roque Junior before making contact with the ball – inevitably provoked wild and emotional innuendos about the close links between the Brazilian giants and the Jamaican football authorities, who recently benefited from a development programme offered by the South American power. Belgium's coach Robert Waseige declared: "The goal was OK and everybody could see that it changed the game. Brazil won because of the outstanding individual action of Rivaldo – and because we were denied a good goal."
In the feverish atmosphere of a World Cup knock-out game, controversial decisions are always likely to provoke doubts. Conspiracy theorists here were not slow to point out that the elimination of Brazil, after the departure of the reigning champions France and betting favourites Argentina, would have been a major blow to the appeal of the final stages.
However, after Belgium's tenacious exploration of Brazilian defensive weakness, England may well feel that it will take more than imaginative officiating to deny them the triumph which so narrowly eluded Waseige's well-prepared team.
Certainly the frailties of Brazil's central defenders Roque Junior and Lucio, so much less a commanding figure in the colours of his country than he was in those of European Cup finalists Bayer Leverkusen, would seem to present mouth-watering possibilities for a well-served Michael Owen. The Liverpool striker did not join his team-mates and the entire England coaching staff at last night's game, but he is said to be merely resting in preparation for Friday's game.
But if Owen, who did so much to undermine Argentina in England's Group of Death win four years after his famous goal against them in the 1998 World Cup, now has the chance to send his name ringing around the world once again, it also needs to be said that so does Ronaldo.
The England party were already heading home for their Awaji island headquarters when Ronaldo confirmed Brazil's victory with his fifth goal in fourth games. It came three minutes from the end and it announced, against a set of strong, well-disciplined defenders, that he is indeed back to within striking distance of the form that had so enraptured the world going into France 98.
Ronaldo's surging run dissected the Belgian defence and when substitute Kleberson put across a perfectly-measured pass, goalkeeper Geert de Vlieger must have felt that a cold blade had been inserted into his ribs. Ronaldo's execution was deadly as he fired the ball between De Vlieger's legs, gave his trademarked toothy grin and raised his right forefinger to his ecstatic, yellow-clad, drum-beating fans.
"Ronaldo is back," announced the Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. "He takes two defenders wherever he goes but he can still break down a defence. People criticise our defence and they talk about our weaknesses, but tonight we showed we are a team who fight to the end. Ronaldo did that.
"I am very happy with the spirit and the from my team. We are not talking about England yet. That is the next challenge and we are planning for it now. I have great confidence in my team."
But then Eriksson knows well enough that Scolari was obliged to make such noises, however desperately he suffered as Wilmots applied a surgically precise, but ultimately unrewarded, knife to the business of cutting open the Brazilian cover.
When he left the stadium the England coach was no doubt encouraged by his sense of Brazilian weakness at the back – and also the latest evidence that here in Japan England have acquired a weight of reputation that is clearly rivalling the old South American legends of football.
Before the kick-off the England players faced a barrage of camera flashes and cries of enthusiasm from Japanese fans, and when the players came on to the field it was as though they were providing a rival attraction rather than the central point of the evening.
David Beckham, inevitably, was the focus of most attention and certainly there is no reason to believe that England will be touched by any inferiority complex on Friday, despite a World Cup record against Brazil of two defeats, in 1962 and 1970, and a scoreless draw, in 1958.
However, this will only increase Eriksson's emphasis on the need for cool heads and controlled self-regard when the action unfolds in Shizuoka. England, no doubt, have reasons for considerable optimism. But if Eriksson does struggle to impose some caution he might well re-wind some of the film of the night Brazil survived interrogation by Marc Wilmots and his side. He should show the moments Rivaldo and Ronaldo reminded us that Brazilian football genius is not quite dead.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments