The final curtain rises | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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The final curtain rises

None | ByDavid Lacey
Jun 30, 2002 08:35 PM IST

Ferris wheels are a feature of the endless urban landscape here, providing tangible evidence of everything going around and coming around. Such rotating inevitability will be reconfirmed at the International Stadium in the suburb of Kohoku-ku tomorrow when, after a month on the dodgems, the World Cup ends on a familiar carousel.

Ferris wheels are a feature of the endless urban landscape here, providing tangible evidence of everything going around and coming around. Such rotating inevitability will be reconfirmed at the International Stadium in the suburb of Kohoku-ku tomorrow when, after a month on the dodgems, the World Cup ends on a familiar carousel.

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Brazil or Germany have been involved in all but one of the past 13 finals. The only novelty tomorrow is that it will be the first time they have met in a World Cup.

 

Yet this is not the denouement that had been anticipated. The chances of either team getting this far were rated lower than those of France, the holders, Argentina, Italy or even Spain, those incorrigible underachievers.

 

The fact that the aforementioned all disappeared without crossing their paths has undoubtedly assisted the progress of Brazil and Germany, who could not have dreamt that they would be required to defeat Turkey and South Korea to reach the final.

One kindness should be repaid with another. It now behoves the countries who between them have won the World Cup seven times and who will each be appearing in their seventh final to produce a match which will lift this tournament to a seventh heaven.

Brazil may no longer be equipped to scale the heights of excellence reached by the team of Pele and Tostao in 1970 and Germany cannot hold a candle to the sides led by Franz Beckenbauer in the early 70s. Yet they should at least be able to keep faith with the overriding theme of this World Cup by providing enough incident and excitement to offset any shortcomings in the quality of the football.

 

The fact that Rudi Völler's side are in the final at all remains a phenomenon which even Germany may still be finding hard to take on board. Considerable credit must be given to the strength of character which has taken the Germans this far despite losing important players to injuries.

 

If it was hard to see eventual finalists in the team beaten 5-1 by England in Munich it was even harder once Völler had lost Jens Nowotny from his defence, Mehmet Scholl and Sebastian Deisler from midfield and Jörg Heinrich from the left flank.

The German response has been to get the simple things right and not try anything over-ambitious. The passing has been middlebrow but accurate, straightforward crosses have been met by straightforward headers often resulting in straightforward goals. The defensive drills have been basic but effective, the goalkeeping of Oliver Kahn outstanding.

From the point of view of the spectacle it is a pity that Michael Ballack will miss tomorrow's match because of the second yellow card he received before scoring against South Korea. He has been Germany's best outfield player and would have been their most likely matchwinner.

 

The disappointment of his booking was compounded by the reaction of him and his coach to it after he had brought down Lee Chun-soo just outside the penalty area. Ballack believes he had no choice, and to Völler it was "a tactical foul which was utterly necessary".

The Germans are surely alone in believing Ballack made a noble sacrifice. The rest of the world would prefer to believe that this sort of thing had been largely eradicated once Fifa set its mind to dealing more strictly with professional fouls after the ultra-cynical World Cup of 1990.

 

As a result Germany will enter the arena with more people hoping to see them lose than might otherwise have been the case. Maybe this will make Völler's players even more determined to confound the odds, but the industry of Jens Jeremies will be no substitute for Ballack's occasional inspiration.

Rivaldo did Brazil's image no favours when he played the tragedian in their opening match against Turkey, fooling the referee into sending off Hakan Unsal. Since then, however, the crowds have warmed to Rivaldo's flashes of brilliance, the success with which Ronaldinho takes on defenders and above all the renaissance of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo may be some way off his best but the lost soul whose pre-match torment traumatised the whole Brazilian team before the 1998 final, leaving France to win 3-0 and bring Paris out on the streets, is long forgotten. If he finishes on the winning side not only Brazilians will be happy with the ending.

 

Ronaldinho, however, is the key. His suspension for the semi-final against Turkey cost Brazil a subtlety of approach and speed of execution which Edilson could not provide.

Völler will probably ask Carsten Ramelow to keep an eye out for Ronaldinho and presumably will expect him to stick a foot out if the situation demands it. Pierluigi Collina, however, is not the sort of referee with whom it is wise to take liberties.

If Germany are to create history by becoming the first Europeans to win a World Cup outside Europe, Bernd Schneider may be the player to point them in the right direction. But if this were Hollywood the studio would demand victory for Brazil, and Ronaldo to get the winner.

 

Which he might.

 

Ferris wheels are a feature of the endless urban landscape here, providing tangible evidence of everything going around and coming around. Such rotating inevitability will be reconfirmed at the International Stadium in the suburb of Kohoku-ku tomorrow when, after a month on the dodgems, the World Cup ends on a familiar carousel.

Brazil or Germany have been involved in all but one of the past 13 finals. The only novelty tomorrow is that it will be the first time they have met in a World Cup.

Yet this is not the denouement that had been anticipated. The chances of either team getting this far were rated lower than those of France, the holders, Argentina, Italy or even Spain, those incorrigible underachievers.

 

The fact that the aforementioned all disappeared without crossing their paths has undoubtedly assisted the progress of Brazil and Germany, who could not have dreamt that they would be required to defeat Turkey and South Korea to reach the final.

One kindness should be repaid with another. It now behoves the countries who between them have won the World Cup seven times and who will each be appearing in their seventh final to produce a match which will lift this tournament to a seventh heaven.

Brazil may no longer be equipped to scale the heights of excellence reached by the team of Pele and Tostao in 1970 and Germany cannot hold a candle to the sides led by Franz Beckenbauer in the early 70s. Yet they should at least be able to keep faith with the overriding theme of this World Cup by providing enough incident and excitement to offset any shortcomings in the quality of the football.

The fact that Rudi Völler's side are in the final at all remains a phenomenon which even Germany may still be finding hard to take on board. Considerable credit must be given to the strength of character which has taken the Germans this far despite losing important players to injuries.

 

If it was hard to see eventual finalists in the team beaten 5-1 by England in Munich it was even harder once Völler had lost Jens Nowotny from his defence, Mehmet Scholl and Sebastian Deisler from midfield and Jörg Heinrich from the left flank.

The German response has been to get the simple things right and not try anything over-ambitious. The passing has been middlebrow but accurate, straightforward crosses have been met by straightforward headers often resulting in straightforward goals. The defensive drills have been basic but effective, the goalkeeping of Oliver Kahn outstanding.

From the point of view of the spectacle it is a pity that Michael Ballack will miss tomorrow's match because of the second yellow card he received before scoring against South Korea. He has been Germany's best outfield player and would have been their most likely matchwinner.

 

The disappointment of his booking was compounded by the reaction of him and his coach to it after he had brought down Lee Chun-soo just outside the penalty area. Ballack believes he had no choice, and to Völler it was "a tactical foul which was utterly necessary".

 

The Germans are surely alone in believing Ballack made a noble sacrifice. The rest of the world would prefer to believe that this sort of thing had been largely eradicated once Fifa set its mind to dealing more strictly with professional fouls after the ultra-cynical World Cup of 1990.

As a result Germany will enter the arena with more people hoping to see them lose than might otherwise have been the case. Maybe this will make Völler's players even more determined to confound the odds, but the industry of Jens Jeremies will be no substitute for Ballack's occasional inspiration.

 

Rivaldo did Brazil's image no favours when he played the tragedian in their opening match against Turkey, fooling the referee into sending off Hakan Unsal. Since then, however, the crowds have warmed to Rivaldo's flashes of brilliance, the success with which Ronaldinho takes on defenders and above all the renaissance of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo may be some way off his best but the lost soul whose pre-match torment traumatised the whole Brazilian team before the 1998 final, leaving France to win 3-0 and bring Paris out on the streets, is long forgotten. If he finishes on the winning side not only Brazilians will be happy with the ending.

Ronaldinho, however, is the key. His suspension for the semi-final against Turkey cost Brazil a subtlety of approach and speed of execution which Edilson could not provide.

Völler will probably ask Carsten Ramelow to keep an eye out for Ronaldinho and presumably will expect him to stick a foot out if the situation demands it. Pierluigi Collina, however, is not the sort of referee with whom it is wise to take liberties.

 

If Germany are to create history by becoming the first Europeans to win a World Cup outside Europe, Bernd Schneider may be the player to point them in the right direction. But if this were Hollywood the studio would demand victory for Brazil, and Ronaldo to get the winner.

 

Which he might.

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