YOKOHAMA, Japan, 27 June — Ronaldo drove the 72-year-old World Cup into uncharted territory yesterday when his second-half goal clinched Brazil a 1-0 semifinal victory over Turkey and a place in Sunday’s final against Germany.

Astonishingly, three-time winners Germany have never played four-time champions Brazil at the tournament despite the fact that one of the two has been involved in every final since World War Two apart from the 1978 Argentina-Netherlands clash.

But Ronaldo’s superb run and finish four minutes into the second half ended Turkey’s remarkable run and set up a showdown between the two most successful nations in the history of the game in the Japanese city of Yokohama.

The goal was Ronaldo’s sixth of the finals making him the highest scorer. It marks a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the striker who failed to live up to expectations when the Brazilians lost to France 3-0 in the 1998 final in Paris.

He now has 10 goals in World Cup finals, the second highest tally of a Brazilian behind three-time winner Pele who has 12. Gerd Mueller has the most, scoring 14 for West Germany in 1970 and 1974.

The Turks, playing in only their second World Cup, started the tournament with dim chances to win the trophy. They had their chances to cause an upset in the Saitama clash but Brazil, 2-1 victors over the Turks in the group stage, deserved their victory.

Germany, champions in 1954, 1974 and 1990, reached the final with a 1-0 defeat of co-hosts South Korea in Seoul on Tuesday.

Both the Brazilians, champions in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994, and the Germans will be appearing in their seventh final. Interestingly, the two teams just made the tournament in South Korea and Japan after disappointing qualifying campaigns.

Argentina and defending champions France began the tournament in the role of favorites but crashed out in the first round.

Brazil’s coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said the Germans deserved respect and congratulated his opposite number Rudi Voeller.

“We both had difficulties qualifying and both reached the finals at the last moment,” he said.

“When we met at the draw (in December), we hugged each other and told each other that maybe we would meet in the final.”

Brazil, who only just scraped through the qualifying ahead of Colombia, go into the game as favorites against a young German side which has played efficient but far from glittering football.

The Germans, who made the finals through a playoff with Ukraine after a campaign which included a 5-1 home defeat by England, have beaten Brazil only three times in 17 friendlies since 1963.

All the German victories were on home soil. They last beat Brazil 2-1 in Cologne in 1993.

Turkey will now play Korea in the third-place playoff game in the South Korean city of Taegu on Saturday. The Turks started brightly but were eventually overrun by Brazil’s attacking play.

Ronaldo said that he was punched during the game. He lashed out angrily at Bulent Korkmaz after a clash between the pair.

“We fell together to the floor. After that when we both got up, he stepped on me and hit me with his fist on my head,” he said. “I will be even happier if we get to win the World Cup.

“The goal made me feel happy, it’s a very pleasant feeling. But it’s a goal for the team, to bring us to the final. Then and there I want to have the most important goal of my career.” Millions of fans in football-mad Brazil gathered around their televisions to watch the game at breakfast time.

In Turkey, the match was broadcast in the afternoon but World Cup fever was apparent from the early hours with cars and balconies sporting the red Turkish flag.

Public workers were given time off to watch the game and financial markets came to a grinding halt at the kickoff. Thousands gathered in Istanbul’s central Taksim square which was a mass of flags and balloons. In only their second finals after 1954, the Turks performed far better than expected, beating Japan and impressive Senegal in the knockout phase. But Brazil were a class too high.

“We came to the World Cup to take part in the festival and make an impact and I think we have achieved that goal,” Turkey coach Senol Gunes said. “I am proud of my players. I am sorry that we could not give the Turkish people more happiness today.”

Only seven countries have won the World Cup — Argentina, England, France, Italy and Uruguay are the others — and there have been World Cup meetings between all of them except for Brazil and Germany.

Cup celebration spreads

across Brazil

Celebrations broke out across Brazil yesterday as the national soccer team reached the World Cup final for the third consecutive time in their bid for a fifth world championship.

The first reaction to the 1-0 semifinal win over Turkey in Saitama was relief. Ronaldo scored early in the second half, but Turkey kept up the pressure until the final whistle.

After Brazilians caught their breath, shouts of “Penta” — Fifth in Portuguese — erupted in cafes and on factory floors equipped with big screens.

“The game was one more test for my heart, but I continue to believe in a ‘Penta’,” said Oseas de Jesus Santos, a parking attendant on Sao Paulo’s main strip, Avenida Paulista.

“Only one left,” said former national coach Mario Zagallo, whose team lost in the 1998 final to France.

On Sunday in Yokohama, Brazil will face Germany who have won the World Cup three times but have never met the record holding four-time champions Brazil in the finals.

Few in the land of soccer greats like Pele and Garrincha expected their team to make it to the final after struggling to qualify.

Brazilians complained about the tactics of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and his decision not to take striker Romario to the finals. But all that criticism seems to have fallen by the wayside with Brazil winning all six World Cup matches so far, including a thrilling 2-1 quarterfinal victory over England.

A World Cup win would raise Brazilians’ esteem for their number one sport, spoiled in recent years by a spate of corruption accusations at the highest level.

It would also lift the mood in Latin America’s largest economy, battling with record weakness in its currency and bonds as investors shy away from a possible victory of a leftist in October’s presidential elections.

“The cup improves the confidence of the Brazilian consumer and a happy population tends to consume more, stimulating economic activity,” said economist Sandra Utsumi of BES Investimento.

Central Bank President Arminio Fraga, who is in London to ease investors concerns about the elections and the debt load, watched the game at the Brazilian Embassy.