SHIZUOKA, Japan, 22 June — Brazil and Germany became the first two sides to reach soccer World Cup semifinals in contrasting styles yesterday, the Brazilians outclassing a muted England, while the Germans relied on their goalkeeper Oliver Kahn to weather the storming USA team.
For each victor, next week’s matches will be the tenth World Cup semifinal in their history. Brazil face Turkey or Senegal in Saitama, Japan, while Germany face Spain or South Korea in Seoul.
For England, the euphoria of a first-half Michael Owen goal was dampened by goals each side of half time by Brazil, down to ten men for most of the second half but never threatened by an England side which disappointingly went off the boil.
For the other losers, the USA, the match was full of frustration as they were thwarted time and again by goalkeeper Oliver Kahn as his German teammates clung on to a 1-0 standard situation lead headed by Michael Ballack off a free kick.
“They made life difficult for us for 90 minutes. Normally you’d expect them to be nervous, but it was the other way round. Thank goodness for Oliver Kahn,” said German coach Rudi Voeller.
Asked about a handball by Torsten Frings on the German goal line early in the second half, Voeller said: “It was clearly handball. I assume the referee didn’t see it. If he had, it would have been a penalty.”
As it was, Ballack’s 39th-minute goal proved enough as Kahn saved five full-blooded chances from Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis in the first half, and bravely stopped Lewis again early in the second.
While Kahn produced heroics, England’s goalkeeper David Seaman proved the tragic figure of what will probably be the 38-year-old’s last appearance for his country.
He was woefully off his line when — with the score at 1-1 after Rivaldo’s equalizer before the break — Ronaldinho struck a stunning 50th-minute free-kick from 35 meters out.
The ball went sailing into Seaman’s top right corner as the hapless ’keeper clumsily and desperately ran back, clattering into the netting. Minutes later, Ronaldinho was sent off for a studs-first foul on Danny Mills, leaving Brazil down to ten men for 33 minutes.
“I don’t think we should make a scapegoat of David Seaman. If we did it would be a disgrace. He had been the best goalkeeper in the tournament,” captain David Beckham said after the match in Shizouka.
“I just want to say sorry to the fans who were fantastic. And so with the players who were fantastic as well and told me to forget it because I kept them in the tournament,” Seaman said before breaking into tears in front of reporters.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari told his compatriots to believe in the Selecao: “Believe, believe, because we can do much more — not only in football, but I want to say all the nation can do more.”
