YOKOHAMA, 25 June — It would be the supreme irony of a surprise-filled World Cup if the tournament ended with the first-ever meeting between the best teams in its history, Brazil and Germany.
After all, both struggled badly in the qualifying campaign and in Germany’s case, the quality of their play has not improved at the Asian event.
More fitting, but also not without irony, would be if the two contested the match for third place while South Korea and Turkey battled out the 2002 title.
Three-time champions Germany are up against the high-flying Koreans in the first semifinal today in Seoul.
Record four-time winners Brazil face Turkey for the second time at the event in an explosive tomorrow showdown in Saitama, Japan.
These are match-ups of big contrasts.
Germany and Brazil are both playing their 10th semifinal, the others have never gone that far at the World Cup. South Korea are even Asia’s first-ever team in the last four.
Germany have played dull football and “Die Mannschaft” owes it entirely to their goalkeeper Oliver Kahn that they have gone further than anyone expected.
Now they run into the Koreans, who ridden a wave of national frenzy to beat Portugal, Italy and Spain with superb football but also some dubious refereeing.
Assistant coach Michael Skibbe has even called Germany underdogs. But his boss Rudi Voeller and Kahn are upbeat that the below-par side can make the final.
“I have always said that we could go all the way. I have not changed my opinion,” said Kahn.
German coach Rudi Voeller has to worry about the fitness of midfielder Dietmar Hamann, who has a knee injury. Voeller said that he would only decide on Hamann shortly before the kick-off.
Voeller’s counterpart Guus Hiddink said: “We are almost playing without limits. As we approach the next game against Germany, we have nothing to lose. We will play as we like.”
Hiddink is expected to continue with an attacking game plan against the Germans — a style that has brought him and the team success and admiration from football fans throughout the world.
That, however, applies even more to title favorites Brazil, who have scored 15 goals in five games, among them five each from Rivaldo and Ronaldo.
Rivaldo converted a controversial 87th-minute penalty and then engaged in some terrible play-acting in the group meeting with Turkey, which saw Brazil emerge with a lucky 2-1 win and two Turks sent off.
The Turks, who are playing in only their second World Cup, have been calling for revenge and will get their chance tomorrow in Saitama.
“We didn’t deserve to lose, it was a mistake by the referee,” said Turkish coach Senol Gunes.
“Brazil are one of the best teams in the world. The quality of our play is increasing and that is a big advantage for us,” he added.
Turkey have impressed with a rock solid team effort while Brazil’s defense has cleaned up its act during the World Cup. Up front they have plenty of firepower from the three Rs, who also include Ronaldinho.
However, the scorer of the 2-1 winner against England has to serve a red card, one-match suspension in the semifinal and Ronaldo may also be sidelined with thigh problems.
But the Inter Milan star was upbeat: “I trust our team doctors and believe that I can play on Wednesday.”
Coach Luis Felipe Scolari said that Ronaldo would only play if he is 100 percent fit. He is not concerned should that not be the case.
“Brazil is not only Ronaldo. We have a great player in Rivaldo and another good striker in Luizao,” Scolari said.
Fabulous semis provide
great drama
It usually produces the best drama of the World Cup when the final four teams battle it out for the honor of playing in the most famous final that sport can offer.
When talk turns to what constitutes the greatest games in the tournament’s 72-year history more often than not a semifinal will top the list.
Pride of place among them is the classic 1982 semifinal between France and Germany in Seville, won on penalties by the Germans.
Michel Platini, France’s fabled midfield star, treasures that encounter as one of the finest moments of his career.
“For me, no book or film or play could ever recapture the way I felt that day. It was so complete, so strong, so fabulous,” Platini said in an interview several years later.
As is often the case with masterpieces, the game had a slow start with German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher’s outrageous assault on advancing French defender Patrick Battiston the talk of the first 90 minutes which ended 1-1.
As if fueled by a sense of injustice that Schumacher had not been sent off, France turned on the style for the remainder of the match played in stiflingly hot evening conditions.
Spectacular goals from defender Marius Tresor and little midfielder Alain Giresse appeared to have won the game for the French, but the inspired substitution of the injured Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was to turn the tables.
Rummenigge quickly reduced the deficit and two minutes from time the Germans got back on level terms when Klaus Fischer scored with an overhead kick from close range.
For the first time in the history of the World Cup, penalties would be used to settle a match.
France converted their three opening spot-kicks and looked to have gained the advantage when Uli Stielike saw Germany’s third saved by Ettori.
With a chance to make it 4-2 to France though, Didier Six’s effort was saved by Schumacher. Littbarksi, Platini and Rummenigge all scored with their next penalties before Maxime Bossis stepped up only to see Schumacher save.
The Germans were also involved in another heart-stopper semi, 12 years previously, but this time they were on the losing end, going down 4-3 to Italy in a roller coaster of a match in scorching Mexico City.
Regulation time ended at 1-1 with big central defender Karl-Heinz Schellinger heading the German equalizer three breathless minutes into injury-time.
With both teams groggy from fatigue, extra time resembled a basketball match with the goalmouth dramas switching from end to end.
Germany went ahead, Italy leveled, Italy went ahead, Germany leveled. Finally with six minutes to go little Gianni Rivera slammed a low cross past Sepp Maier for the winner.
The win was sweet for Italy, but a few days later they were flattened 4-1 in the final by Pele’s Brazil. That same Pele played one of the finest games in his glittering career in Brazil’s 5-2 semifinal triumph against France in Stockholm in 1958.
As an unknown 17-year old he scored a hat trick and football’s greatest-ever player had been introduced to the world.
Eusebio’s tears after Portugal went down 2-1 to eventual winners England at Wembley in 1966, Paul Gascoigne also turning on the waterworks when England went out on penalties in 1990 to Germany in Turin and Lilian Thuram’s double strike against Croatia in Paris four years ago all prove that World Cup semifinals make great theater.
Brazil against Turkey and South Korea against Germany will surely add another chapter to the legend.
