Time for Brazil to samba

2006-06-12 20:05

Berlin - Brazil begin their quest for their sixth World Cup title - twice as many as any other country - when they play Croatia on Tuesday. Thousands of Brazilian fans are already in town.

And even non-Brazilians are embracing the samba kings known for their graceful style of play. Fans from dozens of nations are decked out in the famed yellow jerseys of the defending champions all over the city.

Opponents seem honoured to share the field with them, too.

Croatia midfielder Igor Tudor said: "This match can certainly be like no other. I have been thinking about it for months now and I never do that."

Does that mean the Croatians, who made the semi-final at France in 1998, have the wrong mind-set for the game? Does Brazil own the three points before the first kick-off?

Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar said: "Soccer is an unpredictable sport and the World Cup has shown there can be surprises. There's no reason why we cannot pull off a surprise ourselves."

So Croatia will show up, but whether it can slow down the brilliant Brazilians, is another matter.

Brazil's schedule is loaded, so much so that all of its bench players are capable of starting for other nations in the 32-team field. At the very top of the list are the superstars: Ronaldinho, the two-time Fifa player of the year; Ronaldo, who owns three of those awards; Cafu, in his fourth World Cup; and Robert Carlos, the dynamic defensive organiser.

Brazil's coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira said: "We can't wait to begin playing. We've been living the same routine for the past 20 days. Everybody is just crazy to begin competing, not only the players, but the technical staff, too.

"We have the obligation to perform well in this World Cup. We don't have the obligation to win it, but we have the obligation to do our best to reach the final. It's a responsibility we must be prepared to face and I think we are ready for this challenge."

Other matches on Tuesday

Also on Tuesday, in Group G, South Korea challenges Togo at Frankfurt, and France play Switzerland at Stuttgart.

The Koreans made the semi-final four years ago as one of the host countries, but a similar run so far from home is unlikely. Indeed, South Korea could struggle to get out of the first round.

Despite reaching the semi-final on its own soil in 2002, South Korea have yet to win a World Cup game outside of Asia, and Tuesday's game provides the opportunity to end that streak.

Midfielder Park Ji-sung, who also plays for Manchester United, said: " We beat a lot of strong teams in Korea, but not on foreign soil. If we beat a team in Germany, especially in the first game of this World Cup, then that's the proof, also for us, that we are strong. And that 2002 was not a fluke."

Togo would seem ripe for being routed. Its coach quit over the weekend during a salary dispute between the federation and players. It is in the World Cup for the first time, and it hasn't played well since surprisingly qualifying for the tournament.

Then again, these are proud players on a mission.

Forward Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for Arsenal, said: "We want to prove to the world that we are footballers and we are hungry for victory. We know it's the World Cup. It's the best tournament in the world. We have to give our best. We have to represent Africa."

France have been plagued by injuries, losing striker Djibril Cisse with a broken leg last week. The French also have bitter memories from 2002 when, as defending champions, they didn't score a goal and went home after the first round.

If Switzerland can keep the French off-balance early on, frustration could set in. The Swiss drew both of their qualifying games with France and won't be intimidated.

Striker Alexander Frei, who plays for Rennes in France, said: "I think we did well in the two qualifying matches. I think we can play without being self-conscious."

- AP