 |
Brazil Taffarel takes Brazil back to World Cup final |
Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Tafferel was the hero here on Tuesday night as the World Cup holders booked their place in the final of France 98 by beating Holland in a heart-stopping penalty shoot-out.
Brazil, who won the 1994 World Cup final with a 3-2 penalty shoot-out victory over Italy, took the same route back to the 1998 final with a 4-2 win over the Dutch here.
But it was Taffarel, who with skipper Dunga set a Brazilian record of 17 World Cup appearances, who made it all possible: diving to his left to save Philip Cocu's spot-kick and then to his right to stop Ronald De Boer's.
The match had finished 1-1 after extra-time, after Ronaldo broke the deadlock within seconds of the re-start and Patrick Kluivert, Holland's best player, nodded an equaliser in the dying minutes.
Both sides kept their cool in extra time, but the Dutch cracked under the merciless pressure of the penalty shoot-out which had previously sent England and Italy packing from the tournament.
Brazil coach Mario Zagallo was elated after the victory and convinced that his men will now win the trophy for a record fifth time on Sunday.
"Everything was good about this performance, Brazil were good physically and good tactically," he beamed.
Refusing to hail Taffarel, he stressed: "It was a victory for the team. We're here to represent Brazil and we're here to win. This is our objective. We have the willpower, the flair and the tactics.
"Every player contributed to this wonderful victory.
Zagallo said there would be no partying for the team.
"People in Brazil are celebrating right now, but we have to wait until the final, and I'm confident we are going to win the final.
"We are alternating between joy and tension," he said. "And we are only going to celebrate at the final."
Ronaldo, who became Brazil's top scorer at the finals with four goals, was equally determined.
"We deserved to win tonight," he said. "The Dutch were very strong and it was a very hard game.
"But we want to win this tournament, not just for the team, but for everyone in Brazil."
Dunga, who drove in the last penalty here, just as he did in the 1994 final at Pasadena, admitted: "It's never very satisfying to go through on penalties but we are still on course for a fifth World Cup title.
"I don't care who we play in the final. The important thing is we are there. We could have won the game before extra time and I'm disappointed we didn't."
Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, who had fielded a team without injured Winston Bogarde and Marc Overmars or the suspended Arthur Numan, dismissed his alibis.
"I'm not going to hide behind that excuse," he said. "It would be rather cheap to say that Bogarde can't play, Overmars can't play, Numan is suspended, as an excuse.
"I think we have a good squad and the players who replaced them did a good job."
Overmars said: "It's such a shame. We were so close to the final and I think we had more chances than they did. But now we have to wait four years for another chance."
A scrappy first-half which saw some fairly approximate passing by the Brazilians and plenty of tight marking by the Dutch created predictably few scoring chances.
Bebeto headed Roberto Carlos' cross narrowly over the top while Ronaldo was only denied two point-blank chances by last-gasp tackles from Jaap Stam and Frank De Boer.
Left-winger Boudewijn Zenden, standing in for Overmars, was behind Holland's best chances -- teeing up a header for Kluivert and then raking a low centre across the face of the goal which only just eluded the outstretched boot of Ronald De Boer.
Whatever Zagallo said to his men in the dressing rooms at half-time had a dramatic effect, as Brazil took the lead within seconds of the re-start.
Rivaldo threaded a pass through a static Dutch defence, Ronaldo deftly collected the ball and held off Cocu's challenge before firing between the legs of advancing goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar.
Brazilian appeals for a penalty were turned down minutes later when Ronaldo sprung the Dutch offside trap, but was tackled from behind by Edgar Davids just as he prepared to shoot with Van der Sar at his mercy.
Kluivert, who began his habit of scoring important goals with Ajax Amsterdam's 1995 European Cup final winner over AC Milan as an 18-year-old, equalised in the 87th, meeting Ronald De Boer's cross from the right with a perfect header.
De Boer's brother Frank also deserved a medal though, for heading Ronaldo's overhead kick off the line in the fifth minute of extra time, and then for a hamfisted last-minute tackle that ended Ronaldo's run from the halfway line, albeit to frantic peanlty appeals by the Brazilians.
It proved to be the last chance to decide a match before the roulette wheel of the penalty shoot-out consigned Holland to the scrapheap of the third place play-off and Brazil to the 1998 World Cup final.
