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WC 2006 Match Chat: Brazil vs. Australia, 9 am PT
2006-06-18 08:43
by Bob Timmermann

Live from Munich!

There will be a lot of yellow in Munich as both teams feature this as their national color. Brazil gets to wear the yellow shirts and the Aussies will be in blue. Because you know, it would be hard to tell these two sides apart.

Brazil beat Croatia 1-0 in its opener and Australia rallied to beat Japan, 3-1 with three late goals. The last time these two sides met was in 2001 in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Korea and the Aussies won 1-0. But it was a third place game and it was unlikely that Brazil was sending out its first string.

Brazil has won seven eight straight World Cup matches since losing in the 1998 Final to France. Turkey, China, Costa Rica, Belgium, England, Turkey (again), Germany, and Croatia have all walked the plank. With a win here, the Brazilians can add another continent to their list. They haven't faced an African or South American side in the streak, although they do have a decent chance of facing Ghana in the second round.

National Anthems:

Brazil, Hino Nacional Brasileiro

Australia, Advance Australia Fair

Comments
2006-06-18 09:05:48
1.   Bob Timmermann
There's whole lot of yellow out there today.

And it's not like Brazil or Argentina is close by, although Brazil has the world's largest bandwagon.

2006-06-18 09:37:03
2.   Ken Arneson
Midfield? What midfield? This game seems like it's being played with 20 players lined up the 18-yard box.
2006-06-18 09:42:13
3.   Ken Arneson
There was one play earlier that just made me shake my head in disbelief: Ronaldo caught the ball with his chest, flicked it back over his head with the side of his foot to a teammate running behind him, who took the pass in the air and fired a one-time shot just wide of the goal. The ball never touched the ground.

Any one of those things are incredibly difficult to do. To put them together in one, coherent play is astounding.

2006-06-18 09:48:36
4.   Bob Timmermann
Anybody planning to score today? I wouldn't count on it from the French.
2006-06-18 09:58:42
5.   Bob Timmermann
I think it's better to just watch all of Jose's coaching from beginning to end:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goUl_zOaOW0
2006-06-18 10:49:04
6.   Ravenscar
That blows -

Australis deserved to get a draw in this match, the way tyhey played. Brazil was NOT impressive.

2006-06-18 10:49:50
7.   Ken Arneson
Fred looked so surprised to have scored. I'm always surprised when a Brazilian looks surprised to have scored.
2006-06-18 10:52:33
8.   Bob Timmermann
So Brazil is on to the second round.

Standings in Group F

Brazil, 6 pts, +3
Australia, 3 pts, 0
Croatia, 1 pt, -1
Japan, 1 pt, -1

The Aussies aren't in bad shape. They can make the second round with a tie against Croatia as I doubt Japan has a prayer against Brazil.

2006-06-18 10:54:00
9.   Bob Timmermann
Oh and Japan is -2 in goals, so if they beat Brazil and Australia tied, Japan would have to beat Brazil by three to advance.
2006-06-18 10:54:22
10.   Ravenscar
Australia looks like the best realistic dark-horse candidate I've seen. They played pretty well, a few better bounces I think they would have been in it.
2006-06-18 11:43:50
11.   sam2175
3 Good call on that play, Ken. I also thought that Kaka made some really nice ones. But I came away less than impressed from this display by Brazil. Flashes of brillinace here and there, but no real urgency.

In the first half, they kept going right through the middle, and everything was foiled in the crowd of defenders. Both of the goals were scored because they could find the open man on the right side.

Does anyone else have the feeling that Brazil really needs to get over this Roberto Carlos freekick fetish? The guy has incredible power on his shots, but probably 1 of those 10 end up making the goalkeeper move an inch from his spot, and sail harmlessly to the crowd. It is time they put Ronaldinho or Kaka to take some of those ones.

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