Brazil Takes Home World Cup

Germany’s goalkeeper Oliver Kahn had been the Wunderkind of the German squad until today, giving consistently faultless performances in every World Cup match.

But his one blunder came at the worst possible moment, the final in Yokohama, Japan, when he let a drive from Brazil’s Rivaldo slip so team mate Ronaldo could rebound it into the net in the game’s 67th minute.

Three-time world champions Germany, who had up to then never found themselves a goal down in their surprising march to the final, collapsed after that and Ronaldo grabbed his second goal with a right-foot shot 12 minutes after the first.

It was the first ever World Cup match between two the most successful teams in the tournament’s history and an estimated 1.5 billion people watched the match around the world. But Ronaldo (photo) settled the score between the two soccer giants, performing in an amazing comeback after his career was almost destroyed due to a serious knee injury three years ago.

Although Germany frustrated Brazil during a tight first opening period, the South Americans created several excellent goal chances, the best of which came right at the end of the half. This time goalkeeper and team captain Kahn was able to keep out a Ronald low shot from 10 meters out. He wouldn’t be so fortunate later on.

The German’s were able to get in some dangerous crosses in the first half, but a wayward drive by Jens Jeremies, who was standing in for the banned Michael Ballack, was all the German team could rally.

Things began to look up for the Germans in the second half when they almost took the lead within two minutes with a Jeremies drive toward the net that was just blocked by Brazil defender Edmilson.

Then in a shot that had fans gasping, Oliver Neuville swerved a free kick from 35 meters out that was just tipped onto the post with an impressive full-stretch dive by Brazil’s goalkeeper Marcos.

Kahn (photo) was able to protect the net from Gilberto Silva at the other end of the field but minutes later the teamwork of Rivaldo and Ronaldo opened the scoring and robbed the Germans of their confidence.

Golden Boot

If Sunday’s loser is Oliver Kahn, its biggest winner is 25-year-old Ronaldo, whose virtuoso second half display not only brought Brazil with fifth world crown, but earned him the Gold Boot as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.

With the game won, he was substituted in the final minute. After the whistle, he walked slowly toward his team mates wrapped in a Brazilian flag. When they saw him, he was hoisted shoulder high and paraded in front of delirious fans. It was moment that he wouldn’t have dared to imagine as he fought to rebound from his devastating knee injury three years ago. At times there were serious doubts if he would every play again.

"The goals crowned my work and the work of the whole team," a jubilant Ronaldo said. "I worked for 2-1/2 years trying to recover from that injury and today God reserved this for me and the Brazilian team. I am very happy.".

He dedicated his goals to "my family in the first place and my physiotherapist who fought with me without knowing that we would be here two years later."

Germany Cancels Party

"It’s a terrible disappointment," Thomas Hove, a 31-year-old student told Reuters. "Olly could and should have stopped that first goal. The match had been very tight until then."

Going into the World Cup, few thought Germany had a chance. Two weeks before the tournament, only five percent of Germans believed their team could bring home the gold trophy. But as the team progressed, optimism began building and by Sunday, polls showed a majority of Germans believed their side would beat Brazil. One survey even showed 82 percent were confident of victory.

But as the end of the game neared and Germany trailed 0 to 2, the euphoria began evaporating and the thousands who gathered in front of huge screens, such as the ones at Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz, Frankfurt’s Roemer Square, or Hamburg’s harbor, began trudging home.