Previous Champs

Match 11: The first match of day 5 consisted of S. Korea vs. another African nation making its World Cup debut; Togo. Togo had come into this match as the underdog, and this was multiplied even further when coach Otto Pfister resigned just days before the game over a pay dispute for his players. This matter was resolved just days before the match, and Pfister was managing from the sidelines for today's match. Togo seemed to excel at the first part of the match seeming to be quicker and more passionate then the Koreans, and in the 31st minute Kadar settled a beautiful ball off his thigh and then slid an excellent shot off the post and into the back of the net. Togo held the lead into halftime and looked poised for a possible upset. Things began to fall apart for Togo in the 47th minute however when defender Jean-Paul Abalo received his second yellow card, and Togo would be forced to play the rest of the match with only 10 men. The heat and humidity seemed to wear out Togo, and Korea was starting to find its shape, gain a possession advantage, and create dangerous opportunities. As Togo looked undisciplined and out of gas, Korea striker Lee Chun-Soo stepped up and spun a free kick over the wall, and down into the net to equalize. Then 2002 Korean hero Ahn Jung-Hwan was substituted on and showed that he still had some magic left in the 72nd minute and drove a diving ball from the top of the 18 and putting the Koreans in the lead for the remainder of the match, and grabbing 3 very important points in group play.........

Match 12: The middle match displayed European powerhouse France vs. underdog Switzerland. During World Cup qualifying these two teams met twice and drew twice (0-0, and 1-1). France has been picked by many to advance to the semi-finals, if not the finals. In the first half of play both the Swiss and French had dangerous opportunities but neither was able to capitalize. Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta came close to scoring as his free kick struck the French post, and then the rebound was sent way off target by Alexander Frei. French star striker Thierry Henry was also able to serve and strike a number of dangerous balls, but none were able to penetrate Pascal Zuberbuehler's line. The second half was much like the first with both teams deadlocked in a surprisingly even match. French captain Zinedine Zidane showed that he hasn't regained fitness yet since being injured during his season with Real Madrid. Much to the chagrin of Switzerland and the demise of France the match ended in a 0-0 draw, with both sides earning a point.....

Match 13: The final match of the day saw the much-anticipated Brazilians open up against a surprisingly strong Croatian squad who finished third in 1998's cup. Most of the world could not wait to get a look at Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and the rest of the Samba boys looking to defend their World Cup title. There was much speculation as to the health, fitness, and shape of Ronaldo who has missed most of the club season with various injuries. The controversy seemed to fester as Ronaldo looked horribly lazy and out of shape, spending more time walking about the field then looking to go to goal. Ronaldo's performance was truly underwhelming for a man looking to net three goals to tie the all time record for most goals in a world cup. While Brazil did play well minus Ronaldo, they did not dominate Croatia as many expected. Ronaldinho had a solid game, but did not dazzle the masses by running at the defense, instead choosing to do a good job of passing and creating instead. Kaka was the true star of the match creating more chances and plays then anyone else. Kaka also netted the matches only goal right before the half in the 43rd minute and Olympiastadion in Berlin erupted in celebration. The rest of the match was pretty back and forth with the advantage going slightly to Brazil. Dida did well to record the clean sheet for Brazil, propelling the to a record 8 straight World Cup victories. The remaining 31 teams can take solace in the fact that Ronaldo was a mere shell of himself, and the Brazilians did not appear to be invincible, their back line did look a bit suspect at times.