BRAZIL - GHANA

RONALDO IS THE NEW GOAL KING;

BRAZIL ROMP, STILL GET BOOED

BRAZIL 3 GHANA 0

The Lowdown: Ok, I hate to say that the score lied because Brazil are a far superior team to Ghana but you know what, the score lied. To be honest, with the exception of Ronaldo's wonderful, record-setting goal Ghana were the more entertaining and enterprising team throughout. That is until they were reduced to ten men and Brazil ran passing drills in front of their goal in the final moments. At one point with Brazil up 2-0 the crowd were actually booing them. Such are the expectations for the samba boys. It's too bad Ghana were without Essien. Stephen Appiah did a wonderful job in midfield but you wonder what could have been if his partner were not suspended.

Man of the Match: Although he didn't feature much, it has to be Fatso for that sublime goal where he juked Ghana's keeper on a breakaway and became the World Cup all-time leading scorer in the process with 15. It was hilarious seeing Adriano trying to do the same on a similar breakaway, only to be carded for a dive.

Match Rating: 4 out of 5. If Ghana had scored this would have been one for the ages. Lots of entertaining play, the way football is meant to be played.

Disappointment of the Match: Pele has said that an African team will win the World Cup before long, and Ghana today showed why many people agree with him. They showed amazing strength, speed, and skill and had several great chances to score. Unfortunately, like many African sides, their finishing was terrible. Whenever they let off a shot it either floated innocuously into Dida's hands or flew into the stands. They also need to work on their discipline: Several Ghana players looked on the verge of assautling the linesman after it looked like Adriano's goal was offside. The frustration is understandable, but such abusive behavior is not likely to gain any advantage, quite the contrary in fact. They also had some very stupid fouls in the first half that led to yellow cards and the eventual sending off of Asamoah Gyan in the second half for a dive. If African teams were an RPG character they would have very high strength, skill, stamina, and speed and need to add points for mentality and discipline when they level up. Yes, I am a nerd, but it's true.

Huh? To understand why the fans were booing Brazil, you have to understand the Brazilian football mentality. They are expected to not only win, but to entertain in the process. Coach Parreira was also the coach of the 94 Brazil team that won the World Cup. And yet, that team was considered boring by Brazilian standards and is less beloved than the free-flowing 82 squad that didn't win the World Cup. Parreira is known as a pragmatist, which explains why he put so many men behind the ball when Brazil went ahead. The whole stadium seemed to be pulling for Ghana, and at one point Ronaldinho was roundly booed when he got a touch on the ball because he had been largely invisible. Amazing. He did make up for it with a lovely trick pass toward the end, but once again it looks like he is being overshadowed by Ronaldo, as was the case in 2002. That means both Ronaldo and Switzerland have proven me wrong so far.

The Fallout: Ghana go home proud, having played solidly against their heroes from Brazil. Brazil await the winner of Spain versus France. Either of these teams matched up with Brazil is a mouthwatering prospect.

Extra: I was eager to see if Ronaldo would trade his jersey at the end of the game but of course he didn't because that thing is worth millions, maybe the most coveted piece of football memorabilia ever. I wonder if he'll even wash it before it gets framed. If so Fatso, remember to put it on a low cycle with like colors, so Ecuador, Colombia and Australia jerseys can go in the same wash.

P.S: Funniest and nearly most tragic moment of the match had to be the Ghana defender who decided to head the ball back to his keeper, by rocketing it to the far right corner thus forcing a spectacular save. As someone who has scored on an own-goal back pass, I feel your pain man. Wait, my pain was worse, I actually scored.