All the upsets that have defined this World Cup tourney since it opened with Senegal upending defending champ France, all the upstarts-Senegal, Turkey, South Korea and the United States-that have stormed past the traditional powers to advance, all the talk of soccer parity having finally arrived around the globe. And in the very end, in Yokohama this Sunday evening, what have we-Brazil and Germany, the twin towers of 20th-century soccer.
But the ascent of Brazil and Germany to this exalted World Cup perch, even given their pedigrees, was hardly predictable. In the gambling books, Brazil entered the World Cup as no better than fourth choice, a sentimentalists’ favorite only for those who wax nostalgic over the samba rhythms of the great Brazilian teams of the past (and who, like me, think heaven on earth is a seat in the Brazilian section of the stadium). Germany was almost dismissed out of hand, an also-ran with longer odds than any of the other European powers-France, Italy, England, Spain and Portugal. Even the Dutch were thought to have a better chance of winning than Germany, and they hadn’t qualified.
Germany had earned a fair share of this disdain with its stumbling path into the tournament. A new-generation team after disappointing World Cup performances in both ‘94 and ‘98, Germany seemed to have its World Cup spot neatly clinched, having only to win its final home game in Munich against England. Germany has never been a team to botch a crucial home game. It hadn’t lost to England on German soil since 1965 and had already bested England in the final game ever staged at the historic Wembley Stadium. What ensued was more than just a loss. It was a national mortification, a 5-1 thrashing at the feet of England. The head of the German Sports Federation termed it “a funeral game,” and it was such a debacle that German coach Rudi Voeller might have lost his job had his father not suffered a heart attack in the stadium. Germany was forced into a two-game playoff with Ukraine to make it to this first-ever World Cup in Asia.
Brazil didn’t exactly arrive in Japan hitting on all cylinders either. And it couldn’t use the excuse Germany had that it was breaking in a roster of largely new players. There was Rivaldo, Emerson, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, all veterans of many soccer wars. So how to explain the listless, dispiriting Brazilian effort in qualifying. The team finished South American qualifying 9-6-3, 13 points behind bitter rival Argentina and even behind never-before-qualifier Ecuador. Brazil found itself in the shocking position of having to win the last of its 18 qualifying games, against Venezuela, just to assure a spot in the competition.
The effort left Brazilian fans with grievances that transcended just the lackluster record. The team, under coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, appeared to have abandoned the flowing style that had made Brazilian football so singular, trading in “the beautiful game” for the more cynical tactics that were all the rage in Europe. You didn’t have to score to win. Just defend relentlessly and ruthlessly. Brazilian fans reviled the change and clamored for Scolari’s head. Which suggests there was much irony intended when after Brazil’s semifinal World Cup triumph over Turkey the coach said, “I am sure the Brazilians supporters are now happy that they were patient….”
So World Cup soccer turns out to be another of those phenomena that, like a presidential campaign or our military operation in Afghanistan, is a marathon, not a sprint. And Brazil and Germany have been running the course to this end since the very first World Cup back in 1930. Brazil is the only country to have played in all 17 competitions; Germany has missed just one. Both have made it to six World Cup finals, more than any other country, and Brazil has won a record four, while Germany has captured three. Given how much these two nations have put their stamp on the game and the World Cup, given that one or the other has played in 12 of the 17 finals, it is remarkable that Brazil and Germany have never played a single game against each other in the World Cup, let alone a game of this magnitude.
In a World Cup that has defied prediction, everything in this final now seems to be point Brazil’s way. Germany, since its 8-0 drubbing of Saudi Arabia in the opener, has struggled for goals and was even outplayed by the United States. Only the strong goalkeeping of Oliver Kahn has kept the Germans rolling. Brazil, by contrast, is undefeated, and has both Ronaldo and Rivaldo healthy and on the prowl. But the best metaphor for the whole is in the midfield: Germany is losing its best player, Michael Ballack (indeed, in my view, the player of the tournament), who scored the winning goal against both the United States and South Korea. Brazil, by contrast, is regaining Ronaldinho, whose deft touch produced both goals in the quarterfinal ouster of England.
So I see a 1-0 Brazil capper to this World Cup. But barring a truly glorious finale it is unlikely to be Brazil-Germany that sticks in my memory. (Nor the shoddy officiating that threatened to tarnish one of the most remarkable World Cups in history.) What I’ll remember is Senegal 1, France 0; United States 3, Portugal 2; South Korea 2, Italy 1. That, not just Brazil and Germany and the other perennials, symbolizes the future of the World Cup. And it seems a far better football future for the change.
PREDICTIONS
As the world surely knows by now, my colleague Michael Agovino and I went mano a mano on World Cup predictions. And I kicked butt, having already clinched the famed NEWSWEEK pizza prize that was at stake. Many soccer fans here lament that American mainstream media isn’t enticed by the game. But NEWSWEEK boasts a solid hard core of soccer fans, and here’s our last gasp:
Mark Starr
Brazil 1, Germany 0
One of the three R’s scores and Brazil then defends like they’re Italy. Not all that beautiful, but who’ll remember when they’re dancing in the streets in Rio.
Michael Agovino
Brazil 2, Germany 0
The Germans seemed refreshingly humble after their win over the U.S. They seem to feel guilty for having gotten so far with such an underwhelming squad. The three R’s will be too much for the Ballack-less Germans.
Sam Register
Brazil 3, Germany 1
Kahn will meet his match as Brazil finds the seams in the German back line. Two goals is all they’ll need, but Brazil doesn’t know how to take its foot off the pedal.
Malcolm Beith
Brazil 2, Germany 2 (Brazil on penalties)
Both defenses are far from perfect. With such different attacking styles, they will quickly spot each other’s holes. That should produce wide open soccer until extra time when everybody tightens up.
Arian Campo-Flores
Germany 1, Brazil 0
Germany keeps winning inelegantly. The Germans will break up the Brazilian attack, and Oliver Kahn will be impregnable in goal. They will counterattack powerfully, dominate the air and capitalize on weakness in the Brazilian defense.
Ken Shulman
Germany 3, Brazil 1
Germany’s midfield, with its experienced and, when necessary, physical defenders, will neutralize the celebrated goal factory of Ronaldo and Rivaldo. German forwards will subject Brazil to a pressure it has not yet seen.
