Brazil - Netherlands 1:1 et (0:0) pen 4:2

Netherlands played its usual passing and imposing game confidently from the start. At times, such as the first 15 minutes in the first half and the final 10 minutes in the second half, it looked like it was an all Dutch affair. Brazil seemed to alternate between two gears. Sometimes, it was content to cede midfield control to the Dutch by holding Dunga and Cesar Sampaio in deeper positions than usual, and relied on counter-attacks to threaten the Dutch. Sometimes, it stepped up a gear or two to hit the Dutch with waves of attacks. But overall, the Brazilians seemed to play a more defensive game than usual.

As expected, Ze Carlos was the weakest link in defence. Boudewijn Zenden, the worthy replacement of Marc Overmars, wreaked havoc at the left flank, outpacing and outsmarting Ze Carlos at will, especially in the first half. Aldair and Junior Baiano had a tough time containing Patrick Kluivert, who came close to score several times. They particularly had difficulty in handling aerial attacks, and were mainly responsible for the tying header of Kluivert, with both of them seemingly rooted to the ground as mere spectators. Luckily for them, Dennis Bergkamp was somewhat quiet. But for a few one-twos with Kluivert, he really didn't pose much a threat.

On the other hand, Roberto Carlos had a superb game. He not only pretty much held his flank (but for Ronald de Boer's cross to set up Kluivert's tying header), but also plugged holes in the defence. His initial advances upfield were somewhat checked by Michael Reiziger. But after the latter's substitution by Aron Winter, his runs down the left flank were as damaging as ever, especially after the entry of Denilson. Together, they tore the Dutch defence at the left flank asunder, and created several clear chances, which sadly, were wasted.

In midfield, Dunga was again marvellous with his perfect positioning and precise timing. He gave a clinic as how to perform clean tackles. Cesar Sampaio continued to do the necessary dirty work quietly. Leonardo and Rivaldo, though not exactly brilliant in this match, did put together some beautiful moves. In general, the Brazilian midfielders were slightly over-shadowed by the Dutch, but their short triangle passes to bring the ball out of congested area were such poetic delight. Their transfer from defence to attack was very smooth too.

BTW, Edgar Davids was mainly responsible for Netherlands' slight edge in midfield. It is a gross traversity of justice that he isn't included as a candidate for the official FIFA MasterCard WC All Star Team.

On the front, Ronaldo finally showed why he was chosen twice as World Footballer of the Year. He adjusted his pace and timed his runs so perfectly to shake his markers and collect the ball. He turned, dribbled past and darted through defenders at will. Sadly, he also missed some great chances to put the game beyond Netherlands' reach after his first goal. For sure, there could still be improvement in his performance.

Bebeto was again almost invisible. With Denilson's clearly better performance each time he entered the game, the reason why Bebeto was still in the starting lineup was beyond most people, well, maybe except Zagallo. Sometimes, the stubborness of some coaches are incomprehensible.