Word: brazile
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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This, Then, is the defining memory of World Cup 2002: a triangular haircut, a toothy grin and a young man dancing in delight. For Brazilian striker Ronaldo - who scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 defeat of Germany in Sunday's World Cup climax - it was about more than a quick-thinking 67th minute finish and a beautiful 79th minute shot. Yes, those two goals clinched him the Golden Boot award as the World Cup's top scorer, and drove Brazil to victory. But they also marked his triumphal return to the highest echelons of the sport after years...
...Global football, too, returned to normal. After a torrent of upsets in the early stages of World Cup 2002, Brazil, football's hyperpower, clinched its fifth World Cup. The Germans, superpowers themselves with three previous titles, had to settle for second. What a match it was; the Germans unexpectedly aggressive, claiming 56% of the possession, winning 13 corners and hitting the woodwork; the Brazilians weathering the storm before launching themselves forward to secure their victory. In the end, Germany, World Cup 2002's most parsimonious defenders, yielded to Brazil, its most spirited attackers. At the finish, tiny Japanese origami cranes...
...Brazil and Germany always playing in the World Cup finals while most other teams simply take turns serving as their victims? After all, this may be the first time the two teams have ever faced each other at the World Cup, but except for 1978, one of the two has played in every final since World War II. How is it that Brazil or Germany are almost always in the final, while a perennial powerhouse of European club football such as Spain has never even reached the semis...
...from nobody but played with the conviction and the humility of a newcomer - something surprisingly refreshing coming from the world's only superpower. If not for a missed handball call by the referee in their quarterfinal against Germany, they might even have gone further. But Germany is Germany. Like Brazil, they can reach the final even in a year when their national team is struggling...
...Brazil, the World Cup is not only the biggest showcase for their national passion, but also a vehicle to redeem themselves from their sense of underachievement in world affairs. After all, Brazil is a country with the resources, economic potential and the sheer size to be a global power. But it isn't, and until such time as that moment arrives, futebol provides the proud Brazilians with their best chance to be taken seriously as undisputed world leaders. That's why failure to bring home the cup is almost akin to treason. Less so for the Germans, who take their...