Next change: Star Wars II at Shizuoka

Brazil were the overwhlemining favourites to win this match and they duly did, in a singularly underwhelming manner. The 2-0 scoreline at th...

Brazil were the overwhlemining favourites to win this match and they duly did, in a singularly underwhelming manner. The 2-0 scoreline at the end flattered them, for Belgium worked harder and had the better chances. But you don’t win matches by missing chances; Brazil took two and won.

England, whom the South Americans face in Shizuoka on Friday, must now be rubbing their hands in anticipation. They have the skill, the strength, the experience, the nous to defuse the spark that lights up the Latinos.

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Rivaldo celebrates his goal with Ronaldinho. (R) Ronaldo becomes the joint top goal scorer. Reuters

First, they have Heskey and Owen up front. One is big and powerful, strong enough to scare Argentina. Brazil should be worried, too. Owen is quick enough to throw the lumbering defenders off balance.

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In midfield, they have Scholes and Butt who can control a game by stifling artistry. And then there’s Beckham, and what a match-up that would be down that flank: Beckham versus Roberto Carlos, two masters of the dead ball.

The match will bring to mind the classic encounter from 1970, when Brazil won 1-0. That’s the one with the famous picture of Pele and Bobby Moore exchanging shirts, the one where Gordon Banks brought off the save of the century.

	Camouflaged Japanese fans dressed for the occasion
Kobe: The carnival started long before the match did. If the current World Cup did seem just a bit lacking in colour and atmosphere, it brightened up considerably today. Obviously, Brazil were due to play. The scene outside the stadium was a sea of green and yellow, with a few blotches here and there of the Belgian black. The Japanese shed their usual reticence and entered the carnival spirit. Almost every Japanese spectator was in one team jersey or another, the favourite being Ronaldo’s No.9 (there was even the odd Romario jersey or two, though, of course, he is not here.) Wigs and painted faces were commonplace; the charge for a painted face was 200 yen, but some people were doing it for free. There were people from several countries — supporters earning their way to the next ticket — selling jerseys that had nothing to do with Brazil or Belgium. Beckham jerseys were the hottest item with the crazy hats close behind. In the concourse outside the stands, the World Cup corporate sponsors were having, well, a field day! Each one had set up a stall with some kind of contest; you could choose between heading the ball which popped out of a machine, taking a penalty-kick, hitting a Budweiser logo, throwing in (distance the factor here, hope Gary Neville wasn’t taking part) and predicting the winner. The last was, obviously, overwhelmingly in Brazil’s favour. At last count, there were 378 for Brazil and just 27 for Belgium. Jayaditya Gupta

But not if Brazil play like they did today. The first half had little of consequence to offer, save a header from Wilmots that went in but was denied by the referee, who spotted some elbowing. It seemed a harsh decision and replays suggested Mr Prendergast may have got it wrong. The Belgian coach said as much after the match.

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For most of the first half, and much of the second, Brazil relied heavily on their artistry. All the trademark skills were paraded: the shimmies, the dummies, the flicks, nutmegs, dazzling speed and Carlos’s entire arsenal of shots.

But Belgium were wearing them down with some inspiration and a lot of perspiration. Wilmots was magnificent, a captain leading by example. Mpenza was lively in the first half but was strangely withdrawn in the second, playing almost at right-back.

But Brazil’s dependence on their skills paid off. One moment of genius after 66 minutes changed the course of the match. Rivaldo, on the edge of the box and with his back to the goal, received a cross from Ronaldinho. In a shimmering movement, he controlled the ball, swivelled and slotted it home with his left foot.

That brought the samba — so long silent — back to life but killed the match. It forced Belgium to attack which they did in wave upon wave, but left gaping holes at the back from Brazil to exploit.

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Indeed, the only time Brazil looked genuinely threatening was on the break, when a combination of laser-like passes and blinding speed could have caused a goal each time. And so it was, with three minutes of play left, that Ronaldo got his name on the score sheet.

Brazil are through to the quarter-finals and their stock and confidence will be high. But, where they’ve faced relatively easy opposition so far, England have dealt with Argentina, Sweden and Denmark. Public sentiment favours the South American sorcerers; a wise head wouldn’t bet against an English win.

Maybe a classic is on the cards, after all.