Upbeat Brazil set to extend their rule on planet earth

The No 1 offence and the top defence. The hometown team and everybody else’s favourite.

It’s every bit the drama and pageantry the world expects from the French, and a billion-something people around the planet are expected to tune in to watch the last Cup of the century.

Brazilian coach Mario Zagallo, who has won four World Cups as a player, coach or assistant, knows what this game means.

“This is the biggest sporting event of the century,” he said.

“We are representing the Americas, and we cannot let this chance escape from our hands.”

If the Brazilians feel they belong here, the French have never gotten past the semi-finals. It’s all alittle heady.

“We have to realise our adventure is not over yet,” said coach Aime Jacquet.

Jacquet’s trump card is a stingy defence that has given up just two goals in six games, the best in the Cup. But Laurent Blanc, a bulwark of the back line, won’t be there.

The Olympique Marseille defender was expelled and drew a two-game suspension for pushing Croatia’s Slaven Bilic in the face in the semi-final. Chelsea’s Frank Leboeuf will start alongside Marcel Desailly and get the task of stopping Ronaldo, Bebeto and company.

“We have an anti-Ronaldo plan ready. It’s called Marcel Desailly,” said French captain Didier Deschamps.

Jacquet also must find a solution for his punchless attack. A French striker hasn’t found the net since the first round defenders Blanc and Lilian Thuram did all the scoring as France squeaked by Paraguay and Croatia.

The key is playmaker Zinedine Zidane. The Juventus attacker had a so-so game against Croatia and must shine against Brazil, unlocking the defence for InterMilan striker Youri Djorkaeff, or if that fails, for himself.

For “Zizou,” as the French affectionately call him, the underdog role suits France fine.

“Brazil is the favourite. The whole world sees the Brazilians winning against us. So much the better,” he said.

Of course, the Brazilians see themselves winning, too. But they also have something to prove.

Despite scoring 13 goals and showing flashes of greatness, Brazil hasn’t been the overwhelming force everyone expected. They often played just well enough to get by, and the defence has shown alarming lapses.

Ronaldo also is looking for consecration in his final game. The two-time Player of The Year has been brilliant only in bursts, and his four goals are below his potential.

“I’ll do anything to win. If it takes more sacrifice from me, I’ll do it,” he said. “Nothing and nobody will stand in our way.”

The defence, which looked tenuous against Denmark and The Netherlands, welcomes back Cafu after a one-game suspension. And the team hasrenewed faith in goalie Taffarel, who saved two penalty kicks in a tie-breaker shootout against the Dutch.

Zagallo feels the cliff-hanger against the Dutch was a crucible that steeled his team for the final.

“In the end, nerves were on our side,” he said. “And against France, nerves are on our side again.”

For Zagallo, tradition and experience are powerful allies in a Cup final. Brazilians call it “The Jersey,” and they have it.

“Never has Brazil gone in so certain of winning,” he said.

“France is playing for the first time, and this is a heavy weight. And they’ll be facing the yellow-and-green, which makes it even heavier.”

History might give the Brazilians some extra incentive. It was the French that knocked them out of the 1986 Cup in Mexico in a quarter-final penalty shootout.

Team coordinator Zico, who missed a penalty in that fateful 1986 match, says the team has learned from past failures. He says Brazil knows how and when to attack the French.

“France was passive againstCroatia,” he said. “Brazilian soccer is different. When we come, we come to kill.”

Experience has taught Brazil not to beat itself, Zico said.

“Our players must have the emotional control,” he said. “They know that heart is important in a final, that you have to give more than all you have.”