Brazil Beat Australia 2-0 and Start Celebration

Brazil began its recovery. If it were for the latest scoreboard, we could say that Parreira's team is finding its way heading to the 6th World Cup trophy. Still, if we look at the way that Brazil managed to win against Australia, I think we all agree that Ronaldinho & Co. are still way beyond what was expected of them before the start of the competition.

Actually, it seems that Alberto Parreira knew very well how his team was going before the World Cup. He then hailed everyone else to win the trophy, but his team. And we should have given him some credit. Well, not totally though, since he said Germany is the main favorite. And that's not very likely to happen.

The Brazilians started the game pretty slow. The first half against the "socceroos" brought nothing new in the "cariocas" game. The same lack of determination, the same uncertainty in the defensive compartment and the same Ronaldo, who was more focused on his next meal than the play itself. And, of course, nothing good could have come from that. More, the world champions were sometimes dominated on the field.

The second half brought some delight to the faces of the 25.000 Brazilian fans in the stands. The game started to look better as soon as Ronaldo remembered he was still a footballer. After a great offensive play, he managed a great pass to Adriano, who only had to push it in. The game then started to look like a football match. Great offensive chances from both sides - mostly from the "socceroos" - speeded up the pace. Still, until the final minutes, nothing changed on the scoreboard.

The end showed us one more time how Lady Fortune always cheers for Brazil. After Viduka missed a great scoring opportunity for the Australian side, Brazil ended it in style. This time, it was Fred the one who scored his first goal in the World Cup. Robinho fired a shot straight into the post and Fred was right there to push it in.

The last round in the group stage will give us the second team to qualify for the first knock-out round. Brazil will meet former idol Zico when they'll play Japan, while Australia will try to hold on to their number 2 spot in the group against Croatia.

Brazil 6p 2 0 0 3-0
Australia 3p 1 0 1 3-3
Croatia 1p 0 1 1 0-1
Japan 1p 0 1 1 1-3