Chapter 47: Our Captain is Truly Steady

As they say, outsiders watch for entertainment, while insiders look for the little details and tactics. For outsiders, this football match was highly entertaining, with an exciting process and result. Even though it was quite one-sided which reduced the suspense, it was still a thrilling match overall. However, for those who really understand football deeply, there were no real tactical intricacies or things of interest within all the excitement.

At first, there was some chaos caused by a fullback, then a striker played the role of the heroic lone forward, and finally an attacking midfielder used his individual skill excessively to dismantle half of the opposing team. Where were the tactical nuances in all that?

If individuals are too outstanding, do their teammates become mere supporting cast members?

A 3-0 victory, followed by a 6-1 win – Brazil's defense was steadily nerve-racking for the opponents, their attack power ferociously terrifying. More frighteningly, they gave the impression of not having to exert their full effort, only using their star players from defense, midfield and attack, yet still leaving the opposition demoralized.

However, Brazil did not hog all the spotlight, being overshadowed by the performances of the hosts Argentina.

Argentina's 7-1 demolition of Egypt ensured their rivals Brazil did not stand alone grabbing headlines on home soil. Unfortunately for Argentina though, they lacked the individual star performances that Brazil produced.

While Saviola's three goals made him the standout for Argentina, Kaka was the biggest star of the tournament so far for Brazil with four goals and two assists.

In other notable matches, France drew 2-2 with Uruguay after a 5-0 win over Iran, while Ukraine and China played out a goalless 0-0 draw. Germany thrashed Canada 4-0. 

One pre-tournament favorite, the Netherlands, followed their 1-3 loss to Costa Rica with a 1-1 draw against Ecuador. Interestingly, their coach was the renowned Louis van Gaal.

Remaining teams like Japan, Australia, and Angola mostly had low-scoring 1-0 or 2-1 results, without any major upsets, except for Chile's surprising 1-4 loss to the United States.

Although Chile historically lacked major football achievements, at best considered minor players globally, they were actually one of the four founding nations of the prestigious Copa América tournament, which made the loss more unexpected. It came after a 2-4 defeat to Ukraine too.

It's worth noting Chile's players had extra motivation at this tournament. Just before it began, eight of their youth players were allegedly caught soliciting prostitutes at a dubious sauna in the capital Santiago. They were taken to the police station, with the court set to decide their punishment on June 29th. The Chilean FA also decided to impose financial penalties on the eight players, depending on their performances.

Under this pressure and extra motivation, their two opening defeats were very disappointing, lowering expectations for their next match against China.

Due to the incident, all teams enforced strict curfews and monitoring of their players, with leaders fearing embarrassing behavior in Argentina. 

This frustrated many Brazilian youngsters who wanted to enjoy the nightlife during their time in Argentina, both on and off the pitch.

So apart from the matches, this tournament was unlikely to produce any other controversial stories.

In this calm atmosphere, the third round of group games arrived.

The broadcast partner Globo TV televised the Brazil vs Canada match, with Galvão Bueno commenting.

"Now leading Brazil out is captain Kaka from São Paulo. Born in Brazil, he moved to São Paulo at age 7 and grew up there. He's now their brightest young star. Many don't understand why the coach made him captain at such a young age, but if you've watched São Paulo, you'll know - he lacks the immaturity and bad habits common in young Brazilians. He's the humble, hard-working kid every parent wants... At the back is Adriano, the scorer of two goals so far, behind Kaka's four and Robert's hat-trick last game."

Compared even to Chile, Canada were lowly-ranked in the global football hierarchy. There was little interest in this match except to see how many Brazil would score.

However, Brazil struggled initially, failing to display their expected high level.

Perhaps they had expended too much energy in the previous high-scoring win, but the whole team looked subdued and flat, especially the previously dazzling Adriano and Maicon who had destroyed Iraq. They seemed like different players.

This left Brazilian fans watching anxiously on TV feeling helpless, though it was still within an acceptable range. Young players can be inconsistent - sometimes beating giants, other times struggling against smaller teams.

Thankfully the reliable Kaka led the team. He didn't produce outstanding ability either, but excelled in steadiness and controlling the tempo.

His often-criticized ability to organize and dictate play seemed commendable here, partly through improvement and partly due to Canada's weakness. 

Many talented youngsters shine when underestimated but fade once focused on by opponents. Only true geniuses can consistently perform whether unnoticed or under the spotlight.

In the dying moments of the first half, Kaka assisted Adriano's headed goal. In the second half, Adriano returned the favor, setting up Kaka's precise free-kick strike.

The 2-0 score held until the end, Brazil winning all three group games to comfortably advance as group winners. Germany also progressed by beating Iraq 3-1.

In Group A, Egypt beat Finland 2-1 to secure a spot in the round of 16. In Group C, Chile defeated China 1-0, while the United States and Ukraine drew 1-1, with both teams progressing on four points. In Group D, Australia drew 1-1 with Angola, and Japan beat Czech Republic 3-0, with Australia and Angola emerging as the group winners. In Group E, the Netherlands finally secured their first win, beating Ethiopia 3-2 and earning four points to advance alongside Ecuador.

The headline-makers of this round were once again Argentina and their striker Saviola. They defeated Jamaica 5-1 in Buenos Aires, with Saviola scoring in the 7th and 85th minutes, tying Kaka at the top of the scoring charts with five goals. 

For Argentines, the tournament was finally back on the right track, while for Brazilians, qualifying from the group stage was just the basic expectation, and the real challenge had only just begun.

(end of chapter)