Brazil v. Norway, 030711

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Brazil Announce Arrival At World Cup Party

by Jeremy Ruane

Brazil announced their arrival at the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in style on July 3, trouncing Norway 3-0 at the Wolfsburg Arena to confirm their progress into the quarter-finals of women's football's showpiece event.

After an undeserved victory over Australia in their opening match, the South American champions initially played second fiddle to the Norwegians, who started strongly in what had long been tagged as one of the feature clashes of the tournament.

It was the driving forty yard run through the middle of Fabiana in the seventh minute which ignited the contest, and the resulting through ball for Marta would almost certainly have resulted in a goal had Maren Mjelde not produced the timeliest of interceptions.

The Norwegians kept on coming, however, and were denied the lead in the fifteenth minute by Daiane's vital block of Madeleine Giske's drive after Emilie Haavi pounced on a loose ball outside the Brazilian penalty area.

Three minutes later, Giske squandered a great chance to open the scoring, shooting straight at Andreia from twelve yards after Daiane had headed out Haavi's cross from the right.

Brazil took the lead in highly controversial circumstances in the 22nd minute. Erika broke up a Norwegian attack and sent Marta in pursuit of a through ball for which Nora Holstad Berge was always favourite to reach first.

That was until Marta, gaining fast, pushed the defender out of the way, causing Berge to tumble. Referee Kari Seitz saw no offence - she must have been the only one in the ground who missed it! - and allowed Marta to carry on, which she did, wrong-footing Mjelde before burying the ball inside Ingrid Hjelmseth's near post.

The boos and cat-calls thundered out from the sell-out 26,067-strong crowd, who knew full well that a severe injustice had been done to the Norwegians by the awarding of the goal. And to compound matters, the individual responsible for awarding it shrouded herself in more controversy ten minutes later.

Referee Seitz awarded a goal-kick when the ball had clearly come off Fabiana to conclude a Norwegian attack in the 32nd minute, while sixty seconds later, with an errant Brazilian arm having caught Norwegian captain Ingvild Stensland in the face, the referee allowed play to continue while checking the injured player herself …

Not quite as bizarre as the ball-handling incident which took place in Australia's clash with Equatorial Guinea earlier in the day, but certainly a worthy addition to the growing catalogue of weird and not so wonderful officiating decisions which have been made at these FIFA Women's World Cup Finals.

Further controversy followed when Marta, defending on the edge of her penalty area, went to ground a little too easily and spectacularly under the challenge of Stensland, and conned the referee into awarding a defensive free-kick. It doesn't have to take place in the opposition's penalty area to be labelled simulation …

Rosana's ferocious dipping twenty-five yarder three minutes before half-time forced Hjelmseth to produce the best save of the half, but by the time the second half had been going three minutes, the game was over as a contest.

Brazil struck twice immediately after half-time, and both goals were of the highest calibre. The

The first was Marta at her brilliant best, buccaneering down the left from half-way and taking on and beating one, two, three opponents before seeing the unseen run of Rosana through the inside right channel. The striker's finish was emphatic - 2-0, 53 seconds after the resumption.

Which quickly became 3-0 two minutes later. A Stensland clearance ricocheted off Marta to Mjelde, whose pass back to Hjelmseth was horribly under-struck. Cristiane swooped on the scene and rounded the stranded 'keeper, only for Mjelde to make amends for her blunder by blocking the shot.

But her delight turned to despair as she saw the ball rebound off her straight to the dancing feet of Marta. She nimbly side-stepped the stopper before wrong-footing all-comers with a lovely finish with the outside of her left foot into the opposite corner from that which all were anticipating.

There were shades of Diego Maradona's display for Argentina against England twenty-five years ago in Marta's performance. It was a combination of controversy and sheer genius - few, over the years, have employed both elements in a single ninety-minute performance on the ultimate world stage, but FIFA's Player of the Match added her name to that limited list.

Norway had to score next if they were to get back into the contest, but they found Brazil had added defensive resilience to their repertoire. Daiane was monumental in the Brazilian rearguard, while Aline blocked a Stensland piledriver to safety as the Norwegians threw everything but the kitchen sink at their stubborn opponents.

Brazil held them at arm's length, however, and always had the menace of Marta and Cristiane to call upon when the opportunity to counter-attack arose. Twice the terrible twosome threatened to torment the Scandinavians in this manner, and but for an inaccurate final ball on each occasion, a fourth and fifth goal would almost certainly have resulted.

Marta should have completed her hat-trick in the 68th minute, having burst clear of Berge on the right before dashing into the penalty area. She over-elaborated, however, allowing the defender, in tandem with Mjelde, to retrieve the situation for the Norwegians.

Inside the last ten minutes, the European contenders still pressed forward, even though the game was long lost. Substitute Elise Thorsnes swept past two opponents, only to see Daiane block her shot.

Then a couple of Trine Ronning corners were punched out by Andreia. The first was headed back into the danger zone by Cecilie Pedersen, only for Giske to flick the ball over the bar, while the second was drilled back into the danger zone by Thorsnes.

The nonchalant manner of Formiga's back-heeled flick over her own crossbar spoke volumes, and confirmed Brazil's arrival at this World Cup party - a little later than planned, but well worth the wait.

Brazil: Andreia; Aline, Daiane (booked, 19) (Renata Costa, 84), Erika; Fabiana (Francielle, 76), Formiga, Ester (Grazielle, 89), Maurine; Cristiane, Rosana, Marta

Norway: Hjelmseth; Lund, Mjelde, Berge, G. Knutsen; Haavi (Pedersen, 52), Stensland (Ims, 67), Giske, Ronning, Larsen Kaurin (Thorsnes, 46); Herlovsen

Referee: Kari Seitz (USA)

2011 Draw