Ronaldo Scores 15th World Cup Finals Goal - Brazil 3 Ghana 0

Home: World Cup Finals: Germany 2006: Knockout Stage: Brazil vs Ghana

Tuesday, 27th June
Ronaldo Scores 15th World Cup Finals Goal

Second Round Match

Previous Encounters:
When Ghana met Brazil in Rio Preto, for a March 1996 friendly, they got a real lesson in Samba Football; as the home side ran out overwhealming winners (8:2).

The Match:
Ronaldo looked lively in the first minute as he received the ball on his chest and was just about to shoot when Lubos Michel whistled for offside. Close call, Ronaldo smiled.

Michael Essien watched on from the bench, a suspended spectator, as Ronaldo ran through again and this time scored; to become the World Cup Finals all-time record goalscorer with fifteen goals.

Adriano and Ronaldo ran through in the 13th minute, on what looked like offside, but Adriano dived in the penalty area and was booked before he could release Ronaldo.

Dida had to push a long-range drive over the bar, in the 19th minute, as Ghana pushed forward to find the equaliser.

Matthew Amoah scooped a shot just wide, five minutes later, as the West Africans showed they were not prepared to let this all be one-way traffic.

Then on the half-hour, Ghana scrambled away a Brazilian corner, through John Mensah, and ran at the Brazilian goal two against two; but Haminu Draman waited too long and then lent back on his final shot.

Ghana continued to press and Brazil were even making mistakes in defence. Some better finishing and Ghana would be back in the game.

The problem Ghana would have in the second-half is their growing card count for silly fouls.

Four minutes before half-time, John Mensah climbed high to head down on the goal-line but Dida managed to kick it away.

Then, in injury time, Brazil broke forward and Adriano (offside) poked the ball in with his thigh. Totally against the run of play, Brazil find themselves two goals up going into the break and Ronaldinho could smile.

Half-time: (2:0)

Either the Brazilian defence looked better at the start of the second-half, with Gilberto Silva coming on for Emerson, or Ghana were still rocked by the 'offside' goal just before the break.

German fans in the stadium tried to lift the Ghana team as Roberto Carlos fired in an angled shot after a pass from Ronaldinho; who's been having a quiet tournament.

Then with a little over twenty minutes to go, Ghana made another promising move forward; Asamoah Gyan forcing Dida to stretch on the floor and save at the second attempt before Matthew Amoah could get a touch.

Brazil might be winning the game but they weren't winning the hearts of the fans.

Sadly, Asamoah Gyan pressed the self-destruction button by blatantly diving just inside the Brazil penalty area, with ten minutes to go, to earn his second yellow card and just about end any hope Ghana had of scoring two goals.

Then Ze Roberto slipped the offside trap to round Richard Kingston and score Brazil's third goal. The scoreline once again looked respectably but Brazil still aren't firing on all cylinders.

Final Score:
Brazil 3 - Ghana 0

Goalscorers:
1:0 Ronaldo (5)
2:0 Adriano (45)
3:0 Ze Roberto (84)

Teams

Brazil: (Captain Cafu)
1 Nelson Dida; 2 Cafu, 3 Ferreira Lucio, 4 Juan, 6 Roberto Carlos; 5 Emerson, 8 Kaka, 10 Ronaldinho, 11 Jose Ze Roberto; 7 Adriano, 9 Ronaldo.

Ghana: (Captain Stephen Appiah)
22 Richard Kingston; 5 John Mensah, 6 Emmanuel Pappoe, 7 Illiasu Shilla, 15 John Pantsil; 10 Stephen Appiah, 11 Sulley Muntari, 18 Eric Addo, 23 Haminu Draman; 3 Asamoah Gyan, 14 Matthew Amoah.

Referee: Lubos Michel

Substitutions:
46 Mins (Brazil) - 17 Gilberto Silva on for 5 Emerson
60 Mins (Ghana) - 9 Derek Boateng on for 18 Eric Addo
61 Mins (Brazil) - 19 Juninho Pernambucano on for 7 Adriano
69 Mins (Ghana) - 12 Alex Tachie-Mensah on for 14 Matthew Amoah
83 Mins (Brazil) - 20 Luis Ricardinho on for 3 Asamoah Gyan

8 Yellow Cards:
7 Mins - Stephen Appiah (Ghana)
11 Mins - Sulley Muntari (Ghana)
13 Mins - Adriano (Brazil)
29 Mins - John Pantsil (Ghana)
38 Mins - Eric Addo (Ghana)
44 Mins - Juan (Brazil)
48 Mins - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
80 Mins - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)