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Brazil appeared to pay the
price for a bout of overconfidence when they were held to a 1-1 draw by
Germany on Wednesday.
Brazil had turned on the style in their 3-1 home win over Bolivia in a
World Cup qualifier four days earlier, and Ronaldinho's exquisite
ninth-minute free kick goal in Berlin appeared to suggest another easy
win.
But the players began the party too early, teasing their opponents with
some flashy flicks and dribbles before Kevin Kuranyi's 16th-minute
equaliser rudely interrupted the festivities.
For the rest of the match, Brazil were forced to scramble for a draw in
an often bruising encounter.
"Germany is not Bolivia. But there are players in the Brazil team who
believed they are," wrote the sports daily Lance.
"Excessively relaxed, certain they would give their opponents a good
hiding just as they did last Sunday, Brazil lost concentration and never
got it back."
The Estado de Sao Paulo added: "Ronaldinho was so delighted with his
latest work of art that he evaporated in the game until he was
substituted in the second half."
Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira agreed his team had let their opponents
off the hook.
"We began well but we let the Germans back into the game and take charge
of the match," he told Brazilian media in Germany.
But Parreira said the result was fair and asked for more matches away to
leading European teams in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup.
Brazil, who top the South American World Cup qualifying group in which
they are unbeaten in eight games, appear certain to be in Germany to
defend their crown.
"We improved our marking in the second half and they didn't have a
serious shot at our goal," said Parreira.
"It's not a catastrophe to draw with Germany in Berlin but we can
definitely play better."
"The more games like this the better. We have to play Germany more often
and face teams like Italy. |
