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Brazil 3 Ghana 0
27/06/2006: Goals from Ronaldo, Adriano and Ze Roberto gave a subdued Brazil to a 3-0 win over 10-man Ghana to put them into the last eight of the World Cup.
It was far from a vintage performance by the Brazilians, who seemed quite happy to let the Africans play all the football and miss a host of chances, while they grabbed their second and third goals on the counter-attack.
Asamoah Gyan was red carded for two bookable offences late on, while some great saves by Ghana keeper Richard Kingston denied Brazil adding three more goals in the final minutes as they will now go on to face either Spain or France in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Brazil got off the to the perfect start on five minutes when Kaka played a great ball through to Ronaldo and the Real Madrid striker went round Kingston before slotting his shot into the empty net. It was his 15th goal in the World Cup finals which means he overhauls German legend Gerd Muller's long-standing record of 14 strikes to become the tournament's greatest ever goalscorer.
It should have been two on 13 minutes when Ze Roberto put Adriano through on goal and, rather than pass to the unmarked Ronaldo, the Inter Milan striker went on his own. However he knocked the ball too far ahead of himself and tried to win a penalty by going over Kingston's outstretched arm which earned him a yellow card for diving.
After looking -shocked for the opening 20 minutes Ghana finally started to get their game together and Matthew Amaoh fired just wide of Dida's upright on two occasions in the space of a minute after good build-up play involving the impressive Sulley Ali Muntari.
Further good patient build-up play by Ghana fashioned a chance for Gyan on 35 minutes but he fired over from close range under pressure from Emerson.
The scores should have been level on 42 minutes when Ali Muntari's corner from the left was met by John Mensah just yards from goal but the ball somehow hit Dida and stayed out.
That miss was to prove costly as Brazil hit Ghana on the break in first half injury time with Cafu laying the ball across the area for Adriano to score from close range, despite being slightly offside when he made contact.
The second half was played in a similar fashion as Ghana had plenty of the ball and shots on goal but it was Brazil who went closest to adding to the scoreline on 57 minutes. Ronaldinho played a great ball into the area for Roberto Carlos and his toe-poke goalwards was saved by Kingston.
Ghana did go close when midfielder Stephen Appiah's good run and pass found Gyan free in the area on 69 minutes, but Dida managed to save his low effort before denying Amoah from the rebound.
The Africans continued to press but their hopes of getting back into the game evaporated on 81 minutes when Gyan was handed a second yellow card for diving after going to ground too easily inside the Brazil area.
Within three minutes Brazil grabbed a third goal when substitute Ricardinho's ball split the Ghana defence to put Ze Roberto clear. He coolly flicked the ball past Kingston before enjoying the simple job of tapping it into the unguarded net.
Kingston did well to deny Ronaldo, Cafu and Juan in the final few minutes but Brazil, despite not playing at full throttle, had already done more than enough to go through.Robinho has been ruled out of Brazil's last 16 game with Ghana, who will be missing the influential Michael Essien due to suspension.
Pre match view
Robinho has a minor thigh muscle strain which means that Adriano is likely to return to the starting line up, although coach Carlos Alberto Parreira could alternatively move Ronaldinho up front and bring Juninho into midfield.
With the enforced absence of Michael Essien, Ghana are hoping that Razak Pimpong passes a late fitness test, otherwise the African nation have no other injury worries.
On current form this could well prove to be the best game of the first knockout round and it provides Ghana with a huge chance to put themselves on the map after becoming the only African nation to make it out of the group stages.
The Black Stars rebounded from a somewhat unlucky 2-0 defeat by Italy to see off two teams from the world's top 10 (FIFA rankings) and make it through as group runners-up in what was one of the toughest groups available.
They are just going to have to be careful in this game, though, as their style of attacking without fear of the consequences could come a cropper against a Brazil side that is showing signs of coming out of its early slumbers.
The Samba Kings were impressive for long spells of their 4-1 win over Japan as they battled back from the shock of conceding an early goal to stun the Asian side with a second-half performance worthy of being made the outright tournament favourites.
Critics of their defence coming into the tournament had some cause for celebration when Japan finally broke their clean sheet streak in the opening half of the group finale, but they still do not look like the sort of side that is going to concede goals in bunches.
They are now unbeaten in 13 games dating back to the 2005 Confederations Cup and have scored 38 goals over that spell and Ghana have to hope that there is no repeat of the only previous match between the sides, when Brazil ran out 8-2 winners in a friendly in Rio Preto back in 1996. Current Ghana keeper Richard Kingson made his Black Stars debut in that debacle, still the worst defeat in their history.
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27/06/2006: Brazil would Trash Ghana 5 Zeros to nothing
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