At the rugby scrum that was Brazil's press conference yesterday in Ulsan, South Korea, Ronaldo whipped the South Korean girls into a frenzy and the Brazilian press went crazy over the announcement of a fresh injury problem.
After making everyone wait for over an hour-and-a-half, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Juninho, Cafu, Denilson and Roberto Carlos turned up and worked the crowed for just over 10 minutes.
PHOTO: REUTERS
It was a lot of waiting for a little action, plenty of smiles, some waves and off they went back to the hotel.
The biggest news came from Rivaldo, who spoke of an injury to Emerson during a practice session.
"I feel terrible. The doctor is currently examining whether he [Emerson] will be able to play tomorrow. No-one is sure about his condition."
On the team's preparations for today's game against Turkey, Rivaldo said, "We are in a very good condition. We'll try our best."
A FIFA representative said the Brazilian team doctor would give an update on Emerson's condition later that evening from the team's hotel in Ulsan.
The most in-demand player was Ronaldo, who was besieged by journalists and caused a near riot among 30 or so South Korean young female volunteer staff.
The young ladies were clearly supposed to be assisting journalists, but completely forgot their job when Ronaldo came near. With one voice, it seemed, they started whooping and frantically waving to claim his attention.
Ronaldo gave his trademark toothsome smile and disappeared.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Times spoke to former Middlesbrough player Juninho Paulista, who played his first match for Brazil in 1995, becoming that year's Brazilian Player of the Year.
The mercurial midfielder -- who has 44 caps and has scored five goals for his country -- said that he liked the fact that Brazil was not the favorite at this World Cup.
"To some extent it has taken the pressure off us and we can focus on the task ahead," Juninho said.
After a poor run in qualifying, Brazil had to beat Venezuela in its final game to make it to South Korea and Japan, keeping up its unique record of playing in every World Cup tournament.
Asked who he thought might win the World Cup if Brazil did not make it he said, "All the usual strong teams like England, Spain and Germany and so on have an equal chance. They can all win, so we will just have to see."
Brazil and Turkey have never faced each other in World Cup competition, but striker Denilson said, "Turkey has a strong defense, but we know what we have to do. It will be a good match."
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to