2002 FIFA World Cup Final: Brazil’s Victory Over Germany
Review of Brazil vs Germany 2002 FIFA World Cup Final:
The 2002 FIFA World Cup final marked the culmination of FIFA’s prestigious international football tournament, showcasing the skills and determination of national teams worldwide. This historic match, held at Yokohama’s International Stadium on June 30, 2002, pitted two football giants, Germany and Brazil, against each other.
The 2002 World Cup, the 17th edition of FIFA’s competition, featured a lineup of 32 teams including hosts Japan and South Korea, defending champions France, and qualifiers from six FIFA confederations. The journey to the final saw Germany emerge as leaders of Group E, securing victories and a draw before triumphing over Paraguay, the United States, and South Korea in the knockout rounds. On the other side, Brazil dominated Group C with three consecutive wins, defeating Belgium, England, and Turkey en route to the final showdown.
With a live audience of 69,029 fans and an estimated 1.1 billion viewers worldwide, the final was a spectacle of sporting prowess. Refereed by Pierluigi Collina from Italy, the match remained goalless until the 67th minute when Brazil’s Ronaldo capitalized on an opportunity, netting a crucial goal. Moments later, Kleberson’s swift play led to Ronaldo’s second goal, sealing Brazil’s victory with a final score of 2-0.
First Half
At 8 p.m. local time (11 a.m. UTC), Brazil began the match in front of 69,029 spectators, with an estimated 1.1 billion people watching on television worldwide. When the game began, the weather at Haneda Airport, which is located 17 kilometers (11 km) from the stadium, was described as cloudy with a temperature of 21 °C (70 °F) and 88% humidity.
In the first fifteen minutes, Germany was characterized as “well on top” by Scott Murray of The Guardian. Bernd Schneider had a chance to score when he sprinted with the ball past Gilberto Silva and crossed into the penalty area towards Klose, but Edmilson cleared it behind.
But, Murray claimed that Brazil had the “first real chance of the game” at the eighteen-minute mark. Ronaldo was one-on-one with Kahn when Ronaldinho sent the ball upfield to him. Ronaldo attempted a left-footed shot, but it missed the goal. On minute 29, Schneider passed to Bode in the Brazilian penalty area, but Bode lost possession of the ball.
Thirty minutes in, Ronaldinho found Ronaldo with only Kahn to beat after another pass through. Under pressure from Thomas Linke, he was unable to provide enough force to the shot, and Kahn made the save.
Torsten Frings attempted to cross the ball into the Brazilian penalty area just before halftime, but it eluded all players and was recovered by Neuville on the other side of the field. Jeremies attempted a curling shot from 25 yards (23 meters) after he threw the ball to him outside the penalty area, but it flew high and wide of the goal.
After that, Kleberson had two opportunities to score; the first came in the 42nd minute, and two minutes later, he struck the crossbar from a distance. When Lucio turned with the ball at his feet after receiving it in the penalty area, he had a chance, but his shot was stopped. When a Roberto Carlos pass found Ronaldo in stoppage time after it had gotten past every German defender, he missed his third scoring opportunity. Kahn extended his foot to stop Ronaldo’s shot.
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Second Half
Jeremies had a chance to put Germany ahead a minute into the second half when Neuville found him in an unmarked position from a corner kick, but Edmilson’s foot blocked his header. In the fifty-first minute, they had another chance when Neuville curled a long-range free kick toward the goal’s corner, but Brazilian keeper Marcos deflected the ball onto the post.
Gilberto Silva met the ball with a header three minutes after Roberto Carlos crossed into the penalty area, but Kahn was able to make the save. After that, Ronaldo attempted to score but Ramelow blocked his shot. Klose then found Frings at the other end, who missed the mark with his attempt. Two minutes later, Dietmar Hamann also missed the goal with a shot. Subsequently, Schneider delivered a ball into the Brazilian penalty area in the 62nd minute, beyond Neuville’s grasp.
In the 67th minute, Ronaldo won the ball from Hamann in the German side of the field, setting up a sequence that gave Brazil the lead. Rivaldo received his ball and attempted a low shot on goal. Kahn tried to catch the shot, but it returned into play and he was unable to handle it properly.
Before Kahn could recover, Ronaldo, who had followed Rivaldo’s attempt, took advantage of his lack of balance and scored the rebound into the bottom corner. Twelve minutes later, with four attackers against Germany’s three defenders thanks to a run by Kleberson from well beyond the halfway line, the Brazilians scored their second goal.
Rivaldo was in the middle of the field, right beyond the German penalty area, when Kleberson passed to him. Rivaldo allowed the ball to get past his legs, and Ronaldo was found by Kleberson’s pass that had pace. Gerald Asamoah, a German player, tried to block the shot, but Ronaldo got the ball away from him with his first touch and scored with his second into Kahn’s net’s lower corner.
Oliver Bierhoff, a substitute, had another opportunity for Germany in the 83rd minute when he took a first-time effort from the penalty spot, but Marcos was able to stop it. In the third minute of stoppage time, Christian Ziege had one more chance for Germany, but Marcos saved it, and Brazil won the match 2-0.
Post Match Stats
Brazil won its fifth World Cup, a record that will stand as of 2023, ahead of Germany and Italy, who each have four titles. The Japanese emperor Akihito attended the match, but because it was against Japanese tradition, he did not participate in the ceremony that presented the champions with the World Cup trophy. On the pitch, former Brazilian World Cup winner Pele and FIFA President Sepp Blatter presented the trophy to Brazilian captain Cafu.
Ronaldo was declared the official man of the match, while Kahn—the only goalie to win the Golden Ball as of 2023—was given the trophy for the best individual player of the whole competition. Additionally, he was given the Lev Yashin Award, also referred to as the Golden Glove since 2010, for being the tournament’s best goalie. FIFA decided to fine the Brazilian 11,670 Swiss francs for misleading the referee after watching a video of the incident involving Unsal and Rivaldo in the first Brazil-Turkey game.
After the game, Scolari acknowledged the jubilation of the Brazilian people and expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, stating that they had “the joy of knowing we did our job, but it was full of very hard work.” We will never forget Brazil’s return as world champions.” “The goals crowned my work and the work of the entire team,” declared Ronaldo. God saved this for me and the Brazilian team today after I spent two years trying to heal from that injury. I’m overjoyed.
Regarding his part in Brazil’s first goal, Kahn stated, “That was my only error in the finals. It was the worst mistake I have ever made by a factor of ten. There’s no way I can get over this error or feel better about myself.” However, Voller cleared Kahn, stating, “He’s played a dream World Cup. Nobody could have predicted the amazing saves he made. In reference to Germany’s loss, he remarked, “Obviously, losing a game leaves you feeling quite disappointed. However, losing against a squad like Brazil is not a disgrace.”
