Brazil Was Too Good For Ghana

Reuters:

Ghana ended the match with 10 men after striker Asamoah Gyan sent off in the 81st minute for diving, his 2nd yellow card. Brazil, seeking a 4th successive final appearance and a 6th triumph, now face France.

Brazil got the ideal start when Kaka sprung the offside trap with a pass into the path of Ronaldo and the striker bamboozled Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingston with a quickstep dummy before tucking in his 15th World Cup goal, overhauling the record he shared with Germany’s Gerd Mueller. ‘It’s a great satisfaction to make this record, but let’s not forget our main objective is to reach the final. The players are very confident and our team is meeting our goals,’ Ronaldo said.

Ghana, without suspended midfield inspiration Michael Essien, looked in disarray in the first 20 minutes but gradually settled to attack the shaky heart of the Brazilian defence and create a series of chances that had the world champions rattled. They almost equalised in the 42nd minute when John Mensah then met a corner with a perfect downward header that Brazil keeper Dida somehow kept out with his foot.

Controversial Goal
Ghana were then stunned on the break with a controversial goal as Kaka fed the overlapping Cafu, making a Brazilian record 19th
World Cup finals appearance.

Adriano was well offside at that point but play continued as he had not collected the ball but he was certainly involved, and probably still marginally offside, as he drove into the 6-yard box to nudge home his captain’s low cross.

The Ghana players protested to no avail as did their Serbian coach Ratomir Dujkovic, who was sent to the stands at halftime for his troubles. The goal set Brazil on course for their 11th successive victory at finals, extending their own record.

Coach Dujkovic paid tribute to his team, playing at the finals for the 1st time. ‘I’m very proud of our players, they fought from the 1st minute of the 1st match to the last minute today. We missed some important chances, they scored 3 goals. They are a fantastic team and if you give them a fraction of a 2nd they will finish you,’ he said.