Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has revealed precisely the way it felt to attain on the World Cup, after he bagged the opening objective in opposition to China of their second group match in 2002.
Heading into the match with three factors from their first sport in opposition to Turkey, Brazil knew a win in opposition to China would all-but safe their progress to the following spherical of the event.
They did not have to attend lengthy to settle the nerves, both, with Roberto Carlos stepping as much as a free-kick from 30 yards out and smashing the ball straight into the highest nook.
Brazil legend Roberto Carlos explains scoring within the World Cup
“Scoring in a World Cup is like successful the title – and this was exactly how I felt after my objective in opposition to China in 2002,’ Carlos tells FourFourTwo. “Are you able to think about thousands and thousands of individuals celebrating one thing you probably did?
“It’s insane and made me very proud. I couldn’t disguise my smile when Juninho and Denilson got here to congratulate me. I don’t suppose the goalkeeper was even capable of see the ball hitting the online!”
After defeat within the 1998 closing to France, Brazil turned up in South Korea and Japan seeking to proper the wrongs from 4 years earlier than. With Ronaldo on high kind, supplemented by Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, the Selecao had a facet everybody feared – and which finally proved unstoppable through the event.
“We’d bought to that event underneath stress to carry out – we couldn’t afford to succeed in the ultimate and lose once more, like in 1998,” Carlos explains.
“It was our likelihood to recuperate from that failure and eventually develop into world champions once more. There’ll by no means be phrases to explain the sensation of attaining that. We set the bar very excessive for others and we nonetheless stay the final Brazil crew to win it.”
With a 2-0 victory over Germany within the closing, Brazil had achieved redemption in Yokohama. Ronaldo bagged twice within the second half to make sure the nation would raise the trophy for the fifth time.
