This might have been a good match up before the game started, but as soon as it did, it was apparent that Ivory Coast--sporting the green and white, horizontally striped shirts of a pirate crew--didn't have a prayer against the Brazilians. On a fumbling dribble-pass from Kaka, Luis Fabiano blasted the ball into the roof of the net so hard the keeper didn't see it (25'). Keenly aware that they could not beat Brazil, Ivory Coast spent the next 65 minutes proving they could still beat them up. Unfortunately, the French referee was about as good at controlling the game as his national team were at scoring goals.Early in the second half, Brazil scored two more goals. The first came on a brilliant play by Luis Fabiano who got a little help from his hands--not once, but twice--as he beat three defenders and rocked it past the keeper (50'). For those of you think Brazil play fairly and win just because they are that good, watch this sneaky goal. FIFA, of course, didn't seem to mind as the chuckling referee jogged up alongside Fabiano and asked him if he'd used his arms. Even a child could have spotted the lie in Fabiano's plea of innocence, but let's give him a little credit: not even the Ivory Coast defenders noticed his fine handiwork.
The third goal came on an unexpected ground-cross from Kaka, who finally started figuring things out after looking lost on the field in the game against North Korea and for much of this one. It was especially weak defending by the Ivory Coast defender that let Elano sneak up behind him and tuck the goal away (62').
The Ivory Coast managed to get one back for a little moral consolation in the 79th minute. A looong run on the ball by Gervinho (of the Ivory Coast) ended disappointingly in the box when it was cut out by the last defender. But Gervinho managed to keep the ball in bounds and played it back to Yaya Toure, who sailed one over the Brazilian defense as Drogba ghosted in behind them (a good meter onside) to skim the header neatly past Julio Cesar.
Not ten minutes later, the game nearly erupted into a brawl when Kaka looked to have elbowed Kader Keita in the face. Although the elbow was nowhere near his face and Keita should be penalized for his egregious acting, Kaka definitely deserved a second yellow for jabbing Keita in the chest. For those of you who think Kaka didn't swing his elbow or didn't even know Keita was behind him, watch the replay and imagine not noticing a big sweaty African trotting up behind you. And let's look at the facts: it was a YELLOW card, not a straight red. Kaka was already riding a yellow that he had earned THREE MINUTES earlier! How stupid do you have to be to get two yellow cards in the last 10 minutes of a game that you're dominating 3-1 with 60% possession? The only other cards in the game were shown to 3 Ivory Coast players. But it's not like their fouls were malicious or dirty. Sometimes fouling is the only way to stop the other team, especially if that other team is Brazil. The only valid argument against the card is that the referee did not see it. From what I could tell, he examined Keita and then made up his mind. He did not see the foul or even consult his linesmen. So according to the rules of officiating, Kaka should not have been shown the yellow. But he did deserve it. And this time justice reigned.
Brazil is not a "nice" team. They flop, they handball, they play dirty: they do everything that most other teams do to give their side an advantage, and they are very good at it. Check out this elbow from the '94 World Cup that broke a US player's cheekbone and left him lying in Stanford University hospital for 3 months.
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