Ivory Coast 0 - 0 Portugal
Brazil 2 - 1 North Korea
A pall hung over today's game, a pall in the shape of a stocky little Asian man in a jump suit who thinks he's Tyrell from Blade Runner.
The drama that set the stage for Brazil v N.Korea was steep. On one hand, you have the five-time champions of a sunny paradise best-known for its micro-bikinis and a preternatural ability to party and play soccer. On the other, rarely seen envoys from a barbed-wired dictatorship in a bitter-cold country. The very appearance of North Korea at the World Cup is a mystery, no one is quite sure how or why the team has been put together, nor if North Koreans will even be permitted to watch the game in their own country. They certainly weren't allowed to attend the game, hence the whole absurdity of the Chinese actors posing as North Korean fans. And by the way, they did a terrible job.
Brazil achieved an inevitable win, but it was a slow and meandering performance that didn't come to life until the second half. After 54 minutes of loose passing and long shots that didn't connect, Brazilian defender Maicon produced a miracle shot from the right of the goal that wedged itself in beautifully. Whether the curved trajectory of Maicon's kick, at such a tight angle, could have actually been done on purpose, is a phenomenon that will be debated for years to come--although Youtube provides plenty of proof of what the gifted Maicon can do. Following Maicon was a goal by Elano, a clean diagonal into the net after much churning on the field.
But Brazil or no Brazil, North Korea would not be dismissed, asserting itself in the 89th minute with a head-on strike by defender Ji Yun-Nam that would be the final goal of the match. North Korea, an outsider in every way, has proven that no team in this tournament can be underestimated.
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