It’s All Over but the Shirting: Brazil in Round 2

There was only one thing the Moroccans wanted from the Brazilians on Tuesday.

Well, OK, make that 11 things.

They wanted the shirts off the Brazilians’ backs.

Ever since the World Cup ’98 draw in Marseille in December, every Moroccan player had been waiting for Tuesday evening’s game in Nantes. And waiting even more eagerly for the final whistle so that the traditional shirt-swapping could begin.

And Brazil will swap a pile of shirts for a 3-0 victory any day.

Because that’s exactly what Coach Mario Zagallo’s team achieved. On goals by Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Bebeto, it swept into the second round of the 32-nation tournament.

In a mere 180 minutes of soccer--victories over Scotland and Morocco--the defending world champions have left half the field behind in their quest for a fifth World Cup.

“We played very, very well,” Zagallo said. “We played happy football. We were more joyful and more efficient.”

Yes, but not all the time.

There was one incident during the first half in which Dunga, Brazil’s captain, literally was screaming at Bebeto for committing a midfield mistake. Leonardo had to step between the pair and do some yelling of his own to keep them from coming to blows.

It was an extraordinary scene.

And it was sandwiched between two extraordinary goals.

Ronaldo put Brazil ahead in the ninth minute, latching on to an excellent through pass from Rivaldo and rocketing a right-foot half-volley into the net from 18 yards before Moroccan goalkeeper Driss Benzekri could even think about reacting.

It was Ronaldo’s first World Cup goal, and he raced over to the Brazilian bench to celebrate.

“It was a catastrophic start for us,” said Morocco’s coach, Henri Michel. “To be down a goal after 10 minutes is hard, but even more so against Brazil.”

The only way Morocco could retaliate was for midfielder Said Chiba, about 10 minutes later, to slam into Ronaldo, hitting him in the upper left thigh, where Chiba’s studs left an angry red scratch.

Russian referee Nikolai Levnikov, who had a poor game, failed to see the foul, or at least to call it. After brief treatment, Ronaldo shrugged off the injury and set about paying back the North Africans.

Rocked by the early goal, Morocco eventually settled into the game but could not create any scoring chances. Moustafa Hadji, who had enjoyed an excellent match in Morocco’s 2-2 tie with Norway, had a subdued game.

Brazil, after losing its way for a while and prompting the Dunga-Bebeto-Leonardo shouting match, doubled its lead in the final seconds of the half.

Bebeto started the move, swinging a pass to Cafu on the right wing. The defender crossed the ball into the goal mouth and Rivaldo was on hand to score from close range.

The two-goal lead seemed to take whatever weight there was off Brazil’s shoulders. Five minutes into the second half, it scored again.

This time it was Ronaldo who created the goal, taking the ball on the left flank and powering his way past a couple of defenders and into the penalty area with a tremendous burst of speed.

He might have finished the move himself, but instead unselfishly slipped the ball sideways to the unmarked Bebeto, who had the easiest of tasks in tapping it into the net.

“They showed extraordinary technique and were able to monopolize the ball,” Michel said. “They had us on the back foot from the start, and then things got worse and worse for us.”

Indeed, even Pele watching from the stands must have had cause to smile. Forty years after he led Brazil to its first World Cup, the country seems right on track to win another.