Brazil come to town …

Walking along Iona Road with the magnesium-like haze above Croke Park drawing ever closer, on a night which was full of renewed optimism as the arrival of a new manager declared as being ‘imminent’, the discussion with my friend (a loyal Athlone Town follower) somehow reverted to THAT game against Cyprus. Don’t ask me how or why, it just did. On that night I have to admit that I did something which was completely uncharacteristic of me – I left before the final whistle, after the Cyprus goal to be precise. It must have been the booing from the ‘supporters’ around me which gave me a headache! Anyway, after putting that sorry conversation behind me and having made my way through the turnstile and down the steps of the lower tier of the Hogan Stand, I was rather confident that I wouldn’t venture up them again until the players had left the field.   In the days leading up to the Brazil game, I was reflecting on the last time they had visited Dublin, unbelievably four years ago, where they played out a disappointing dull 0-0 draw at Lansdowne Road. Based on events on the pitch, the less said about this friendly the better. But, off the pitch and on the terraces, two memories stood out from that night. The first involved Ronaldo. Who else?    After having his shot expertly blocked by Given, a section of the North Terrace inevitably chanted ‘Who arrr Ya’. He turned around, and while his piercing look would have unnerved some of his opponents, it sent the Terrace into raptures.    The other flashback from the game, quite literally, were the walls of camera flashes throughout the stadium. If a goal had been scored at the opposite end of the ground, it’s fair to say that those of us in the North Terrace would have done well to witness it.  Four years later however, and although Ronaldo (among others) was not present and ready for action, the cameras certainly were as they welcomed Brazil out onto the pitch, collectively capturing another memorable event at GAA HQ. Croke Park under lights for a GAA game (which I experienced last year at the Cavan match) is pretty special. However, Croke Park under lights for a soccer match involving Brazil is magical. It was just a pity though that Kaka was not fit for the game – having picked up a knee injury against Fiorentina. Not only is he the current World and European footballer of the year, he is also an integral player for the Rossoneri. Indeed, were he to ‘bulk up’ a little, I’m sure he would feature for the Rossies. However, gaelic football hasn’t turned professional yet!    While the atmosphere in the stadium was predictably muted, as one would come to expect for a friendly, the Brazilians perched on Hill 16 were a spectacle in their own right with balloons, banners, flags and more besides clearly visible. Certainly, the most colourful, vocal and vibrant contingent yet to come to Croke Park.       As for the game itself, this Ash Wednesday clash though devoid of the beefy content which one would associate with qualifiers, the match nevertheless provided more nourishment than the encounter of 2004. While Ireland played reasonably well, particularly in central defence, the leading lights on the night were our wide players – Duff and McGeady – who throughout the game made probing runs into Brazilian territory with alas no end product as the front two were starved of possession for most of the game and swamped by their more illustrious opponents throughout the ninety minutes. The height differential between their back, and our front two could not have been more stark.    The weakest Irish link by a country mile was Kevin Kilbane, as time and time again Gilberto et al swept the ball out wide highlighting his defensive frailties for all to see. It is fair to say that the closest Kevin got to a Brazilian shirt all night was at full-time where he had the gold jersey hanging ’round his neck.      Furthermore, while Ireland’s passing game was rather labourious to say the least, their opponents played short, accurate, crisp passes to their team-mates. Route one football it certainly wasn’t, easy on the eye it surely was. Clearly playing within themselves, they looked content to just stroke the ball along the zippy Croke Park surface. Patiently building up their moves, each player in addition to looking comfortable on the ball, rarely touched the ball twice when gaining possession. Not only that, but in observing their slick one-touch passing, the ball rarely left the surface.    To this extent, the football stroked about Croke Park resembled a cue ball rolling around the green cloths of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.    Strong in defence and quick on the counter-attack (which they exemplified to devastating effect on sixty-seven minutes), this Brazilian team have made their intentions known for the Olympics, a prize which has alluded them despite their many other achievements in world football.    As for the Irish, while after five matches, their home record may have gone, their next fixture is on May 24 th – a meeting with Serbia at Croke Park. Now, admittedly, while this friendly fixture may not set everyone’s pulses racing, it promises to be an interesting evening as the new Irish manager will patrol the technical area in his maiden match.      Interesting times indeed for the Emerald faithful