A superb piece of finishing by Ronaldo fired Brazil into a World Cup final meeting with Germany, shattering Turkey’s dreams of glory in Japan on Wednesday.
The Inter Milan striker’s 49th-minute goal, his sixth in six games in the World Cup — was enough to secure Brazil’s place in their third successive final and seventh in all.
Defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva was the architect of Brazil’s winner with a powerful run out of defence down the left.
His pass found Ronaldo who spun away from his marker Tugay Kerimoglu as if he was not there and, with the Turkish defence backpedalling furiously, toe-poked a shot beyond the sprawling Rustu Recber and in off the far post.
Forced to push forward in search of the equaliser, Turkey began to leave holes at the back. Just minutes after Ronaldo had opened the scoring, he broke clear on the right to set up Edilson only to see his striking partner have the ball pinched off his toe by a last gasp tackle from Fatih Akyel.
Kleberson should have killed off the Turks in the 61st minute when he was left with only Recber to beat after more good work from Ronaldo but the midfielder fired straight at the goalkeeper.
Turkish coach Senol Gunes threw on Ilhan Mansiz as an extra forward for the last half hour and the substitute helped to ensure the Brazilian defence suffered some nervous moments in the closing stages of the match.
The nearest the Turks came to snatching an equaliser was in the 81st minute when captain Hakan Sukur latched on to Hasan Sas’s free-kick with a volley on the turn that Brazilian keeper Marcos did well to parry.
Brazil would have had the match wrapped up by half-time but for a heroic display from Recber in the Turkish goal.
After some cagey opening exchanges, the game suddenly burst into life in the 20th minute when Aston Villa defender Alpay Ozalan got on the end of Fatih Akyel’s cross and forced a fine save from Marcos.
It was to prove the only real test the Brazilian keeper faced in the opening period and Brazil hit back immediately with a slick counter-attack that finished with Ronaldo slipping the ball to the overlapping Cafu on the right of the box.
The Roma wingback unleashed a fierce drive that struck the underside of the sprawling Recber and bounced over the bar.
Recber saved Turkey again in the 23rd minute with a superb double save to keep out a shot from Rivaldo and then push away Ronaldo’s follow-up from close range.
A run by Edilson set up Rivaldo for a shot from the edge of the area in the 34th minute but Recber was there again to touch the ball around the post.
Another Rivaldo effort shaved the outside of the Turkish post two minutes later.
Turkey continued to look dangerous with their trademark counterattacks and Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva picked up a yellow card for pulling back the lively Yildiray Basturk.
That yielded a freekick in dangerous territory just outside the box but Emre Belozoglu’s effort soared over Marcos’s bar. – Sapa-AFP