The day after…(3)

The magnificent Zinedine Zidane slayed Brazil for the second time in eight years in the World Cup tournament. He was the man-of-the-match in the 1998 finals when he scored twice and made the third to ensure France won the World Cup for the first time.

And on Saturday night, once again, he gave a performance of a lifetime to kick out the defending champions. His masterful display even earned rare reviews from the Brazil players.

Now he says the aim is to try and win the tournament and in his present form, you shouldn’t doubt him.

On the other hand, of all the big name players in the Brazilian team, one midfielder stood out for me. He is Ze Roberto. I understand his anguish after the defeat to France (pix). In all the previous matches, he was the player who held the Brazil midfield together.

He tidied up, attacked and defended, chalked up two man-of-the-match awards, and scored a cool goal against Ghana in the second round. I just hope we will see more of him for Brazil in the future. If only the other bigger names had the same level of commitment as Ze Roberto, I am sure they would have progressed further.