06/21/2002

Associated Press

SHIZUOKA, Japan – It was Brazil's third "R" who knocked off England. And he didn't even stick around for the finish.

Ronaldinho, nowhere near as heralded as attacking partners Ronaldo and Rivaldo, made two of the signature plays of the World Cup on Friday. He set up one goal with a magnificent run, then scored the winner with a sensational floater from 35 yards as Brazil beat England 2-1.

And then he got ejected and will miss Brazil's semifinal game against Turkey or Senegal.

AP Brazil's Rivaldo celebrates after scoring against England in the first half of Friday's match.

Until referee Felipe Ramos of Mexico gave him a red card in the 57th minute, Ronaldinho was unstoppable for the four-time champions.

"When Ronaldinho was sent off I went to him and told him just to leave and not to worry," captain Cafu said, "because we were going to win the match for him."

In first-half injury time, he turned the game with a burst and a pass to Rivaldo to tie it.

In the 50th minute, awarded a free kick barely in the danger zone, Ronaldinho lobbed a 35-yarder into the breeze from the right side of the field. Goalkeeper David Seaman mistakenly took one step forward, and the curling, spinning shot came down over his head and settled into the top corner of the goal.

Seaman was disconsolate and in tears after the game as teammates and coaches tried to comfort him.

"The main thing is I feel sorry for the fans," Seaman said. "It's just so hard."

Then he broke down.

"If anyone (blamed Seaman), it would be an absolute disgrace," captain David Beckham said, "because it wasn't his fault. He is one of the best goalkeepers ... a world-class goalkeeper."

Seven minutes after his goal, Ronaldinho was sat down, ejected for a tackle on Danny Mills just outside the English penalty area. He stepped on Mills' foot and Ramos ruled intent to injure.

"I think Ronaldinho didn't deserve to be expelled. He was kicked earlier by the other player," coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "The referee saw it in a very severe light."

England opened the scoring on a dreadful Brazilian error midway through the first half.

Emile Heskey's long pass toward Michael Owen went directly to defender Lucio, but he totally misplayed it – directly to Owen's foot. Owen, going at full speed despite a sore groin muscle, had no trouble putting a right-footed shot over the sprawling goalie Marcos from 12 yards.

It was yet another example of the leaky Brazilian defense, which many believed could be the team's downfall in its quest for an unprecedented fifth world title. But that defense settled down, particularly after Ronaldinho was ejected.

"Brazil has fighters," Scolari said. "This is a team that almost did not qualify for the World Cup, and now we are in the semifinals."

Early on, it looked as if England was headed to the final four. But then David Beckham lost a ball near the sideline and fell. Brazil counterattacked and Ronaldinho made his brilliant 40-yard run down the middle, beating two defenders with a nifty fake before passing to Rivaldo inside the penalty area.

Rivaldo, who botched his first three touches of the game, made no mistake this time with a low left-footed shot from 12 yards to the far corner just before the halftime whistle.

"I think maybe when they scored at the end of the first half, it was a problem," England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. "And then they scored at the beginning of the second half."

Eriksson also lamented his team's inability to capitalize on the manpower edge.

"They are better than us at keeping the ball and I think that was the difference," he said. "We could've done better today. It was a great pity."

Scolari made one surprising move, taking out Ronaldo in the 70th minute – just moments after he created a scoring chance for Brazil. That meant two of the vaunted "Three Rs" were on the sideline for the last 20 minutes.

As the English repeatedly sent long balls and crosses into the box looking to tie it, Brazil's suddenly staunch defense rejected every one. Marcos hardly touched the ball late in the game.

"We trained sometimes playing with 10 men, and the Brazilian media criticized me because of that," Scolari said. "They did not understand that, but maybe this is the moment for them to understand."

Brazil now is 3-0-1 against England in the World Cup. Each time they played the English, the Brazilians went on to win the title: in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

"We will get there," Cafu promised of the June 30 final. Brazil lost to France in the final four years ago.

"We're already among the four best, and God willing, we'll be the best," he said.

For England, it was a bitter end to what looked like a promising run. The English, despite a slew of pretournament injuries, survived the toughest first-round group, beat archrival Argentina in that group, then routed Denmark in the second round.

But with Prince Andrew on hand, they fell short against the nation that has dominated the sport and is making its ninth trip to the semifinals – and third in a row.

Brazil plays Wednesday in Saitama, Japan. It could be a rematch: Brazil beat Turkey 2-1 in the first round.

For most of the first half, Brazil attacked slower than usual and had several shots blocked by the tough English defense, which had allowed only one goal in the tournament coming into the game.

But after Owen scored, Brazil woke up.

Seaman, who hadn't surrendered a goal since the second half of his team's opener, went down in a heap after leaping to catch a loose ball and coming down on the ball. He stayed on the ground for several minutes before resuming play.

Moments later, Brazil scored.

The crowd's loyalty seemed split. But the vocal edge clearly went to the England fans, who sang and chanted throughout. Their "Go England" chants even drowned out the Brazilians' samba drums.

Not at the end, though, as the Brazilian fans danced and the English fans filed out, slowly and sadly.