[an error occurred while processing this directive] Brazil routs Costa Rica, 5-2

06/13/2002

Associated Press

SUWON, South Korea – No matter how good Brazil looks, its coach doesn't want to hear about being the favorite in the World Cup.

Such talk is hard to avoid when the Brazilians are burying teams under a barrage of goals.

They did it to Costa Rica on Thursday, knocking the Central Americans out of the tournament with a 5-2 rout.

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AP
Brazil's Ronaldo (center) celebrates with teammates Gilberto Silva (left) and Lucio after he scored against Costa Rica.
"We are not the favorites. We are just a good team with a good level," Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "I tell my players to remain humble, working hard. We haven't really won anything yet.

"We have reached the second round, but now comes the most difficult part."

Costa Rica can only dream about the round of 16. With the defeat, the Ticos became the first CONCACAF team to lose in the tournament, and Turkey overtook them to finish second to Brazil in Group C.

"I'm sad because we have to leave, we have showed enough football to be a part of (the second round)," coach Alexandre Guimaraes said.

"We came here to show what was the improvement of the football in Costa Rica. We today showed that against one of the most imporatant national teams in Brazil."

Ronaldo, Edmilson, Rivaldo and Junior scored, and a fifth goal initially given to Ronaldo was changed to an own-goal by Costa Rican defender Luis Marin. Paulo Wanchope scored late in the first half, with Costa Rica's Ronald Gomez cutting the lead to 3-2 early in the second half.

"We suffered a lot back on defense because Costa Rica was very dangerous," Junior said. "We will have to talk during the week on what happened and then will have to correct ... because those things should not happen."

But Brazil had too much of everything for the Ticos and joined Spain in going 3-0 in the first round. The four-time champions play the Group H runner-up in Kobe, Japan, on Monday.

Needing only a tie to advance, Costa Rica finished third in Group C, with Turkey grabbing the second spot after a 3-0 victory Thursday over China. Turkey advanced with a better goal difference, plus-2 to minus-1.

The scoring spree by Brazil gave Ronaldo and Rivaldo three goals each for the tournament.

Costa Rica, trailing 3-1, came out fast in the second half with Wanchope, Carlos Castro and Gomez coming close as the Ticos pressed the Brazilian defense. Gomez finally broke through in the 56th on a close-in header off a perfectly placed cross – and it looked like Costa Rica might come back.

But the goal awakened Brazil.

Rivaldo pushed the lead back to two in the 62nd when he connected on a perfect cross from the left and tapped in a left-footer from 8 yards. In the 64th, Junior broke down the left and whipped a left-footed 10-yard shot behind Costa Rican goalkeeper Erick Lonnis to make it 5-2.

"They took advantage of our errors, we committed some major errors on defense," Costa Rica defender Gilberto Martinez said. "Unfortunately we were eliminated by goals, not by points. It hurts going out that way."

The goal of the match – and perhaps the tournament – came from Edmilson in the 38th. Taking a long pass from the left wing, he flipped in the air and struck the ball with a scissor-kick over the head of a stunned Lonnis.

Ronaldo was credited with scoring from 6 yards off a left-wing pass from Edilson in the 10th minute. After viewing a replay, FIFA officials changed it to an own-goal by Marin, who chipped the ball into his net as Ronaldo and another Costa Rican defender went for it at the same time.

Three minutes later Ronaldo scored – and there was no doubt about this one.

Off a corner kick from the left, Ronaldo settled the high ball and then outmuscled two defenders to slot a shot under Lonnis.

Brazil rested three starters: Ronaldinho, Roque Junior and Roberto Carlos.

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