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Ronaldo, Australia and red card villain all make history
Brazilian forward Ronaldo celebrates after scoring during the opening round Group F World Cup football match Japan vs. Brazil, 22 June 2006 in Dortmund, Germany. Brazil won 4 to 1. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA
Brazilian forward Ronaldo shoots the ball during the opening round Group F World Cup football match Japan vs. Brazil, 22 June 2006 in Dortmund, Germany. Brazil won 4 to 1. AFP PHOTO / SHINYA HAGA
Brazil won Group F as a Ronaldo brace in a 4-1 win over Japan put him level top with Gerd Muller as the competition's all time top scorer, while Australia mada a bit of their own history emerging from an epic battle with Croatia with the point they needed to make the last 16 too.
Brazil play Ghana and Australia will play Italy in the last 16.
And for the record Croatia's Josip Simunic also made history, albeit of an infamous kind, after picking up three yellows and a red card in the same match.
English referee Graham Poll booked Simunic in the 62nd minute and then again in the 90th minute. But forgot to send him off in the highly charged match. However, Simunic did not learn from that as he then was booked again in the fourth minute of injury-time and Poll this time brandished the tellow and the red.
Australian forward Harry Kewell jubilates after scoring a goal during the World Cup 2006 group F football match Croatia vs Australia, 22 June 2006 at Stuttgart stadium. AFP PHOTO / MICHAEL URBAN
Poll also missed two clear penalties for Australia, one a virtual rugby tackle on Mark Viduka and a second when Croatia's Stepjan Tomas punched a ball in the area.
Australian forward Harry Kewell (C) and teammates celebrate at the end of the World Cup 2006 group F football match Croatia vs Australia, 22 June 2006 at Stuttgart stadium. Match ended 2-2. AFP PHOTO / DDP / THOMAS LOHNES
Harry Kewell was Australia's hero on the night when he thumped the goal that made it 2-2 to earn the point Australia needed after they had fallen behind twice in a match where they needed one point to qualify.
Ronaldo's first goal was a rare header that levelled the scooes at 1-1 after Japan had taken a shock lead, but his fourth was a pin-point thunderbolt, executed on the turn, a strike from the very top draw marking a return to form of the under-fire master.
Juninho and Gilberto were also on target for the champions as they simply swept Japan away.
Italy and Ghana through, USA and Czechs going home
Italian defender Marco Materazzi (hidden) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup 2006 group E football game Czech Republic vs. Italy, 22 June 2006 at Hamburg stadium. AFP PHOTO ODD ANDERSEN
Fussball, FIFA WM 2006, Vorrunde, Spiel 42, Gruppe E, Ghana - USA, Donnerstag (22.06.06), FIFA WM-Stadion Nuernberg (Easycredit-Stadion): Ghanas Mannschaft jubelt ueber das Tor zum 1:0. Foto: Johannes Simon/ddp
Wins for Italy as Group E victors and Ghana as runners-up also sent the Czech Republic and the USA respectively crashing out of the World Cup on Thursday.
Ghana's 2-1 win in a thrilling encounter in Nuremburg makes them the first and most likely only African nation to make the last-16, though Tunisia still have a hope of joining them if they can beat Ukraine.
The West Africans took the lead through Haminu Dramani on 22 minutes but the USA pulled a goal back with Clint Dempsey before a severe penalty decision saw captain Stephen Appiah convert from the spot just before the break, holding on through the second half for a famous prize in their debut World Cup.
"We're happy we're going to face Brazil," Appiah said. "No fear. No fear.
Ghanaian midfielder Haminu Draman celebrates after scoring the game's first score during the opening round Group E World Cup football match between Ghana and the United States at Nuremberg's Franken Stadium, 22 June 2006. Ghana were leading 1-0 in the first half. AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT
Italian forward Filippo Inzaghi (R) kicks to score the second goal for his team despite Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech (down) during the World Cup 2006 group E football game Czech Republic vs. Italy, 22 June 2006 at Hamburg stadium. AFP PHOTO / PATRICK HERTZOG
Two substitutes gave Italy three points to see them top the group with Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi heading the opener and Filippo Inzaghi assuring the win by rounding 'keeper Petr Cech and slotting the ball home after 87 minutes.
The Czech Republic, who needed a win to qualify in the event of Ghana taking three points, shot themselves in the foot when Jan Polak was sent off for a second bookable offence on the stroke of half time.
Italy, needing only the draw to qualify, had started with a lone striker and played an ultra-defensive first 25 minutes before settling in to defend their 1-0 lead.