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| May 26, 2002 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 13,1423 |
Ronaldo scores first goal in three years as Brazil win
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25: Ronaldo scored his first international goal for three years on Saturday as Brazil beat Malaysia 4-0 in their final match before the World Cup.
Ronaldo also set up the second goal for Juninho, who scored one minute after coming on as a substitute, before Denilson, with an individual goal, and Edilson completed the rout.
Although billed as a full international and watched by a crowd of around 40,000, the match effectively turned into a glorified training session as Brazil substituted their entire starting line-up in the second half.
Brazil, who open their World Cup campaign against Turkey on June 3, will take heart from Ronaldo’s goal and the fact that Rivaldo played his first game for a month after being plagued by a troublesome right knee.
The Barcelona forward played 63 fairly undistinguished minutes before being replaced by Edilson.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, finished off a move down the right when he slid the ball home in the 52nd minute to put his name back on the scoring sheet at last.
His last goal for Brazil in a competitive match was in the Copa America final against Uruguay in July 1999, while his last strike in a friendly came against Argentina in September of the same year.
It was his third game for Brazil since his two-and-a-half lay-off caused by two knee operations.
Ronaldo also set up the second goal for Juninho eleven minutes later when he played a one-two which allowed the former Atletico Madrid and Middlesbrough player to run through the defence and place the ball beyond keeper Azmin Azram Abdul Aziz.
In the 73rd minute, Denilson burst away from the halfway line to score the third and Edilson made it 4-0 from close range five minutes later.
Ronaldo had threatened to break his duck in the first half but was thwarted three times by brilliant goalkeeping from Abdul Aziz.
Ronaldo’s first effort came in the 20th minute when he shot on the turn from the edge of the area and saw his effort blocked by Abdul Aziz.
Six minutes later, the Inter Milan striker was denied again. Cafu pulled the ball back from the right and Ronaldo, near the penalty spot, hit the ball well but his effort was parried away by the goalkeeper.
He had his best chance in the 31st minute when he picked up a loose ball in the penalty area and dribbled past a defender only to see his shot blocked from close range.
Abdul Aziz also made two good saves to turn away headers by defender Lucio.
Brazil nearly went ahead in the second minute when a Ronaldinho corner was turned onto his own crossbar by Subri Sulong.
Complete results were:
Malaysia 0 Brazil 4
Portugal 2 China 0
Yokohama Marinos 1 Uruguay 1
Japan1 Sweden 1
Spain 1 Ulsan Hyundai Horangi 0
Portugal 2 China 0.
—Reuters
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