PARIS, July 1: Newspapers around the world Monday praised Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup final victory over Germany and honoured the role of Ronaldo whose injuries and 1998 World Cup disaster were consigned to memory.

The British press praised Brazil’s achievement with headlines such as “Brazil go Nuts” in the Daily Express, “Braziliant” in the Daily Mirror while the Sun used “Cupacabana” for what they described as victory for the beautiful game over the relentless machine.

Ronaldo’s eight goals in seven matches was the highest individual haul at the finals for 28 years. His total of 12 World Cup final goals also took him level with legendary three-time World Cup winner Pele.

A couple of British papers also honed in on Ronaldo’s comment that victory was “better than sex”.

German newspapers praised Brazil but paid special tribute to German capitain Oliver Kahn, whose goalkeeping error allowed the Samba Kings to open the scoring.

Kahn “made one single mistake during the World Cup,” lamented the popular daily Bild, noting that his failure to hold Rivaldo’s shot led to Ronaldo’s first goal in the 67th minute.

That rebound “hit the heart of German football,” Bild said.

Not one for revenge this time, the most widely read daily in Germany dedicated its page three to the wave of Samba dancing that invaded the streets of Berlin after Sunday’s match.

“The God of Football must be Brazilian,” said Bild, which only had some simple advice for Ronaldo: “Change hairdresser,” referring to his shaven head except for a half moon of hair on the area of his fringe.

The Munich daily Suddeutsche Zeitung, also had a special thought for Kahn, who before the final had only let in one goal and was named best keeper of the competition.

“What happened to Kahn, perhaps the best goalkeeper in football history, was a tragic accident similar to those that happen to all who tend goal,” the paper said. “Unfortunately that fault was severely punished,” it said.

Headlines of influential French sports daily l’Equipe read: “Brazil into Eternity” and “The World is Theirs,” in what was described as the unfolding of the destiny of a legendary football country.

In Asia, The Straits Times in Singapore described the final as “the perfect winning team, the perfect goal scorer, the perfect ending” in what was the first World Cup finals to be held in Asia.

Devoting almost half the front page and four inside pages to the final and an analysis of the past four weeks, the newspaper said the World Cup had been “a grand success from its giant-killing beginnings to its fine finale” and lauding Ronaldo as soccer’s “new king”.

The press in football-mad Thailand went all-out in its coverage of the World Cup, dominating the Thai and English-language headlines for the past month.

Thai Rath newspaper, Thailand’s largest, said: “Perfect Brazil take fifth title.”

Brazil’s triumph dominated virtually every Australian newspaper, with some featuring full front page colour pictures of the player some called the Brazilian wonderboy, Ronaldo.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph devoted its entire front page and a double centre-page spread to the striker.

In a commentary which echoed the views of many fans in a country that normally prefers three other football codes — Aussie Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union — The Australian newspaper said Australians must learn from South Korea to secure a spot at the 2006 World Cup finals.

Co-hosts South Korea, who organized this four-yearly soccer jamboree with Japan, reached the semifinals in the best performance ever by an Asian team since the tournament’s conception in 1930.

Monday’s newspapers in South Africa had headlines like “Ole Brazil”, “Brazilliant” and “We lived a dream says Ronaldo”.

“Brazil leaves no doubt as to who reign as kings of soccer”, said The Star, with Business Day sport’s leading on “Brazil — the best the world has seen”.—AFP