Day 5: Wins for South Korea and Brazil and more bad luck for Togo

Brazil win in Berlin

The first game in the German capital was the one we’d all been waiting for. Just how good is this Brazilian team?

Croatia’s organisation kept Brazil at bay for most of the first half. They even had the temerity to look dangerous from a couple of set pieces. But Brazil’s class told a minute before the break when Kaka beat two markers and caressed a glorious left foot shot past Pletikosa to give them the lead.

But it was far from a football masterclass. Ronaldo, looking "heavy on the pies", was anonymous. With a first touch that was at times reminiscent of Kevin Campbell’s early days at Arsenal, he was substituted after 65 lethargic minutes.

Defensively, the Brazilians were far from sound. Croatia had three good chances at the start of the second half but Kranjcar, Babic and Prso all hit shots straight at Dida.

In the end, Brazil were happy to settle for a 1-0 win. The highlight of the last 20 minutes was a Croatian fan invading the pitch to kiss the feet of one of his heroes.

While Brazil will coast through this group, Croatia can be happy with their efforts and will look forward to battling it out with Australia for second place.

Stalemate in Stuttgart

An uninspired performance from France in a game they were lucky not to lose. Les Blues struggled to break down the Swiss with a listless performance as dour as an hour in the pub with Alan Shearer.

Swiss striker Frei glanced a first half free kick onto the post when it was easier to score. Substitute Gygax’s point blank header was blocked by Barthez. Aside from a handful of classic Zizou passes and the occasional Henry shot, France mustered next to nothing. They have not scored a World Cup goal since Emmanuel Petit scored in the 1998 final.

For such a tame match, it was amazing that 8 players were booked. Swiss left back Magnin was carded for doing absolutely nothing. I’m sure Sepp Blatter approved.

Show them the way Togo home

Things haven’t gone well for Togo in the run-up to their first World Cup. Their players boycotted training and argued over pay. Their coach walked out in protest. Finally, their Prime Minster brokered a deal to get team on the pitch.

It didn’t get any better for them in Frankfurt. The stadium announcer accidentally played the Korean anthem twice leaving their fans and players confused. Then, after taking a deserved first half lead through striker Mohamed Kader, England’s finest Graham Poll sent off their left back Abalo.

One man down in sweltering conditions – German TV had decided to close the stadium roof in order to remove shadows from their pictures – the Togans succumbed to a curled free kick from Lee Chun Soo and a 25 yard strike from Ahn Jung Hwan, the man who scored the golden goal that sent Italy home in 2002.

Togo now need a miracle to get to the second phase. Their current run of luck suggests they’ll find one hard to come by.