Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has revealed exactly how it felt to score at the World Cup, after he bagged the opening goal against China in their second group match in 2002.
Heading into the match with three points from their first game against Turkey, Brazil knew a win against China would all-but secure their progress to the next round of the tournament.
They didn’t have to wait long to settle the nerves, either, with Roberto Carlos stepping up to a free-kick from 30 yards out and smashing the ball straight into the top corner.
Brazil legend Roberto Carlos explains scoring in the World Cup
“Scoring in a World Cup is like winning the title – and this was precisely how I felt after my goal against China in 2002,’ Carlos tells FourFourTwo. “Can you imagine millions of people celebrating something you did?
“It’s insane and made me very proud. I couldn’t hide my smile when Juninho and Denilson came to congratulate me. I don’t think the goalkeeper was even able to see the ball hitting the net!”
After defeat in the 1998 final to France, Brazil turned up in South Korea and Japan looking to right the wrongs from four years before. With Ronaldo on top form, supplemented by Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, the Selecao had a side everyone feared – and which ultimately proved unstoppable during the tournament.
“We’d got to that tournament under pressure to perform – we could not afford to reach the final and lose again, like in 1998,” Carlos explains.
“It was our chance to recover from that failure and finally become world champions again. There will never be words to describe the feeling of achieving that. We set the bar very high for others and we still remain the last Brazil team to win it.”
With a 2-0 victory over Germany in the final, Brazil had achieved redemption in Yokohama. Ronaldo bagged twice in the second half to ensure the nation would lift the trophy for the fifth time.
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