Their feet could not carry them as quickly as they used to. Their moves seemed less fluid than in the heady celebrations of their World Cup-winning days. And, sporting heavier frames, they got tired a lot more easily than in years gone by...
News Source: Trinidad Express
But the aged members of the Brazilian All-Star team displayed enough experience, good touches and glimpses of their class to manage a belated 1-1 draw with the Trinidad and Tobago senior national football team last Wednesday evening at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Dubbed a "Samba versus Soca" affair, the exhibition match-which was also supposed to kick start T&T's "Journey to Germany 2006" campaign-provided a lot of Carnival atmosphere during the pre-game show and the half-time interval.
The performances of Bunji Garlin, Maximus Dan, Denise Belfon and Destra Garcia-who both embraced each other in front an adoring audience to show that their infamous incident of a week ago was behind them-and top Road March contender Shurwayne Winchester went a long way in working the estimated 16,000 spectators into a jumping, rag-waving frenzy.
Of course, by the time the interval arrived, with T&T leading 1-0, performer par excellence Machel Montano had those same fans going "Insane".
The 1997 Road March winner then psyched them up even more when he recalled Destra, who displayed extreme hip-gyrating abilities, for their supremely popular song, "Is Carnival", a tune that was penned last year.
It was all reflective of the mood of the current festival season and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) officials would have been patting themselves on the back for having managed to attract such a large turnout.
But the fact that a veteran, if technically-skilful, Brazilian All-Star squad managed to control, in the main, the pace of the game with common sense, good passing and patience against a youthful World Cup-aspiring home team may have given coach Bertille St Clair cause for pause.
From the start, the class of the former football superstars was apparent and demonstrated by good first touch control and deft, if not quick, footwork and distribution.
It was also obvious that the Brazilians, who had dazzled the world with their outstanding play in their prime, were not exactly show-stoppers in 2004.
Careca and Bebeto were slow but very good on the ball. Midfielder Valber did not prevent a "full-ish" midriff area from hindering his influential play, while Edinho used trickery rather than speed to get around his younger opponents.
After dodging a bullet when T&T strikers Cornell Glenn and Stern John had two scoring attempts within six minutes, the Brazilians' first look at goal-from a neat build-up that had the local defenders ball watching-came shortly after.
Found open to the left of T&T goalkeeper Clayton Ince's penalty area, Edinho trickled the ball past the advancing keeper, only to see his shot blocked on the line by a desperate Anton Pierre lunge that had the defender injuring himself after getting entangled in the netting.
For the opening period, though, the speed of Glenn and John troubled the Brazilian defence, marshalled by their captain Ricardo Rocha.
And when John displayed some skill of his own, it led to the opening goal of the match.
A swift counter-attack from one of the few breakdowns in the Brazilians' midfield play led to Carlos Edwards bursting down the right flank before he whipped the ball to Birmingham City striker John at the the top left of the Brazilian box.
Bringing the ball to a dead stop with a hoisted left foot, John saw Rocha end up on his butt before he shot a rebound from goalkeeper Sebastiao Wagner into the net after 20 minutes of play.
An open John caused a further scare from inside the box with a shot that just went overbar, while Glenn somehow managed to lift a Kerry Baptiste square pass into the six-yard box also over the bar.
The older Brazilian players were displaying signs of wear and tear at that juncture.
But their experience showed in the second period.
They slowed the game to a more suitable pace by taking their time to build from the back and stroking the ball around and keeping possession nearly effortlessly in the midfield.
That prevented the T&T team from getting into any kind of rhythm.
And with a couple of fresh legs-Joelton for Bebeto, Fagner for Marcelo Gonsalves, and Haroldo for Charles Guerairo-they pushed for an equaliser.
It eventually came from one of their traditional strengths, a set play, which resulted from an infringement on Joelton just outside the right edge of the T&T 18-metre box.
Adriano then weighed a perfect ball to Rocha at the far post to head powerfully over some defenders into the roof of the goal three minutes from time.
The Brazilians then merely rode out the rest of the game with possession and passing, preventing the younger T&T squad from setting up any threatening moves.
Experience got even with youth.
Teams:
T&T-Clayton Ince, Angus Eve, Ancil Elcock (Nigel Daniel 56), Kerry Baptiste, Cornell Glenn (Ashton Leggerton 59), Michael Celestine (Cyd Gray 88), Marvin Andrews, Corey Rivers, Anton Pierre, Carlos Edwards (Silvio Spann 71), Stern John.
Brazil All Stars-Sebastiao Wagner, Antonio Careca, Ricardo Rocha, Bebeto (Joelton 71), Jorginho, Alexandro Torres, Valber, Edinho, Marcelo Gonzalves (Fagner 82), Adriano, Charles Guerairo (Haroldo 46).
