When the Men's World Cup draw finished at the Busan Convention Centre on SAT 01 DEC 2001, Turkey's Hakan SUKUR was optimistic about his nation's chances of advancing out of their Group C but wary of their opponents. Of his Brazilian teammate at Inter Milan, RONALDO, Sukur said that he would fight back from his recent injury troubles, adding, "I believe he will be Brazil's trump card."

CHINA PR
Before China PR even qualified for Korea/Japan 2002, Bora MILUTINOVIC became a cultural icon in the world's most populous nation, appearing in adverts, on television, in books, and even on shopping bags. This time, though, Milu couldn't get his team over the talent gap in their group. Curiously, China PR may have played their best football in their worst loss, a 4-0 humbling against Brazil. The team continued to play positive football, probably because their billion supporters wanted them to come home at least with a 1 under GF. Their best opportunity went begging when, trailing 2-0 to Turkey in the first half, YANG Chen volleyed a cross from HAO Haidong right into the post.

COSTA RICA
Is football played in cycles? At their second Men's World Cup appearance, Costa Rica were drawn against the coach who led them to their first World Cup in 1990. Against Turkey, Winston PARKS equalised in the 86th minute, meaning that a draw against Brazil could be cashed in for a second round ticket. That match became one of the wildest of the tournament, with acrobatic goals scored by Brazil's EDMILSON and Costa Rica's Rónald GÓMEZ in a 5-2 Brazil win. It marked the end of Hernán MEDFORD's international career, during which he scored the famous goal that sent los Ticos into the second round at Italia 1990.

TURKEY
If you hadn't followed the past couple of years of football, you could be forgiven for disregarding Turkey, returning to World Cup play for the first time since 1954. About ten minutes after their opener against Brazil concluded, my Turkish friend Burak arrived back from where he watched the match with his countrymen. As soon as he entered, he said, predictably, "That was not a penalty!" Alpay OZALAN had been sent off in the 85th minute for pulling down LUIZÃO just outside the box, and so, over Burak's protests, RIVALDO scored the winning penalty.

Nonetheless, Turkey recovered sufficiently to reach the second round, where they eliminated cohosts Japan, following that with an overtime win against Senegal. Their semifinal opponent: none other than Brazil. This was the first time the same teams would meet twice in the same World Cup since 1954. By this time Burak was back home in Turkey, and goalkeeper Rustu RECBER continued his remarkable performance. Nonetheless, Ronaldo eliminated Turkey with a second half goal. Turkey's missing man for much of the tournament, Sukur, still earned a record by scoring just eleven seconds into the third place match against the Korea Republic.

BRAZIL
Word on the street is that Rivaldo could be appearing in the Olympics for Brazil - on the diving team. After that controversial penalty against Turkey, Hakan UNSAL kicked the ball at Rivaldo's leg; the Barcelona striker went down in a heap holding his stomach. Unsal got his deserved red card, but Rivaldo escaped immediate punishment [he was fined a couple of days later]. Brazil rolled through their other Group C opponents and passed Belgium easily in the second round.

Against England, the Verdeamarelhos [in blue for this match] conceded a first half goal to Michael OWEN after defender LÚCIO gave up the ball in his own third. Rivaldo equalised, and RONALDINHO placed a sharply curved free kick into the far corner to win the match 2-1. Having embarrassed David SEAMAN in that match, they then proceeded to make the tournament's best goalkeeper, Germany's Oliver KAHN, look silly in the final. The first of Ronaldo's two came when Rivaldo's shot skipped off Kahn's hands back to the Inter forward, the second on a beautiful pass from KLÉBERSON in which Rivaldo served as the dummy.

"We will see Turkey play possibly their best football ever to win the group, and we will see China PR stun Brazil to take Milu to the second round for the fifth straight tournament." Sure enough, the trump card proved us wrong again. But there can be no doubt that Turkey played their best football ever.