WORLD CUP SOCCER Tuesday's games

Brazil 3, Ghana 0
DORTMUND, Germany -- Ronaldo broke free early, flashed past Ghana's flailing goalkeeper and poked the ball into the net. With one swift move in the fifth minute, the superstar striker overtook German Gerd Mueller as the greatest scorer in World Cup history, spoiled Ghana's scrappy debut and put defending champion Brazil into its fourth straight quarterfinals. "I want to continue to increase the record," Ronaldo said, "but without forgetting that the main goal in the World Cup is winning the title." Brazil had to work for its win over the Black Stars, who pressured enough to create chances but kept shooting either just off the mark or well within reach of goalkeeper Dida. "Today's game was as we expected," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. "It wasn't easy and we knew it wasn't going to be easy, 3-0 seems easy, but it wasn't." The Brazilians used long, penetrating passes to build each of its goals, but Ronaldo's tournament-record 15th was the only one it would need. With its 11th straight tournament win, Brazil took another step toward a fourth straight World Cup finals, and next faces France in a rematch of the 1998 final, when the French won 3-0 on two Zinedine Zidane goals. "The big guys are coming to the quarterfinals," Parreira said. "It is getting closer and closer. It's getting tougher and tougher." On the counterattack, Kaka sent a second long pass up the heart of the field to an unmarked Ronaldo, who touched the ball once toward Richard Kingson, then sent the goalkeeper flailing with a brilliant stepover move. Ronaldo cut left, and with a defender closing, popped the ball into the net. Ronaldo said he never intended to break the World Cup scoring record -- it came to him. "It was never my goal, it just happened match after match," he said. "This is the result of lots of work, lots of sacrifice." Mueller scored his 14 goals over 13 games in the 1970 and 1974 World Cups; Ronaldo has played 18 games in the past three tournaments. Ronaldo performed poorly in Brazil's first two matches against Croatia and Australia, when the Real Madrid striker was held scoreless and substituted for twice. He was also bothered by a weight controversy and a string of minor health problems.
France 3, Spain 1
HANOVER, Germany -- Zinedine Zidane's farewell tour with France keeps on rolling. Spain's World Cup agony never ends. Zidane sent in a late free kick that Patrick Vieira headed off a defender to break a 1-1 tie Tuesday, then the retiring French captain finished off a brilliant night with a goal of his own to cement France's place in the quarterfinals. Spain, meanwhile, is still looking to end 76 years of World Cup futility. With the score even in the 83rd minute, Zidane's free kick curled into the goalmouth and found an onrushing Vieira, who headed it off the body of Spain's Sergio Ramos and into the net. Minutes later, Zidane made a solo run into the penalty area, his golden shoes flashing as he cut inside one defender before wrongfooting goalie Iker Casillas for the score. France's recovery from a listless World Cup start seemed impossible as little as a week ago, when Zidane was serving a suspension for too many yellow cards and the French struggled to score. Zidane said the French "really wanted to show that while the first round wasn't easy, we were capable of a few things. And this evening we have demonstrated that we have a good group that wants to go further." France coach Raymond Domenech said he had been surprised at suggestions that Vieira and Zidane should have been left off of the team. "For me, it was dramatic that this question was even being asked, but that's the way it is, and now we are moving ahead with our little team of old men." In the final minute, Zidane, who turned 34 on Friday, himself came back to head out crosses and rushed back with the abandon of a teenager to stop a Spanish rush. At the end of the game, the "old men" -- Zidane, Vieira and Fabien Barthez -- were all embracing and saluting the ecstatic, tricolor fans among the sellout crowd of 43,000. "We are still far from winning the cup but that's our target," said Vieira. "We know that we can achieve a lot and we'll keep working hard. Many people didn't expect us to win today but we proved them wrong." Domenech said the team was already looking forward to Brazil. "We have an exceptional game ahead of us," Domenech said. "As the players were saying in the locker room, it is for games like this that we live in the soccer world, for this kind of excitement." But French plans now go further. "Our only aim is to be there on July 9," the day of the final, said Domenech.
HANOVER, Germany -- Zinedine Zidane's farewell tour with France keeps on rolling. Spain's World Cup agony never ends. Zidane sent in a late free kick that Patrick Vieira headed off a defender to break a 1-1 tie Tuesday, then the retiring French captain finished off a brilliant night with a goal of his own to cement France's place in the quarterfinals. Spain, meanwhile, is still looking to end 76 years of World Cup futility. With the score even in the 83rd minute, Zidane's free kick curled into the goalmouth and found an onrushing Vieira, who headed it off the body of Spain's Sergio Ramos and into the net. Minutes later, Zidane made a solo run into the penalty area, his golden shoes flashing as he cut inside one defender before wrongfooting goalie Iker Casillas for the score. France's recovery from a listless World Cup start seemed impossible as little as a week ago, when Zidane was serving a suspension for too many yellow cards and the French struggled to score. Zidane said the French "really wanted to show that while the first round wasn't easy, we were capable of a few things. And this evening we have demonstrated that we have a good group that wants to go further." France coach Raymond Domenech said he had been surprised at suggestions that Vieira and Zidane should have been left off of the team. "For me, it was dramatic that this question was even being asked, but that's the way it is, and now we are moving ahead with our little team of old men." In the final minute, Zidane, who turned 34 on Friday, himself came back to head out crosses and rushed back with the abandon of a teenager to stop a Spanish rush. At the end of the game, the "old men" -- Zidane, Vieira and Fabien Barthez -- were all embracing and saluting the ecstatic, tricolor fans among the sellout crowd of 43,000. "We are still far from winning the cup but that's our target," said Vieira. "We know that we can achieve a lot and we'll keep working hard. Many people didn't expect us to win today but we proved them wrong." Domenech said the team was already looking forward to Brazil. "We have an exceptional game ahead of us," Domenech said. "As the players were saying in the locker room, it is for games like this that we live in the soccer world, for this kind of excitement." But French plans now go further. "Our only aim is to be there on July 9," the day of the final, said Domenech.
Associated Press