From The Sidelines: When Brazil's world came tumbling down

One. And then two. And afterwards, three...

In only 17 minutes, I saw something that my eyes and my mind do not remember happening. It was in that small period time, that Brazil's world came tumbling down.

It all happened so quickly… it was in the second minute of the second half, and the modern electronic scoreboard showed a result even a man from Mars or Jupiter would not believe: Brasil 0, Australia 3.

By the 38th minute of the second half, I was already writing in my autobiography: "Once upon a time, I had nails in my fingers, but after a game in a beautiful place called Dubai, I have eaten them so deep, that I think they will be afraid to come out again."

And the score was still 'only' 2-0 to the Aussies. By the third minute of the second half, I remembered that people used to call me Ronaldo. No one knows why...maybe because I am shaved completely. But, by that minute, baby if I had hair, ooooooh man...if I just had some hair, I would pull it so strongly!

Brasil were at the pitch, ignoring my suffering, and that of many thousands of supporters, running against a wall of seven or eight Australians and above all, rushing against that irritating watch on the score board.

Why must time pass so fast when you need it?

And the yellow-shirted boys tried: they kicked, they crossed, and they dribbled, and they pushed so hard that I was scratching my shoe on the floor of the press stand in the Rashid Stadium.

Finally in a glimpse of great football the ball went to Juninho and from a long distance, his cannon ball broke a hole in the Australian castle. Fifteen thousand people in the Rashid stadium and millions in 22 countries (not counting the 50 million back in Brasil) following the games in Dubai lost their breath.

Gol do Brasil, but still, two more to tie this game. Even the "Megafone Girl" started to loose her temper. There in the stands, amongst the thousands of fans dressed in the yellow an green jersey, there she was, tying to scream out with all the air in her lungs. "Go Daniel, Push him!", "C'mon Dudu, you can make it!", "Hey you, Kleber go ahead, shoot!". "Rush on boys: only 6 minutes to go!"

And it helped. She and her megafone did push the team ahead.

Second goal for Brazil and still there were six minutes to change the way things moved. Now everybody knows the end of the story, but few know that Dudu's second goal kept Brazil in the World Cup.

Few have seen the hundreds of local fans simply "booing" every single Australian player that came out of the dressing room...

A scene I thought I would never see: players being "booed" because they beat Brazil...Even the Australian were surprised, and smiled at the people showing them the thumbs down.

So intrigued they were by this scene that Anthony Danze, the number 12 who scored two historical goals against Brasil, came out of the bus and took pictures of the people outside.

"They are angry at us, but in a friendly and polite way...I think I will never forget this unique way of expressing their opinion," said Danze on the steps of the bus.

Me too Danze. Me too.

P.S.: Can you imagine Brazil out of the World Cup so early?