WORLD CUP - DAY FIVE

There can be no doubt about the highlight of day five of the World Cup finals in Germany.

South Korea will have been delighted with their victory over Togo in their opening encounter, whilst Switzerland also deserve credit for securing a draw with neighbours France.

But it was the last game of the day that whetted the appetite of footballing neutrals everywhere, with Brazil kicking off the defence of their crown in Berlin against Croatia.

However, with the exception of a stunning goal to secure a 1-0 victory, the match did not produce the anticipated fireworks despite the presence of players such as Adriano and Ronaldinho.

It was AC Milan's Kaka who provided a suitable flash of brilliance to win the game. At the end of a low key opening he netted a stunning left foot effort from outside the box that set Carlos Antonio Perreira's men on the road to victory.

The Brazilians never really matched that moment of magic in the second period. Indeed, the biggest talking point was the performance of Real Madrid star Ronaldo.

He was withdrawn midway through the second half having barely burst into a sprint during an anoymous display. The experienced striker is currently on 12 World Cup final goals and two shy of Gerd Muller's goalscoring record in World Cup finals.

But on this evidence Ronaldo is far from a sure bet to match that record. However, despite failing to genuinely light the blue-touch paper in Berlin, the 'Samba Boys' are sure to be involved in the finals beyond the group stage.

South Korea will be hoping they join them after coming back from behind to defeat Togo that left them top of their group courtesy of France's draw with Switzerland.

Coach Dick Advocaat believes South Korea have a fighting chance of making the last 16 after storming back to defeat Togo.

The 2002 semi-finalists were stunned when the African nation, new at this level, took the lead through Mohamed Kader.

But the turning point came when their skipper Jean-Paul Abalo was sent off for two yellow cards by England's Graham Poll.

South Korea took full advantage, and secured a 2-1 victory thanks to spectacular goals from Lee Chun Soo and substitute Ahn Jung Hwan.

Advocaat said: "It is our first victory in the World Cup in Europe, and it is so important.

"If you win the first game you have a chance to stay in the tournament. If you lose, you make it difficult for yourself.

"You can see from the teams who won their first game what it means to them. The relief is evident."

Advocaat changed to a more attacking formation in the second half, and it paid dividends.

He said: "We were like two different sides. The team were nervous at the start, and so were Togo.

"But the players stayed calm at the break and it worked out for us in the end.

"We took a lot of risks and worked hard. It was fortunate to have worked out for us, but I think our luck was well
deserved."

After that eventful encounter, the match between the Swiss and the French was a real let down. They proved evenly-matched in their Group G opener.

Switzerland came closest to scoring when a probing Tranquillo Barnetta free-kick eluded a host of players and struck a post but France will feel they should have had a penalty when Thierry Henry's shot struck Patrick Muller's hand.

France coach Raymond Domenech refused to blame Russian referee Valentin Ivanov for the error that helped cost his side victory.

He said: "I don't want to make a big deal about the referee.

"Obviously we would have rather that he would have awarded us the penalty, that's for sure. But he didn't and he can make a mistake just like I can."