Brazil defeats Romania in Ronaldo's farewell match.

By Márcio Kroehn_247 – The friendly match between Brazil and Romania began at 29 minutes and 46 seconds of the first half, with the score at 1-0 for the Brazilian team, a goal by Fred. It was at that moment that the fourth official announced the entry of the number 9. It wasn't a common substitution, an injury, or a tactical change. It was the entrance onto the field of the greatest player in modern football, who won two World Cup titles with the Seleção and achieved the record of 15 goals in World Cups. Ronaldo, the Phenomenon, was beginning his farewell to the pitch. The fans who filled the Pacaembu stadium didn't care about his lack of form or the short time he would participate in the game. They wanted to see a goal, the last one, the final one. And Ronaldo had three chances. In the first, he received a pass from Neymar in the penalty area, but the subtle touch didn't fool goalkeeper Tatarusanu. On Monday, Robinho made a clean pass to Ronaldo, who blasted the ball wide and smiled. He smiled like he'd never smiled in his career for missing a practically guaranteed goal. Finally, Neymar dribbled down the right and found Ronaldo, who received the ball and shot low. The party-pooper Tatarusanu prevented the Brazilian celebration. In other times, Ronaldo wouldn't have missed any of the three goals. But this ending showed another difference in Ronaldo: a flesh-and-blood legend, who connects with all of us by failing and apologizing. “You guys are amazing! I had three chances but couldn't score... It would have been my way of repaying everything you've done for me throughout my career,” he said after a slow victory lap. “You cried when I cried, you smiled when I smiled. You who are here represent the Brazilian people who supported me at all times,” he concluded.

But the game wasn't over. Brazil and Romania had a second half ahead of them. The celebration lasted 15 minutes; the remaining 75 needed to be serious play. And it was far too serious. It lacked grace, it lacked lightness, it lacked creativity. The crowd watched a very hardworking Brazilian team that ran, fought, and even created some goal-scoring opportunities. Even though coach Mano Menezes fielded three forwards (Robinho, Neymar, and Fred; later Nilmar in place of Fred; and finally Lucas in Robinho's place), there wasn't anyone on the field who could orchestrate these players. Even replacing Neymar with Thiago Neves didn't help. The team lacked excitement and seemed to be playing with the handbrake on, conserving energy for the Copa América, which takes place in July in Argentina. The few goal-scoring chances were stopped by Tatarusanu or went wide – the truth is that the best chances were in those 15 minutes with Ronaldo. In the end, the angry crowd chanted "olé" whenever Romania had possession. The Brazilian team needs to improve significantly. And, if it weren't for Ronaldo's farewell match, the game would have been a huge waste of time.