"Triple R" attack to test English defence

Hamamatsu, Japan:

Can the World Cup's best defence stop its most prolific offence? The answer awaits on Friday, when Brazil's whirlwind attack tests England's rock-solid back line in a quarter-final showdown in Shizuoka. Defenders Danny Mills, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole have allowed just a single goal in four tough matches against Argentina, Sweden, Nigeria and Denmark. Still, they've never faced an attack like the "Three Rs". Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho have scored 10 of Brazil's 13 goals, tops in the tournament alongside Germany. Ronaldo is the most experienced of the "musketeers". His surprising performance at the Cup has silenced doubters who questioned whether he could play at the sport's highest level after a two-year absence for knee surgery. In four games, the two-time FIFA Player of the Year has tallied five times and is tied with Germany's Miroslav Klose in the race for the Golden Boot. In his third World Cup, Ronaldo is eager to erase the painful memories of the 1998 tournament, when he had convulsions hours before the final match and played poorly in Brazil's 3-0 loss to France. Patiently, the 25-year-old striker has laboured to recover his speed and timing, staying on the practice field to work on his finishing long after teammates have gone to the locker room. "After two years without playing, this is without a doubt a personal victory," he said, moments after his goal in the 88th minute had iced a 2-0 win over Belgium. "Now I'm becoming a normal player again and scoring important goals". "Ronaldo is growing game by game," said coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who predicted his star would score six goals in the tournament. Rivaldo, at 30 the oldest of the three, shares the spotlight and the scoring chores with Ronaldo. With surprising grace and agility for a big man, Rivaldo already has four goals and a handful of highlight-reel plays. Like Ronaldo, Rivaldo also has something to prove. Brazilians complain that he has never performed as well on the national team as he has for Barcelona. They cite the debacle of the 1996 summer Olympics when Rivaldo's blunder sparked a comeback by Nigeria and Brazil's elimination. Recently recovered from a knee ligament injury that sidelined him for two months, Rivaldo is out to prove the rap is undeserved. Against Belgium, Rivaldo may have saved his side with a goal that was pure inspiration. With the game scoreless in the 67th minute, he trapped a cross from Ronaldinho on his chest, touched the ball up for a quick glance around to assess the defense, then let it bounce as he whirled and fired a shot that nicked a defender's foot on its way in to the goal. Ronaldinho is the junior partner in the trio, also rescued from obscurity by Scolari after a legal battle that delayed his transfer from Brazil's Gremio to Paris Saint-Germain and left him unable to play for either club. Always known for his wizardly ball-handling skills, Ronaldinho also learned how to play defense in France and added pounds of muscle that allowed him to keep his feet under challenges from beefy defenders. Scolari moved him off the front line, allowing him to face the goal and freeing Rivaldo of some defensive chores. Ronaldinho blossomed, and although he has scored only one goal in the Cup on a penalty kick, expectations are so high that Scolari said no one should expect him to be the sole "savior of the fatherland". With the other Rs beside him, he can share the responsibility.