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Ronaldinho. During the preparation stages, the team presented some problems. The team's greatest star Ronaldo had got a bad build-up, after returning from a two-month injury recovery. He also had blisters on his feet and a fever during the training matches. Despite winning the first 2 games against Croatia (1–0) and Australia (2–0), the "Magic Square" didn't seem to work as expected and struggled to beat the opponents' defense. In the third game, manager Parreira tried a new squad with five former reserve players, including Robinho, and Cicinho. The changes were successful, as the team put on a comfortable 4–1 win against Japan. During the second round, they defeated Ghana 3–0. However, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals against France by a score of 1–0. France was led by a rejuvenated Zinédine Zidane and by a strong defence which kept the Brazilian strikers under check for the duration of the game. Brazil were shut out, attempting just one shot at French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. The game was also notable for being the first time that the Brazil team had been shut out in 3 consecutive matches against France, now has a 2–1–1 all-time record in 1986, 1998 and 2006 in World Cup matches. After elimination to France, the Brazil team was largely criticized by the press and the fans. The media circulated images of the left wingback Roberto Carlos tying his shoes while Henry ran unmarked to score the winning goal. The sporting legend Pelé blamed coach
Parreira and Ronaldinho for the team's early elimination. 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga was hired as Brazil's new team manager on July 24, 2006, almost right after the World Cup was over. Dunga's former teammate, Jorginho, was hired as his assistant. His first match in charge was against Norway which was played in Oslo on August 16, 2006, ended in a 1–1 draw. His second match was held against Argentina on September 3 in Arsenal's brand new Emirates Stadium in London, in which Brazil defeated Argentina by a 3–0 score. On September 5, they won over Wales by 2–0 at Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane ground. They later
After the 2006 World Cup (2006–)