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Byline: SCOTT FRENCH Staff Writer

BERLIN -- In the end, everything worked as it's supposed to -- giants Brazil and Germany faced off in the final -- but the wacky World Cup four years ago turned soccer on its head. Defending champion France and pre-tournament favorite Argentina failed to advance from group play, and the U.S., South Korea, Senegal and Turkey reached the last eight.

All appears back to normal: The quarterfinals in Germany, to be played today and Saturday, are a Who's Who of the sport's elite. Six of the eight nations have won World Cup titles -- combining for 15 of 17 championships -- and a seventh, Portugal, is a recognized power.

Only Ukraine, playing in its first World Cup, seems out of place.

There are three potential classics -- Germany-Argentina in Berlin, England-Portugal in Gelsenkirchen and Brazil-France in Frankfurt -- and the fourth game (Italy-Ukraine in Hamburg) offers an underdog with a chance.

The big one is the opener, today's showdown between the tournament host, bolstered by the support of a soccer-mad country, and the team that appears best-rounded, most talented and likeliest champion.

``This could easily be a final,'' said World Cup organizing committee president Franz Beckenbauer, who coached Germany in the 1986 and 1990 finals against Argentina, losing the first and winning the second. ``It's a shame, but both of us are going to consider it a final.''

The Germans, playing explosive soccer under Juergen Klinsmann's American-inspired dictates, haven't played a team with near the quality of Argentina, which pairs a sophisticated attack led by Juan Roman Riquelme with a tenacious, sometimes brutal defense. But the Argentines have scored just twice in the past two games, after a spectacular six-goal outburst against Serbia and Montenegro, and Germany hasn't allowed a goal since the opener.

All hope the game is as entertaining as the '86 final in Mexico City, when Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina pulled out a 3-2 victory after surrendering a two-goal lead. Germany, with Klinsmann at striker, gained revenge four years later in Rome, a dour 1-0 triumph on Andreas Brehme's penalty kick.

Five-time champion Brazil is acting like 1998 never happened, and 1986 is a distant memory. The losses to France in the past two Cup meetings, the first on penalties, have nothing to do with Saturday's showdown, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira insists. But it is a rematch between Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, the primary figures in the weird '98 final, and that means something.

Zidane, retiring after this Cup, scored twice in France's '98 triumph; Ronaldo, who just broke Gerd Mueller's World Cup career goals record, getting his 15th against Ghana, played in a daze after he was hospitalized briefly with a mystery illness the day of the game.

The French, who gave an inspiring performance -- the first time this tournament -- in a second-round win over chronic disappointers Spain, have bigger things going on than '98 nostalgia. They're in a battle with far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who this week told Reuters there were too many ``players of color'' on France's team.

``We feel that France doesn't totally recognize itself in this team,'' said Le Pen, an anti-immigration proponent who reached the second round of balloting in the 2002 presidential election and is expected to run again next year.

The French roster has several black players, including stars Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Lilian Thuram, and is led by the Algerian Zidane.

The buzz surrounding Saturday's England-Portugal clash is all about the coaches. Luiz Felipe Scolari has beaten Sven-Goran Eriksson in their past twomeetings, guiding Brazil to a quarterfinal win en route to the 2002 World Cup title and leading Portugal, on penalties, past England at the 2004 European Championship quarterfinals.

Scolari, whose teams have won their past 11 World Cup games, turned down overtures to take charge of England when Eriksson steps down after the tournament. He later admitted he coveted the England job but couldn't ethically negotiate while his contract with Portugal, which runs through July, was in effect.

Italy, like England, hasn't played inspiring soccer, and its superb backline is shorthanded with Alessando Nesta hurt and replacement Marco Materazzi suspended. That could be enough for Ukraine, with former ACMilan striker Andriy Shevchenko on attack, to pull off an upset.

``We have not finished yet,'' Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin said Thursday. ``We understand that Italy is the favourites, but two teams are playing. We will try and get to the semifinal.''

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Photo:

(color) Brazil's Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Ghana. The goal was Ronaldo's record 15th in his World Cup career.

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images