Saitama, Japan ? The expectations are simple. Brazil must win the World Cup and with style.

So when the only four-time champions struggled just to qualify for the tournament, their aura of invincibility seemed gone.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, center, and other members of the Brazilian soccer team celebrate its World Cup semifinal victory. Brazil defeated Turkey, 1-0, Wednesday in Saitama, Japan. Brazil and Germany will play for the World Cup championship Sunday.

Ah, but this is Brazil. And Wednesday night, thanks to a second-half goal from Ronaldo, the team famous for playing the “beautiful game” beat Turkey 1-0 to advance to their third straight final.

On Sunday, Brazil plays three-time winner Germany in Yokohama, where it will be favored to carry off another World Cup crown.

“I plan then and there to have the most important goal of my career,” Ronaldo said. “Every goal I score is a victory. Every time I enter the pitch, for me it’s an honor.”

He scored the game-winner against Turkey in the 49th minute on a magical end-to-end rush begun by, of all people, goalkeeper Marcos.

Marcos also made a half-dozen brilliant saves against the Turks, who stunned everyone by reaching the semifinals in their first World Cup in 48 years.

After Brazil took the lead, Marcos barely got his hands on a deflection that would have been an own goal. It was his third sensational stop of the match. He made two more moments later: a soaring finger save on Ilhan Mansiz’s floater and a diving block of Hakan Sukur’s off-balance volley.

“In modern football, every team has a chance to win. No team is necessarily stronger than any other,” Marcos said.

But few are as inventive.

Stylish play is nothing new for the Brazilians, who won the World Cup in 1958, ’62, 70 and ’94 and are known as masters of “o jogo bonito” “the beautiful game.” In what turned out to be one more example, Marcos started the play that ended with Ronaldo’s tournament-best sixth goal.

Roberto Carlos, effective at both ends all night, chested the ball back to Marcos, leading to midfielder Gilberto Silva’s sprint down the left wing. He found Ronaldo, who despite being surrounded by four Turks, surprised goalie Rustu Recber with a quick, low right-footed shot.

The ball swerved just enough that Recber could only get his fingertips on it before the shot rolled into the net.

“The nightmare is over,” Ronaldo said. “And now is just the time to enjoy and develop this happiness.”

He was ill on the morning of the 1998 World Cup final and played poorly in Brazil’s 3-0 loss to host France. He has since undergone two knee operations.

“We are trying everything we can to make it a different final with a different end,” he said. “Here I am going to the final to get even more and more happy with my work.”