Croatia defender Robert Kovac said he was surprised to see Brazilian striker Ronaldo pose no threat in Tuesday's match. "Ronaldo didn't run and stayed in front of us all game, he must be tired because he hardly touched the ball," Kovac told BBC Sport after the game. Brazil went on to win their World Cup Group F match against Croatia 1-0 that saw Ronaldo substituted in the 69th minute. "It was very easy marking him, I've played against him before and it was very difficult, I don't know what happened to him," the Juventus defender added. The Real Madrid strike has been repeatedly criticized for being overweight this season that saw him suffer from loss of form and sustain numerous injuries. The 30-year-old looked jaded and hardly had a single shot on target against Croatia, however, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was the first to show support for his player after the end of the game. "Ronaldo hasn't been playing for the last two months due to injury and only had two friendlies, so it was natural he felt a bit heavy as it was very hot,” Parreira said. "I am sure he will improve as the tournament goes on." Brazil are in second place in their group on three points, trailing Australia, whom they will face on June 18th, on goal difference.
