By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer, Kobe

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It was the day after the night before, and anybody visiting England's training camp could have been excused for thinking a siege mentality was the basis for their success at this World Cup.

Their training pitch on Awaji Island is hidden behind a covered fence, itself protected by a 20-foot high barrier and 20 yards of no-man's land.

Japanese guards patrol each corner; a monorail runs 20 metres away, dumping gravel and dirt into the nearby Pacific Ocean - and if banners of St George were not placed strategically along the perimeter the inevitable comparison would be with an open prison.

Austere, unwelcoming - but inside the mood just 12 hours after England had watched Brazil set up the quarter-final tie of this World Cup with their 2-0 victory over Belgium told much about why England are rapidly becoming the side to beat in this extraordinary tournament.

True, there was much respect given to the style and the skills of the Brazilians for whom England players had turned out to watch in their numbers last night.

"Unbelievable," "unpredictable," "outstanding" and "world class" were just a sprinkling of the epithets used to describe Brazil's individualism embodied by the likes of Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

England's players admitted they had jumped up and cheered with everyone else in the Kobe Wing stadium when Rivaldo broke the deadlock against Belgium with a piece of genius - controlling the ball on his chest, swivelling and volleying the ball home from 20 yards.

Kieron Dyer revealed he had already decided on his final act if he plays on Friday in Shizuoka.

"They are so exciting," he said.

"If I'm on the pitch at the end of the game I'll be man-marking Ronaldo to get his shirt.

"When you see things like Rivaldo's goal you just get carried away. You've just got to applaud. Anybody, whether you're a fan or a player, would have to cheer something like that."

For all the adulation, however, there was not a hint of fear - not even a passing thought that this young England side were not just as well-equipped to emerge victorious from a quarter-final which will have the Japanese population split in half after their own country exited the tournament today.

The talk was of momentum and opportunity; the mood was as upbeat as the sharply competitive six-a-side match with which England finished their one-and-a-half hour training session.

Captain David Beckham warned that England had to beat the team and not the myth, because - while watching Brazil is certainly one of life's pleasures - trying to stop them playing takes somewhat more determination and concentration.

Always, however, the questions came back to Ronaldo and Rivaldo - the two men of true genius who carry the burden of Brazilian expectation.

Rivaldo's discontent at one stage during Brazil's crazily erratic qualifying campaign saw him threaten to quit.

Rock bottom came during a match against Colombia in Sao Paulo when Brazil supporters shouted: 'Get out Rivaldo, you're useless.'

The man wearing the famed number 10 shirt ducked to avoid missiles and wondered whether he wanted to play again for a country that did not appreciate him.

In Barcelona they adored him. But in Brazil, ever since he made a careless pass in the Atlanta Olympics and ended Brazil's dream of gold, he had been portrayed as a mercenary.

"They booed me and treated me so badly that night," he said.

"I always try hard and give my best. I don't remember being so miserable at the end of a game."

Worse was to follow too when his family received threats and his car was vandalised.

Now in Japan, and despite even more controversy when he feigned injury after Turkey's Hakan Unsal kicked the ball at him, the nation which turned upon him is acclaiming him as the man to deliver Brazil's Holy Grail.

Beckham joined in the plaudits today, saying: "It was a fantastic goal against Belgium from a fantastic player."

But then also there is Ronaldo - the man who suffered a seizure before the World Cup final four years ago, jogged around in a daze as his side lost 3-0 to France and then was struck down by a knee injury of such severity that it seemed he might never play again.

With the most opportune of timing, Ronaldo - whose late goal against Belgium took him alongside Germany's Miroslav Klose as the tournament's top scorer with five goals - is closing in on his best form and his sharpest fitness for four years.

He might have scored a hat-trick against Belgium in a team performance which was considerably below the form Brazil will require if they are to win their fifth World Cup.

Such a re-emergence of Brazil's two pivotal stars not surprisingly has been occupying the thoughts of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson - although there are no plans to detail anyone to man-mark either out of the game.

It is not the way of this vibrant and maturing England side, as assistant coach Todd Grip confirmed.

"Sven says he has not seen Ronaldo as fit for four years," said Grip.

"It means we will have to play very well to beat them. But we did well against Argentina, and I think we can do it.

"Their history will make a lot more pressure on them than there will be on England.

"This Brazil team have two outstanding players, Rivaldo and Ronaldo.

"If we can stop them scoring we have a chance. But we can't just sit back and wait. We have to attack as well."

With that you half-expected a roar to sound from the bronze statue of a lion which has been placed at the entrance to England's training camp to accompany Grip and England's statement of intent.