When the Republic of Ireland journeyed to Genoa to meet Romania and David O'Leary took his place in Irish sporting folklore on a memorable day in the summer of 1990 it marked an important evolution in football.

That was the first of the penalty-shoot outs in the World Cup and the drama of the intervening years has merely served to heighten the significance of the occasion. A new, compelling dimension had been added to the game and the hopes and fears of player all over the world would in time thrive or perish on their ability to hit the target from the spot.

Given that scenario, it's remarkable how little time is given in training to the art of penalty taking. In many years of observing international team training sessions, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have seen players practise penalty kicking.

And the exceptions to the rule were generally influenced by the need to help goalkeepers sharpen their judgement rather than familiarising others with an aspect of the game which is now becoming increasingly critical in major championships.

If it is trite to suggest that Brazil owe their sixth appearance in a World Cup final next Sunday exclusively to their resource in sudden death finishes, it is no coincidence that it was the same route which took them to success in Pasadena four years ago.

Nor is it without significance that Holland, like England, have now lost three important shootouts to cancel the merit of some outstanding individual performances in ordinary time. All four Brazilian penalties in Marseilles were hit with conviction, in stark contrast with the two flawed Dutch attempts.

The outcome has been to give the Brazilians a chance of emulating their achievement in Sweden in 1958 when they became the only country to cross the Atlantic and return home with the trophy.

With so many South Americans now involved in European club football - Ronaldo, for example, was duelling with Philip Cocu, an old team-mate at PSV Eindhoven when he went through to score their only goal in Marseille - perceived differences in styles and the way the game is played on the two continents have now all but disappeared.

And yet Brazil are certain take some mental baggage with them into Sunday's final in which the burdens of history may well present coach Mario Zagallo with some of his biggest problems in the approach to the game.

Zagallo, uncommonly emotional in the tumult which followed the Marseille game, had regained his composure sufficiently yesterday to pay gracious tribute to Holland. Asked how he placed this win in the context of some of their celebrated successes of the past, he said: "All victories have to be assessed on the strength of the opposition and Holland were very strong on Tuesday. "We now have four days to rest and to prepare ourselves fully for the final. But whatever happens the game cannot be much more difficult for us than the one against the Dutch."

Zagallo confirmed that some of his players are under treatment for minor injuries and while he stopped short of saying so, the certainty is that Cafu will return at right back after serving his one-match suspension.

For Holland, never braver, never so unsparing in their output of energy, there remains only the relatively obscure assignment of playing off for third and fourth places on Saturday. Motivating players for that game will be no easy task for Guus Hiddink, but in the longer term who will now bet against their chances of regaining the European Championship?

"That is now the next objective and while morale was pretty low this morning, it will help focus our minds when we go home next Monday," Hiddink said.