"Winning or losing, my big victory is to play again," said Ronaldo, who is now the tournament’s top scorer with six goals. He also became Brazil’s second highest scorer at World Cup finals after Pele with a total of 10.

"After all the suffering, I feel extremely happy to be able to score goals, to run, to play football. The nightmare is over," he said.

Ronaldo has only returned to action in the last three months after two-and-a-half years of injury misery. He underwent two operations on his right knee and was then plagued by a succession of muscular injuries when he tried to make his comeback.

Ronaldo said he wanted to put the misery behind him as well as memories of his mysterious appearance in the 1998 final when he played only hours after suffering a fit and looked dazed and lethargic. Brazil lost the match 3-0 to hosts France.

"I’ve tried to forget all this, it’s all in the past. I want to make this final very different."

Ronaldo added that his toe-poked goal against Turkey was reminiscent of Romario, the veteran striker who was controversially left out of Brazil’s World Cup squad.

The striker capped a jinking run after 49 minutes at Saitama Stadium with an improvised shot that Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber got a hand to, but could not keep out, to decide a tight semi-final tussle.

"It’s the sort of goal that Romario would score, but I didn’t learn it from anyone," he said, adding that there were no ill feelings between him and the temperamental former Barcelona and Valencia player.

"He’s a friend, that’s why I remembered him."

Ronaldo’s goal means he is now only two goals short of Pele, who is the Brazilian player to have scored the most goals in the World Cup. Gerd Mueller of Germany has the most of all time with 14.

Ronaldo moved ahead of Ademir, Leonidas, Vava and Jairzinho, who all have nine though he was helped when FIFA awarded him the first goal in the first round match against Costa Rica even though he did not touch the ball.

"I’m very happy and proud to have got this total," he said. "I will be even happier if I can get Brazil’s fifth world title."

He added that he had felt a twinge from his thigh injury during the game. "Today, I felt muscle pains in the lower leg and in my thigh. My only plans now are to recover for the final."

Ronaldo’s strike sets up the first World Cup clash between Brazil and Germany, the two most successful sides in the tournament’s history with seven wins between them. Germany beat co-hosts South Korea 1-0 in their semi-final on Tuesday.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said: "We are very, very happy. We expected to win by more goals but it didn’t happen.

"We knew Turkey would be a tough opponent. I want to congratulate the Turkish players and coach."

Turkey, playing in their first World Cup semi-final, started brightly but were eventually over-run by Brazil’s attacking play.

Playmaker Rivaldo carried the main attacking threat for Brazil in a first half that quickly came to the boil.

After Turkey defender Alpay Ozalan stretched goalkeeper Marcos with a 20th-minute header, Brazil were stung into a fierce response and Rustu did superbly to save a fierce Rivaldo drive and the follow-up from Ronaldo. The goalkeeper also denied Rivaldo again, Roberto Carlos and, bravely, Edilson before the interval as Brazil took over.

However, if Rustu was Turkey’s first-half hero, he was caught out for Ronaldo’s goal four minutes after the interval.

The Brazilian turned his marker well and bore down on goal with customary menace but his toe-poked effort with the outside of his right foot from 15 metres lacked power and Rustu should have done better than help it into the corner of the net.

Brazil, making light of creative midfielder Ronaldinho’s absence through suspension, continued to have the better of it after that and Kleberson and substitute Luizao could have made their victory much more comfortable. Turkey, who did not get past the first round in their only other World Cup appearance in 1954, go out of this competition with their heads held high.

Although Ronaldo claimed to have been punched by Turkish defender Bulent Korkmaz, at one stage, the game was played in a much fairer spirit than Brazil’s 2-1 victory in the group clash between the two sides on June 3 when two Turks were sent off, the second after Rivaldo feigned injury.

Turkey’s coach Senol Gunes said his players felt the effects of the huge expectations back home. Nevertheless, he praised his team. "We came to the World Cup to take part in the festival and make an impact and I think we have achieved that goal," he said.

"I am proud of my players. They have done superbly. I’m sorry we couldn’t give the Turkish people more happiness today."

However, forward Ilhan Mansiz, scorer of the golden goal against Senegal that took them to the semi-final, was defiant in defeat.

"Our morale was never broken," he said.

"We missed a few chances and we couldn’t score, but I wish Brazil all the best."

Brazil now take on Germany in Yokohama on Sunday. Since World War Two, either the Brazilians or Germans have featured in every final except one.

If he plays, Brazil captain Cafu will be the first player to feature in three World Cup finals. Cafu came on as a substitute in Brazil’s 1994 penalty shoot-out victory over Italy and played in the 1998 defeat to France.

Turkey play co-hosts South Korea in the third-place play-off in Taegu on Saturday.