World Cup Day 27 - The Day Brazil Cried

[Thursday 10th July 2014]

This match needed its own blog post. A historical match that nobody will ever forget, something that's both scarred and scared me. Gary Lineker described what he saw as "the most extraordinary, staggering, bewildering game I've ever witnessed." Incredibly, this isn't hyperbole. You see, Germany mercilessly mauled Brazil 7 (seven) -1 on their own backyard. This was meant to be their World Cup! And to not only lose but suffer a record-breaking humiliation is something that can destroy this great nation. Maracanazo? A piece of cake, compared to this.

Returning to the Maracana was the prize for Brazil – a chance to heal their 64-year wound. It was a tantalising prospect. Organisers were confident enough to set up the schedule so that they’d not play there until their inevitable Final. It’s a day we’ll never now see, thanks to four goals in a shameful 400 second meltdown – just 179 between the second and fourth. Oliver Holt called it: “One of the most astonishing passages of play in World Cup history. Breathtaking.”

Even looking back now, I’m convinced it didn’t happen, not like this. I’m still shaking! Between the 23^rd and 29^th minutes, Germany tore Brazil apart in brutal fashion with ruthless efficiency. Thomas Muller’s early goal was quickly overshadowed by Miroslav Klose’s 16^th World Cup goal – finally overtaking the great Ronaldo. It was a night for setting new records. The wonderful Toni Kroos soon scored the quickest brace in World Cup history, with just 69 seconds separating his goals. If reports linking him with Real Madrid turn out to be true, they’ve bought a sensational player. Bayern Munich are mad to sell him.

Even Sami Khedira got on the scoresheet, making it 5-0 by the half-hour mark. I’ve never even seen a match where someone was 5-0 up this early, but this wasn’t some giantkilling-gone-wrong FA Cup match, this was a World Cup semi-final. It is completely unheard of. Khedira’s strike made Brazil only the third team to ever concede five goals in one World Cup half – joining illustrious comrades Zaire and Haiti.

By this point, FIFA’s camera crew were wedging in shots of crying Brazilian children at any time possible, which was darkly mesmerising to watch. Here, a country was being embarrassed – more than that – in front of the world. For years, Brazil have had this magical aura and often defeated teams before even stepping onto the pitch. Not anymore. This was the night where Brazil finally lost their mystique and it was about to get worse.

Andre Schurrle came off the bench, determined to force his way into Jogi Low’s starting 11 for the Final. Whilst the other Germans were visibly saving energy, not needing to exert themselves, the Chelsea forward made it 6-0 and 7-0. Words just don’t work anymore; it was the most surreal thing I’d ever seen. At this point, the shellshocked and heartbroken Brazilian fans turned on their own players – justifiably so. They applauded the seventh goal en masse, booed their own players’ passing and loudly jeered the substituted Fred when he appeared on the big screen. On commentary, Martin Keown said that the Germans should just declare, just please stop the match. It was painful to watch.

Low’s men heeded Keown’s words and retired at seven, taking pity on Oscar and letting him score a 90^th minute consolation. Not that Manuel Neuer was compliant – he was furious at losing his clean sheet! You really have to love Germany. When the referee finally put Brazil out of their misery by blowing for full time, tears flowed from all corners. David Luiz sank to his knees, Scolari tried consoling the inconsolable. This was Brazil’s first competitive home defeat since 1975 and their joint record defeat, equalling a 6-0 loss to Uruguay in 1920.

Tactically, Germany destroyed their left hand side, exploiting Marcelo at every possible opportunity. Lahm, Khedira and Muller continually found space by Marcelo, scoring at will. David Luiz gets heavily criticised but, as a player, he has many good days. However, this bad day will rank as one of the biggest bad days in history. Paris Saint-Germain have made him the world’s most expensive defender, good luck with that! Thiago Silva, their most effective player, wasn’t there to hold his hand and the results were horrific. The Germans were able to use their high defensive line because they were against the ineffectual Fred, which reduced the gap to their midfield. With all these players, Germany outnumbered Brazil and pressed them everywhere – gegenpress! Scarily enough, the Germans could easily have went up a gear or two if needed. Can anyone stop them?

Although the likes of South Africa, USA, Japan and Mexico have hosted World Cups, the mighty Brazil became the first home nation to lose a match by more than three goals. They’ve now been overtaken as all-time top scorers by the Germans. Needless to say, this 7-1 (seven!!!) score is the biggest ever World Cup semi-final score. But forget the statistics; many fear the consequences of this annihilation.

As I sit here, I'm quite scared about the fallout from this game - it's vital that no rushes of blood lead to tragedy. No Andres Escobar-like scapegoats please, for what was a collective capitulation. It exposed this Brazil team for what it truly is – average, overhyped brutes. Their dependence on Neymar is disturbing, as was the pre-match national grievance of a man who is still very much alive! Fans wore hats and masks of him, as David Luiz and Julio Cesar held a ‘Neymar Jr 10’ shirt during the national anthems. Maybe if they concentrated on the football, they wouldn’t be disgraced like this. Even dodgy referees and sensational crowds couldn’t stop this one!

It was hard not to feel sorry for the fans in attendance, who had created an incredible atmosphere in Belo Horizonte. Not only was the scent of a World Cup semi-final in the air, but there was a siege mentality regarding Neymar, along with the lingering social unrest that could explode with defeat. So far, the defeat was so heavy that it's inspired emotions of disbelief and self-pity, rather than anger. But eventually there’ll have to be an inquest. It’s time they return to free-flowing Brazil, the Brazil we’ve loved over the years. No more cynical, tactical fouls by one of many defensive midfielders. Some of these Brazil players will probably never play for them again, such as Maicon, Julio Cesar and Fred. The ones left over might be psychologically distraught, tortured by what happened.

Maracanazo led to a national competition to design a new kit, with their previous white shirt cursed by Alcides Ghiggia’s winner. Maybe Brazil need to change again – how about maroon, or aqua blue? Scolari must go and probably will, not helped by Brazilian newspapers’ reactions. One headline said “Go to hell, Scolari”, whilst another declared: “Congratulations to the runners-up of 1950... yesterday we found out what shame really is.” Twitter exploded with jokes, photoshopped pictures and mass mockery, knowing full well that the 7-1 will be this fantastic World Cup’s defining memory.

The last thing Brazil’s staff want right now is the 3^rd place playoff, but that’s exactly what they have on Saturday. It’s normally a stage for valiant semi-final losers to gain some pride before going home, but this will be different. Imagine if Van Gaal’s Holland beat them, what if it was another heavy scoreline? They’d call it Brasiliazo, to go with Tuesday’s Mineirazo. The mystique surrounding Brazil’s national team has finally died, how soon can they rebuild and create another one?

PS/ Germany will face Argentina in Sunday’s showcase, for the third time ever. Leo Messi finally gets his match, the stage he belongs on and the stage everyone said he needed to grace to truly be considered great. It feels perfect, doesn’t it? Anyway, Argentina and Holland played a dull, atrocious 0-0 draw and went to penalties. Tim Krul wasn’t used this time and Messi’s men will make their way to Rio, hoping to rub salt into Brazilian wounds.