FIFA World Cup 2014:Brazil hurtled to their worst ever World Cup defeat

Belo Horizonte: A legacy forged over nearly 90 years was tarnished in 90 minutes on Tuesday. Brazil have lost their aura and Brazilian football its mystique after a 7-1 defeat against Germany in the World Cup semi-final. It was the death of a dream and the soul of football suffered a collateral damage. The 20th edition of the World Cup is destroying reputations with a vengeance. After Spain, one of the best in recent times, it’s now the turn of Brazil, the all-time best, to be at the receiving end.

Move over Maracanazo. A bigger tragedy at Estadio Mineirao has taken your place. It seems Brazil stages the World Cup to heap misery upon itself. After losing to Uruguay in the title decider at the Maracana in 1950, the Selecao have crashed out without playing at the refurbished Maracana even once in 2014. The wounds caused by the two editions would be deep enough to deter Brazil from bidding for another World Cup by the end of the century.

Brazilians may be happy-go-lucky people but they don’t forget some reverses in football easily. They would take an eternity to put the massacre at the hands of Germany behind them. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari wanted to reach heaven on July 13 but he has landed in hell four days in advance. No one saw this coming because no World Cup host has ever lost by more than three goals. The bizarre chapter wasn’t in the Cup story.

Despite playing in an away kit in a distant land, Germany were perfectly at home on Tuesday. The demolition job of the Germans must have left a scar on the mind of every Brazilian. Brazil appeared alien in their own backyard. Losing is never a shame in sports but the manner of losing can hurt. Brazil’s stunning loss resulted from schoolboy defending. Schoolboys would be offended by the comparison if they had seen the farce in Belo Horizonte.

Neymar’s injury was the recurring theme before the semifinal but the man whose absence had a greater impact was Thiago Silva. Without the calming influence of their captain, Brazil’s central defence wilted. David Luiz and Dante resembled a couple destined for divorce as they had no chemistry and coordination. Brazilian defenders probably misunderstood the meaning of individual brilliance by playing their own game without giving a hoot to collective work. Germany didn’t just beat Brazil; they eviscerated them. The plight of the five-time champions was at times embarrassing to watch. It was like catching the emperor without clothes.

Scolari gave German coach Joachim Loew a surprise gift in a bag before the match and the Loew’s team returned the favour with a truckload of goals. The first sign of Brazil’s diabolical defending emerged when Luiz allowed Thomas Muller to blast home Toni Kroos’ corner. Luiz and Co. continued to plumb the depths of defensive naivety. They made a Pele out of every German player. At the other end, Philipp Lahm showed how it should be done with a superb sliding tackle to deny Marcelo.

Klose claimed the record of Ronaldo as the top scorer in World Cup history by scoring his 16th goal off a rebound. The impressive Kroos, fast turning out to be 2014’s Iniesta, bagged a quick brace to twist the dagger in the heart of Brazil. Sami Khedira made it 5-0 by the half-hour mark to complete a four-goal assault in six minutes. Even Neymar couldn’t have rescued a team that was so shoddy in defence. Substitute Andre Schuerrle scored twice in quick succession after the break to round off an ecstatic evening for German fans and a strange day for everyone else.
The crushing loss is Brazil’s first in competitive matches on home soil since 1975 in addition to being the heaviest defeat in a World Cup semi-final.

Scolari has lost his first World Cup match as Brazil coach. In 12 matches prior to the Germany match, his teams had conceded seven, the same number of goals Brazil leaked on Tuesday. It was also Brazil’s worst loss in the World Cup after the 3-0 reverse in the 1998 final.

The beautiful game made people of all ages cry in the end and it wasn’t a pretty sight. German fans at Estadio Mineirao taunted their Brazilian counterparts after the match with a chant: “You are going home.”

Record Rout

Germany’s shattering 7-1 humiliation of Brazil in the World Cup semifinals in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday broke or equalled multiple football records:

Brazil equal heaviest defeat
Previous record: 6-0 (v Uruguay, South American Championship; Vina del Mar, Chile; September 1920)

Brazil’s heaviest defeat on home soil
Previous record: 1-5 (v Argentina, friendly; Rio de Janeiro; January 1939)

Brazil’s heaviest World Cup defeat
Previous record: 0-3 v France (final; Paris; July 1998)

Most goals conceded by Brazil at a World Cup
Previous record: Brazil 6-5 Poland (after extra time, last 16; Strasbourg, France; June 1938)

Heaviest defeat for a World Cup host nation
Previous record: Sweden 2-5 Brazil (final; Solna; June 1958)
Mexico 1-4 Italy (quarter-finals; Toluca; June 1970)
South Africa 0-3 Uruguay (group phase; Pretoria; June 2010)

Equalled the most goals conceded by a World Cup host nation in a single game
Previous record: Switzerland 5-7 Austria (quarter-finals; Lausanne; June 1954)

Biggest World Cup semifinal win
Previous record: Argentina 6-1 United States (Montevideo; July 1930)
Uruguay 6-1 Yugoslavia (Montevideo; July 1930)
West Germany 6-1 Austria (Basel, Switzerland; June 1954)
NB: Argentina beat Peru 6-0 in second-round match (replacing semi-finals) at 1978 tournament in Rosario, Argentina