Belo Horizonte: Brazil licks its physical and mental wounds after suffering one of the most humiliating World Cup defeats that saw Germany thrash the hosts 7-1 to reach Sunday’s final.
Its population of 200 million will wake up in shock on Wednesday trying to come to grips with the record defeat that saw them humiliated in front of the rest of the world in a sport they regard as a pillar of their global standing.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and captain David Luiz apologised for Germany’s demolition of the pride and joy of Brazilian football but that will not diminish the shame or the opprobrium that will be unleashed on the national side.
Scolari, whose over reliance on injured star Neymar and loyalty to outclassed striker Fred has been held up as a prime example of the inherent weaknesses in the team, brought home the last of Brazil’s five World Cup trophies in 2002 but that is now erased with the scars that will remain etched on the country’s psyche for decades to come.
“An embarrassment for eternity,” read the headline in Correio Braziliense, which summed up the feeling in the country.
However, opinion among analysts was divided as to whether this humbling ranked alongside the 1950 defeat to Uruguay at the Maracana when they were as now hosts and the match entered legend as the ‘Maracanazo’.
“In 1950 we felt we had an unbeatable team and losing at the Maracana was unthinkable,” Michel Castellar, an analyst at the sports daily Lance, told AFP.
“This time, we knew that we had a team with a lot of flaws and that maybe they would not reach the final. Was it a national humiliation? Yes, because of the number of goals. But it wasn’t a new Maracanazo,” he said.
Whether the failure of the host nation to reach the final will see the mass protests return to the streets may be the most taxing issue for organisers and President Dilma Rousseff, who is up for re-election later in the year.
Hundreds of thousands of people had held protests last year during the Confederations Cup, denouncing the record $11 billion (Dh40 billion) spent on the World Cup and demanding the money be spent on better hospitals and schools instead.
There were a few protests that attracted small crowds during the World Cup, though after Tuesday’s defeat some fans wondered whether hosting the tournament had been worth the cost.
As Brazil legend Pele tried to sound a rallying call saying that the ‘Selecao’ would win a sixth trophy in four years time in Russia, German great Franz Beckenbauer was in shock at the achievement of his national side.
“What was that? Hard to believe,” tweeted the man known as the ‘kaiser’ and who won the trophy as a player in 1974 and then as a coach with West Germany in 1990.
The game and its barely credible unfolding narrative sent Twitter into overdrive, with the social network beating all records of activity for a sporting event.
A total of 35.6 million tweets were sent breaking the previous record set at the Super Bowl in February, which saw nearly 25 million comments unfurl on Twitter, the social network told AFP.
“Brazil has Neymar, Argentina has Messi, Portugal has Ronaldo but Germany has a team,” one widely retweeted comment said.
Seemingly lost in this collective navel gazing and shock at the dismantling of their team was the extraordinary performance by the Germans, who put them to the sword with clinical merciless efficiency and never took their foot off the throat of their helpless victim.
For coach Joachim Loew it banished memories of 2006 — when he was assistant coach — and 2010 when the Germans lost in the semi-finals.
However, the undemonstrative and down to earth handler warned that the job was not yet done and that the semi-final result would be quickly forgotten in Germany if they returned home trophyless.
“A bit of humility would also be very good and we need to be careful that we stay focused on Sunday,” said the 54-year-old.
“There’s no euphoria in the dressing room, we are very happy, but we are not getting carried away.”
Joachim Loew and his side will learn who their opponents will be later on Wednesday when another clash of European and South American titans takes place.
Argentina, with four-time world footballer of the year Lionel Messi at last replicating his club form at international level, take on the Netherlands, who like the Germans have played as a team rather than relying on one star player — therein might lie a warning for the Argentinians.
