2014 World Cup Nostalgia: Germany defeats Brazil 7-1

DBasia.news – Speaking of the World Cup, being a host can be very helpful. Like Uruguay who hosted and won the 1930 World Cup, Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978) and France (1998). Also Sweden (1958), Chile (1962), and South Korea (2002), which unexpectedly skyrocketed when they hosted the World Cup. The guest team would shrink to see the enthusiasm and number of supporters of the hosts.

But this did not happen at the 2014 World Cup when Brazil hosted the largest four-year tournament. In this event Brazil swallowed the most embarrassing defeat in history. The Samba Team was beaten by the German Panzer Team 1-7 in the World Cup semifinal match at the Mineirao Stadium, Belo Horizonte, July 8, 2014.

“You see the faces of the Brazilian players when they walk on the field during the World Cup. They looked like they were going to compete in the Hunger Games,” Zico, a great Brazilian midfielder in the 1970s and 80s, said as quoted from The Guardian in May 2018.

“They didn’t enjoy the moment and that made things more difficult. When they met a team with the same pedigree, they were caught red-handed.”

Looking back, Brazil and Spain are World Cup winners who have never won at home. The record is somewhat surprising when talking about Brazil. Because Brazil is able to win five times elsewhere, but not at home. And they have twice hosted.

In the first attempt in 1950 the Samba Team surprisingly lost to Uruguay in the final at the Maracana Stadium. Losses are a deep wound in football. The defeat was later remembered as “Maracanazo”.

In 2014 Brazil continued to feel the pain, this time it was called Mineirazo. However, in 2014 what happened was more than just annoyance, in contrast to sheer disappointment in 1950. This was an insult, more like a sad comedy than a tragedy.

On the pitch, under the support of almost the entire stadium, Brazil appeared a class below Germany. The Panzer Team presented what had never happened in the history of the tournament.

Starting the match with the initiative to attack, Brazil, was not strengthened by Neymar who was injured, first threatened through Marcelo whose shot was deviated from the kick of the German midfielder, Sami Khedira instead of hitting the body of his own colleague, Toni Kroos.

Germany opened the scoring in the 11th minute through the first corner kick when Thomas Muller managed to escape David Luiz’s escort to kick the ball into the goal.

Brazil tried to retaliate but their attacks did not produce results, although German captain, Philipp Lahm was forced to make a careful tackle to block Marcelo’s efforts to create opportunities.

Calamity for the host began in the 23rd minute when Miroslav Klose grabbed the ball throwing up his own shot that could not be anticipated perfectly by Cesar. The goal also led Klose to displace Brazilian legend, Ronaldo, as the all-time top scorer in the World Cup finals with 16 goals.

Brazil has not let up the disappointment, their goal had to be conceded twice in a row in the span of 69 seconds. Kroos scored both goals, first by throwing a ball and second by seizing control of Fernandinho right after passing a one-two ball with Khedira who completed perfectly.

The Brazilian’s wound was getting worse after Khedira broke through Cesar’s goal in the 29th minute. A goal that put Germany ahead 5-0 in less than half an hour.

Germany’s performance on the pitch caused horror among Brazilian viewers. Five goals in the first half put an end to the great hopes of the Brazilian public. Hopes of happiness soon become disastrous.

“I just want to give people happiness. For people who have suffered so much,” said David Luiz after the match. “I just want to see people smile.”

On the sidelines of the match television cameras captured the melancholy look of the Brazilian supporters, a few had shed their tears. There were also those who appeared to be in disbelief.

“I watched at home with my wife. After the third goal came in, my wife began to cry,” recalled Tite, the current Brazilian coach.

Respecting Joachim Low

On the German bench, the German coach also appeared to be in disbelief on what he saw. “Hansi, tell me, did this really happen?” Low asked his assistant Hansi Flick when the first half was still running. “It was a mixture of joy and absolute disbelief. It was 5-0, in the semifinals against the hosts. It is unbelievable,” recalls Low.

The German coach then remembers what happened in the locker room during the break. At that time he felt compelled to ask his players not to be too conceited. “I don’t want you to embarrass Brazil in front of millions of people,” he said. “The respect that the Brazilians has shown us, throughout the country, is enormous. And for me, it was completely unthinkable that we should humiliate them, or show pride towards them. “

Low’s statement is certainly closely related to the events of the previous eight. At that time Low was Jurgen Klinsmann’s assistant when Germany was defeated by Italy in the 2006 World Cup semifinals. “In 2006 we experienced how painful it could be to miss the World Cup final in front of your own fans,” Low stated.

Brazil tried to get up from the rubble in the second half, but their attack efforts did not work, even Germany added their lead through substitute, Andre Schurrle in the 69th minute. Schuerrle scored again 10 minutes later to give Germany a 7-0 lead, but fears of mass rage did not occur and the host supporters chose to give a round of applause praising the appearance of their guests. While Brazil scored one consolation goal at the end of the fight.

“A score of 7-1 is like a ghost, but it’s real. People still talk about it, but the more you talk about it, the less likely it is that the ‘ghost’ disappears,” Tite added.

For Brazil this was the first World Cup semi-final defeat in 76 years and their first defeat at home in any competitive match for 39 years.

Not only that, the result at the Mineirao Stadium, Belo Horizonte was the worst defeat in almost a century, since Uruguay defeated them 6-0 in 1920. In World Cup history, the only other team to lose five goals at halftime was Zaire against Yugoslavia in 1974) and Haiti against Poland in the same year).

Mineirazo left deep trauma for the Selecao troops, who then lost 0-3 against the Netherlands in the race for third place four days later.

Three additional goals from the Netherlands has made 14 goals against Brazil while making them the host with the highest number of goals conceded in World Cup history.

“This is a defeat. A disaster, a bad defeat. Yes, the worst defeat in the history of the Brazilian national team,” Luis Felipe Scolari said as quoted by The Guardian.

“These results are felt together and the players might say we endured this defeat together, but who chose the tactics? Me. So I am the person most responsible,” he added.

After the tournament, Scolari immediately resigned as Brazil’s coach.