The tears of Selecao fans, young and old alike, were flowing freely as Germany finally exposed a poor Brazilian squad which progressed this far on emotion and spirit alone.
It was obvious that Brazil was trying hard to channel the intense emotions emanating around the squad, and indeed the nation as a whole, into a cohesive performance. It backfired, spectacularly.
The absence of Neymar grew in cultural significance from the minute he went down clutching his back in the quarterfinals. It culminated with his shirt being hoisted pre-match, a sign perhaps of the Selecao's solidarity with its superstar winger.
Why a nation so steeped in footballing history collapsed with the absence of two first-teamers – Thiago Silva was missing as well, but with Dante's performance, any Brazilian could have done a better job – beggars belief, and questions will be asked of Luiz Felipe Scolari and his management, as well as the football federation itself.
Harking back to 1982, after failing to even make the World Cup semi-finals with what was reputedly the best team in the world at the time, Brazil were seemingly dissuaded forever from O Jogo Bonito. The style that was the first version of the beautiful game demonstrated by the Brazilians on the world stage and culminated in their first three World Cup titles, with 1970 being the most memorable.
Their next two titles in 1994 and 2002 came under less illustrious fashion, but it was still effective.
However, the destruction at Belo Horizonte surely must inspire a reimagining of the Selecao's philosophy (or lack thereof).
It was the second goal that kicked things off well and truly, Miroslav Klose becoming the all-time leading goal-scorer in World Cup history thanks to neat interplay with Thomas Muller. That he overtook a Brazilian legend, Ronaldo, just sticks the knife further in for the Brazilian fans.
The amount of space Brazil afforded Germany in their own defensive third, nay, their penalty box for that matter, was shocking.
Toni Kroos grabbed two goals, first a perfect strike into the bottom corner after Mesut Ozil and Philip Lahm combined to render Marcelo and Hulk non-existent on the left flank, the second from Fernandinho getting caught in possession in Brazil's defensive third after receiving a poor ball from Dante which Sami Khedira happily lined up for Toni Kroos in the box.
At times it seemed like the Germans were toying with the Selecao, the possession stats up to this point indicating a higher number of passes completed by Brazil, as and when they regained possession, they carved up Brazil's central third far too easily.
Mats Hummels run straight down the middle of Brazil's attack, midfield and defence was only met by David Luiz (after slaloming past four other Selecao jerseys already), the ball spilling behind the Brazilian defence for Khedira to link up with Kroos once again.
Five goals in the first half hour was the cremation, and despite Andre Schurrle's double, in the remaining hour Scolari's Selecao were mourned for with a mixture of booing, anger and tears.
The chants of "Ole" ringing around the Estadio Minerao for Joachim Loew's side after an extended period of possession was a new low for the Selecao, and when Oscar pulled one back in stoppage time, the home crowd knew neither to cheer or chastise their team further.
We spoke about Brazil and her intimate relationship with football in previewing the World Cup, and now it will be interesting to watch public reaction to the worst defeat in Selecao history.
The people of Brazil have progressively been losing faith in their government as allegations of corruption continue to unfold with nary a thing done by the relevant authorities.
So, what of this national humiliation amidst a tournament which invited public outcry with excessive spending and the questionable handling of funds?
The World Cup is coming to an end, but the future of Brazil socially, politically and in football will once again go hand in hand.
The questions will be asked about football development, something the Germans concentrated upon while the Brazilians always gave the impression their footballers grew up in the streets. Unfortunately, the Jogo Bonito died way before the demise of the Brazilian team. – July 9, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
Comments
Please refrain from nicknames or comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature, or you may risk being blocked from commenting in our website. We encourage commenters to use their real names as their username. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments