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Selecao slaughter: Germany embarrass Brazil in Belo Horizonte

8th July, 2014
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A Brazilian football fan can not hold back their emotions as Germany storm to a 7-1 victory in the World Cup semi-final.
Roar Guru
8th July, 2014
93
3669 Reads

Indescribable. Amazing. Unbelievable. Historic. Shocking. You name it, Germany’s 7-1 annihilation of Brazil in the World Cup semis was all that and more.

Surreal, stunning and shameful as well. Never, never in the history of the World Cup has there been a result in such an important game like this. The complete smashing of the great Brazil, world football’s superpower, in a tournament on their own turf.

No-one could have picked it, no-one could scarcely have ever even dreamed it.

Germany are no slouches, obviously, and have won several World Cups of their own. But this is the Selecao, the creators of the beautiful game. The country that gave us Pele, Garrincha, Zico, Socrates, Romario, Ronaldo and many others.

More World Cup:
>> Germany leave Brazil heartbroken after first half self-destruct
>> Defeat ‘worst day of my life’: Scolari
>> Emotional Brazil helped Germany: Loew
>> Germany vs Brazil: Live scores, blog, highlights
>> Brazilians cry after World Cup humiliation

Never have they been humbled like this or were they ever expected to be.

The 7-1 loss in Belo Horiztone is the biggest defeat in Brazil’s national team history. It is one of the biggest losses in World Cup folklore, up there with Germany’s 8-0 dismantling of Saudi Arabia in 2002.

Many will say that without captain Thiago Silva and creative livewire Neymar Brazil had no chance against Germany. That may be true.

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But that does not explain conceding seven goals, the complete lack of effort and attitude that Brazil showed in that game. Brazil didn’t just lose, they died a slow death.

It was like they cracked under the immense pressure placed on them by 200 million Brazilian citizens.

The Selecao were a mediocre team before this match, struggling to break down a committed Mexico and lucky to get past Chile. They fouled their way to a win over Colombia in the quarter-final and they jettisoned the Jogo Bonito from their game plan a while ago.

David Luis ran out of position like a man who had lost his head. Marcelo lost the ball easily and failed to track back. Up front Fred gave his fellow countryman, the former Melbourne Victory and Heart playmaker of the same title, a bad name. On the sideline Big Phil tried to tear his hair out but to no avail.

Germany simply taught Brazil how to play football, as Juninho admitted on the BBC after the game.

It was like Ireland teaching the All Blacks to play rugby union or Fiji giving the Kangaroos a lesson in rugby league. A game like this only comes around every 80 years or so, if ever.

Germany’s game was a mixture of sublime running, movement off the ball and one and two-touch passing. It was fast, fluid and freakishly entertaining.

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Germany is in the midst of its own golden generation and this XI of Schweinstager, Lahm, Neur, Mueller, Goetz, Kroos, Khedira and co were brilliant.

On this form they will be hard to stop in the final, although either Argentina or the Netherlands will put up more of a battle than a feeble Brazil did.

This match will live long in the history of football – Germany’s greatest night and Brazil’s worst.

Move aside the humiliating defeat to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final at the Marcana, we have a new contendor.

Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson

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