Guardian Brazil: A day after the defeat Wednesday, 09 July 2014 21:31 Written by GOWON AKPODONOR Category: Abroad BELO Horizonte The match took place at Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, but the impact of the 7-1 demolishing of the Samba Boys by the German machine was felt all around the major cities in Brazil. From Sao Paulo, where Brazil began its campaign against Croatia on June 12 to Curitiba, the venue of the first group game between the Super Eagles and Iran and Rio, where the final will take place on Sunday, it was carnage of emotion of all sorts for the natives. About three hours to the first semifinal game between Brazil and Germany, the entire city of Belo Horizonte was in festive mood, with virtually all Brazilians, young and old, in their yellow colours of their national team. And in their usual way of signaling their support for the team, there were sounds of firecrackers all over the city. There was no vehicular movement, except those proving services for FIFA officials and volunteers. The fans (male and female) move from one direction to another as if they were heading to the match venue. It was a great scene to behold. But all that played no role for the Samba boys, when hostilities began on the pitch. With the host playing without their magic boy, Neymar, many were still optimistic that the team would make it to the final. It was painful and raw, gut-wrenching Brazil fell like a pack of cards, conceding five goals in the first half hour to wave goodbye to the World Cup 7-1. It was so devastating to the people that everywhere you looked there were tears. Their dream of hosting to win the trophy has ended in a heartbreak. What away to end the people’s dream. Losing is one thing and losing at home is another. The last and only previous time Brazil hosted the World Cup, in 1950, it created a scar that has lingered to this day. Losing to Uruguay in the final game is still considered a stain on its soccer history, a blot on the national identity. But the Samba boys were the laughing stock on Wednesday. From the beginning till the end of the game, the Germans showed no mercy for the Samba Boys. “This is a great level of suffering,” one of the female fans who identified herself only as Marta screened when the Germans scored their fifth goal. “This is torture to my generation and I can’t bear this any longer,” Marta added as she hurried out from the arena. From a charged atmosphere, the stadium soon became a graveyard. You could hear a pin drop. While some expressed their anger and emotion openly, some walked about with signs of regret, pity and anger. It was embarrassing. It made you question whether this was really happening to the same Brazilian team that stopped the likes of Croatia, Cameroun, Chile and Colombia. Perhaps, one big lesson this defeat has thought all crazy Brazilian soccer fans is the fact that the World Cup is magical. It is the sort of thing that each and everyone should sample at least once in their lifetime.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 05:15:51 +0000
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