What happened on Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte could only be termed as shocking, not only for the Brazilians, but also for the entire world who was expecting the Selecao to at least put up a fight. However the 7-1 thrashing that the Germans handed to the five-time world champions in the semi-finals was something even they would never have imagined and was too painful for the football crazy nation. It was a game which would be registered in the annals of footballing history as the greatest ever upset.
It was also a historic moment for Miroslav Klose who finally managed to surpass the Brazilian Ronaldo to become the highest scorer in world cup history with 16 goals. In what could be termed as another coincidence, it was on this same day 24 years ago that Germany won their last world cup trophy as they defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final in 1990.
The Germans opened the score card through a corner. It was that man again Thomas Mueller who scored his fifth goal of the tournament. The second goal came soon after as Klose tapped in a rebound. The third goal was scored by Toni Kroos in the 25th minute as the Brazilians were clearly rattled by the German onslaught. By the time the 4th goal was scored the stadium was stunned and many couldn’t hold back their disappointment and broke down. By the end of the first half it seemed to be over for Brazil as they were 5-0 down.
In the second half Brazil came up with some attacking moves, but the German wall Manuel Neuer denied them every time as he proved why he is called the best goalkeeper in the world. For Brazil the absence of Neymar was clearly felt as his replacement Bernard failed to inspire. In the second half, Klose’s replacement Andre Schuerrle scored twice. In the end Oscar got a consolation goal for the home side. Some sections of the fans were so angry as they chanted some expletives obscenities at the players and even burned the country flag.
At the full-time whistle the Brazilian players were clearly disappointed as the hopes of the host country was shattered. The acting captain David Luiz who was in tears apologized to the fans for their insipid performance and their worst ever world cup defeat.