Brazil’s demise will be defining moment
WHATEVER happens tonight in the Maracana, it’s hard to imagine the Final will be the defining moment of thisWorld Cup.
Not even some Lionel Messi magic or team brilliance from Germany will wipe away the memories from Belo Horizonte.
That was the venue onTuesday night for Brazil’s total evisceration at the hands of the Germans.
The world was watching as the most successful country in the tournament’s history was embarrassed in its own backyard.
Germany did not hammer a hapless minnow, simply happy to make up the numbers. This was Brazil.
7-1. The most one-sidedWorld Cup semi-final ever. But more than a defeat, it was the death of a myth. Brazilian football had been placed on a pedestal, like New Zealand at rugby as the teams that set the benchmarks for their sports.
Could you imagine the All Blacks losing heavily on their own soil in the RugbyWorld Cup? No, me neither.
Millions of fans around the world fondly recall watching the 1970World Cup onTV as youngsters and being transfixed by Brazil.
More than a defeat, it was the death of a myth
The advent of colour television heightened those famous yellow shirts and the magic of Pele, Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto.
It was their thirdWorld Cup success, but the one that had most impact. They even got to keep the Jules Rimet trophy for good!
The legacy was enormous. From then, Brazil were associated with samba football, a mix of pace, style and skill to which us Europeans could only aspire.
Despite winning two moreWorld Cups in 1994 and 2002, Brazil have often struggled to match those heights.Yet, it didn’t dampen the magic. They always remained glamorous friendly opponents and a must-see at eachWorld Cup.
We knew this Brazilian side was not a vintage one and a glance at names like Fred, Jo and Bernard told us that. But they were in the semis and with 200 million people behind them, you couldn’t rule them out.
Yet, 5-0 down after 29 minutes, the dream had been shattered. These players may never recover and most will never wear the yellow shirt again. Brazil will bounce back but their aura has been lost forever.