Agencies: Before the semi-final game between Germany and Brazil, the focus had been on the absence of Neymar, who fractured his back in the quarter-final game against Colombia last week. There were Neymar face-masks and banners everywhere and “Forca Neymar’’ baseball caps were worn by Scolari and his squad as they entered the Estadio Mineirao in the afternoon.
And a wave of emotion carrying them, the 60,000 inside focusing the ambitions of this vast country, hoping local boy Bernard could fill the void. But Scolari’s side had skated on the edge of disaster to even reach this point. When it mattered, the absence of Thiago Silva, suspended because of a yellow card in the Colombia game, was more critical.
Without the skipper, missing the brains of the operation, Brazil looked for leadership at David Luiz. Instead, the man who had to be the strongest proved out to be the weakest link. And Germany took the ultimate advantage. Just 11 minutes had elapsed when they scored the first goal. Toni Kroos delivered a corner, Thomas Muller was allowed to peel away from six defenders and volleyed in unmarked from the six yard box.
The crowd, shocked, tried to respond. But it was as if the air had gone out of the Brazilian balloon. They had no answer to the calm, penetrative intelligence of Sami Khedira, the vision of Kroos, the perceptive movement of Muller out on the right.
As they conceded goal after goal, the Brazilian team saw the dream of winning the World Cup at home become the worst shame of history – a massacre at the hands of Germany. Soon after the match, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said “sorry” about the defeat and took the blame for the loss. He said he was “responsible” for the defeat and admitted that this was the lowest point of the team throughout their campaign. “First I apologize for the negative result as we are unable to reach the final. Let`s work and honour for our team which will play for the third place in Brasilia,” said the coach, after the game.
When asked why he didn’t make substitution as the Germans were firing goal after goal, Scolari said there was no time even to think. “”The goals came in 24 minutes, 25, 26, 28. It was one after another. There was a total blank,” Scolari said.
David Luiz, who was the captain of the Brazilian national team on Tuesday in the absence of Thiago Silva, also apologized to the country after the defeat. “I just wanted to give a joy to my people. To my people suffering so much with so many things. But I could not, unfortunately. I say sorry to everyone, to all Brazilians. I just wanted to see my people smile. Everybody knows how important it was. I was happy to see the entire Brazil come together for football. But the German were better, prepared better, playing better,” he said.
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