Belo Horizonte: Germany didn’t just rain on the Brazilian party; they poured. What was supposed to be a samba symphony became a dirge in the end.
Delirious fans, adorned by the famous yellow jersey of Brazil, started to stream into the Estadio Mineirao from, noon singing and dancing in anticipation of a win for their beloved team.
At the final whistle, around 7 pm, there was no joy left in them. Neymar may have pulled out of the tournament after breaking a vertebra, but his cardboard mask was omnipresent on all roads leading to the stadium. Many German fans also expressed their solidarity with the missing star by wearing his mask.
Chants such as “You are going home” and “Have you got your return ticket?” filled the air as the full force of Brazilian supporters became obvious.
The terrific atmosphere inside the stadium was worthy of the occasion. Brazil’s captain Thiago Silva, suspended for the match, showed up during his team’s warm-up wearing a baseball cap with a slogan reading, Forca Neymar.
The robust rendition of the national anthem by the Brazilian players electrified the crowd. Stand-in skipper David Luiz and goalkeeper Julio Cesar held a jersey of Neymar as if to invoke the spirit of the forward. Brazil started the match on a positive note but their dominance lasted for only a few minutes as Germany’s class began to tell.
But the singing continued in the stands. Thomas Muller finally had enough of it as he silenced the home team’s supporters by opening the scoring in the 11th minute. Four German goals in a six-minute blitz shut them up completely. It was time for tears in the stands. Taking a cue from a crying young boy beamed on the big screen, many adults, too, sobbed uncontrollably.
The inevitability of the result brought some composure to the crowd in the second half. After making fun of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, their pet target, for some time, the fans did the unthinkable: they started to cheer for German goals and moves. Once the humiliation was complete, tears flowed on the field as well, with Oscar and Luiz making their pain obvious to the watching world.
Brazilian fans couldn’t come to terms with the loss. “It’s incredible. I never thought losing by such a big margin was a possibility for my national team. I’m angry because the unthinkable has happened on our soil,” said Edson.
Guillermo, a college student, said the loss would haunt him forever. “It’s 7-1! This is a bigger shock than losing to Uruguay in 1950. Our defence was in shambles today. I’m lost for words. We didn’t have a team out there. I hope Argentina don’t compound our woes by winning the final at the Maracana on Sunday. It will be the ultimate insult for a Brazilian,” he said.
