FIFA World Cup 2014: Obragado Brazil!

Rio de Janeiro: Who wouldn’t have loved Brazil in the 80s and 90s? This reporter turned off the TV after Zinedine Zidane scored his second against Ronaldo’s Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final.

The Selecao have always been the lovable overdogs for neutral fans.

Here is a personal list of highs and lows from the 20th Fifa World Cup in a country where football is intrinsically linked with everyone’s life.
Highs

• Entering the Corint-hians Arena in Sao Paulo for the opening match between Brazil and Croatia. And the noise that greeted Neymar’s equaliser was incredible. Taking in the Maracana (what a wonderful name!) for the first time was equally memorable.
• The genuine warmth of Brazilians in all places. From the lady who got down midway through her journey in a metro station in Sao Paulo to see that we boarded the right train to a young man who walked nearly a kilometre to show us the bus station in Santos.
• The pulsating atmosphere at the Maracana for the Chile-Spain group stage match. Chilean supporters’ non-stop singing, their team’s performance on the field.
• Colombian James Rodriguez’s superlative volley against Uruguay electrified the Maracana. What better advertisement did the World Cup need other than a 22-year-old’s coming of age party?
• The chanting of fans outside the stadiums before every match. Even though language was a problem in understanding the light-hearted abuse opposing fans were dishing out to one another, it was always fantastic to listen to the rhythmic chorus belted out with raised hands.
• Lows
• The ban on Luis Suarez. His amazing two-goal show against England straight from the injury table was one of the highlights of the tournament. With the predator in their ranks, Uruguay might have progressed much further than the Round of 16. What a talent and what sharp teeth!
• The performance of the Asian teams. Japan’s resilience in rising from the ashes of World War II is well known but none of it was visible as they went out tamely. The equally dire show of Australia, Iran and South Korea doesn’t bode well for Asian football.
• Neymar’s injury. A nation’s dreams rested on his slender shoulders but Zuniga’s knee ended them all. He will carry the scar the rest of his life.
• Brazil’s humiliation in the semi-finals. It wasn’t a result the country that had enchanted the whole world with its football deserved on home soil.