Following a large survey carried out by Sport / Foot Magazine among its readers, our editorial team has compiled the top 25 matches that have made you feel the most over the years. Place today at the meeting classified in 19th place: the traumatic Mineiraço, which saw Brazil sinking against Germany.
What happened on July 8, 2014? Which planets could well have aligned themselves, which curse could well have been pronounced, what hole in space-time could well have opened to witness such a spectacle? Because under the sky of Belo Horizonte, the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the incredible happened: Brazil quite simply disintegrated against a Germany which did not even have to force its (immense) talent to get the host country out in the semi-finals, and offer their date with history against Argentina from Lionel Messi.
When entering the tournament, the Selection is under insane pressure. Taken by Neymar, the team of Luiz Felipe Scolari has no choice: she must win, hang a sixth star in the Auriverde jersey. Erase the disappointments of the last two editions. Assume the colossal expenses agreed to by the authorities to set up this World Cup, while the population feels more and more abandoned by its government. Without necessarily impressing, Brazil climbed to the semifinals. But in quarter, against Colombia, the squad Brazilian loses his leader, Neymar, victim of a knee blow in the back signed Juan Zuniga.
Is it this only absence, combined with the suspension of the central defender and captain Thiago Silva, who made the big one flinch Brazil so cataclysmically? Will we ever know? Probably not. Still, without these two essential pawns, David Luiz and his family are sinking like never before in the face of German attacks that lead irremediably to the cages of a Julio Cesar powerless. In six minutes, the team slam four pawns at a ghostly opponent. The South American forwards? Invisible, like Fred, whose heatmap colored almost on the only central point of the ground sums up in itself the offensive (and general, in reality …) sinking that was this lunar performance.
So lunar that what will remain in history, beyond the German goals and this improbable result, are these tears. Those of his unbelieving supporters, swimming between dismay and the desire to wake up. Those of a Luiz struggling to apologize to 200 million compatriots in the middle of a nightmare. Those of that old, mustached gentleman clinging desperately to his dummy trophy. Those of football, perhaps, viscerally linked to this golden jersey, mercilessly soiled in the Brazilian night. Through Germany? Thomas Müller and his own did what they had to do. By Brazilian players? Their mental collapse, certainly. But rather than blame them, that night, we wanted to cry with them instead. That must be it missing…
Match sheet
Goals: Oscar 90th / 11th Müller, 23rd Klose, 24th and 26th Kroos, 29th Khedira, 69th and 79th Schürrle
Brésil: César, Maicon, Luiz, Dante, Marcelo, Gustavo, Fernandinho (Paulinho), Hulk (Ramires), Oscar, Bernard, Fred (Willian)
Allemagne: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Hummels (Mertesacker), Höwedes, Khedira (Draxler), Schweinsteiger, Müller, Kroos, Özil, Klose (Schürrle)
Mineirão Stadium, Belo Horizonte
2014 World Cup Semi-Final
July 8, 2014
–
What happened on July 8, 2014? Which planets could well have aligned themselves, which curse could well have been pronounced, what hole in space-time could well have opened to witness such a spectacle? Because under the sky of Belo Horizonte, the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the incredible happened: Brazil quite simply disintegrated against a Germany which did not even have to force its (immense) talent to leave the host country in the semi-finals, and offer their date with history against Argentina’s Lionel Messi. When entering their tournament, the Seleçao is under insane pressure. Led by Neymar, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team has no choice: they must win, hang a sixth star in the Auriverde jersey. Erase the disappointments of the last two editions. Assume the colossal expenses agreed to by the authorities to set up this World Cup, while the population feels more and more abandoned by its government. Without necessarily impressing, Brazil climbed to the semifinals. But in quarter, against Colombia, the Brazilian squad loses its leader, Neymar, victim of a knee in the back signed Juan Zuniga. Was it this single absence, combined with the suspension of central defender and captain Thiago Silva, which made the great Brasil falter in such a cataclysmic way? Will we ever know? Probably not. Still, without these two essential pawns, David Luiz and his family sink like never before in the face of German attacks which lead irremediably to the cages of a powerless Júlio César. In six minutes, the Mannschaft slammed four pawns to a ghostly opponent. The South American forwards? Invisible, like Fred, whose colored heatmap almost on the only central point of the terrain sums up the offensive (and general, in reality …) sinking that this lunar performance was. So lunar that what will remain in history, beyond the German goals and this improbable result, are these tears. Those of his unbelieving supporters, swimming between dismay and the desire to wake up. Those of a Luiz struggling to apologize to 200 million compatriots in the middle of a nightmare. Those of that old, mustached gentleman clinging desperately to his dummy trophy. Those of football, perhaps, viscerally linked to this golden jersey, mercilessly soiled in the Brazilian night. Through Germany? Thomas Müller and his people did what they had to do. By Brazilian players? Their mental collapse, certainly. But rather than blame them, that night, we wanted to cry with them instead. That must be it, the saudade …
–
