Peter Swallow (@ccfooty) takes a closer look at the 7-1 thumping Brazil received at the hands of Germany and it’s affect on the country.
It came as a surprise to the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home. Yet after 30 first half minutes, Brazil’s hopes of a 6th World Cup had dissipated, crushed into absolute nothingness. It was hard to watch but in reality, humiliation is part and parcel of football, an occurrence that the Seleção have, mostly been spared from. However, as all nations will testify too, the occasional humiliation can be a second chance.
Brazil are a nation of past greats, few country’s can claim to have had such an abundance of superbly gifted individuals, those of a particular generation associate that yellow shirt with style, skill, finesse but most importantly, success.
The potent mix of disappointment and embarrassment that has swept the country in the aftermath of their 7-1 annihilation to Germany will have been rarely felt by the vast majority of Brazilians, who still consider their side a footballing superpower, an empire destined never to crumble.
Like all good things however, it had to end at some point. It’s time for Brazil to stop revelling on it’s past glories and with a World Cup Semi-Final exit on home soil, while incredibly painful, represents the perfect opportunity to do so.
For the reality is, few football nations have never experienced humiliation. England’s greatest dose of shame also took place in Belo Horizonte, after they suffered a 1-0 defeat to the United States of America in 1950. It may have been the first disaster, but it certainly wasn’t the last.
Germany, the bullies of this particular pantomime piece, have at times found themselves on the end of mortification. After all, it was only 13 years ago that Germany were beaten 5-1 by England in Berlin.
The Nationalmannschaft also bowed out of Euro 2004 at the group stages, having failed to breakdown the football superpower that is Latvia.
France’s recent football history is littered with embarrassment, while Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough was the scene of Italy’s greatest humiliation, a 1-0 defeat to North Korea in 1966.
Humiliation is not simply a European entity, back in 2009, Argentina were beaten 6-1 by Bolivia, and while a failure to acclimatise to the Bolivian altitude is often cited as the reason for such humiliation, but the record books simply cite that remarkable final score.
When viewed in context, it’s been 64 years since Brazil’s ultimate humiliation in 1950, when Uruguay crashed Brazil’s coronation. In a
sport that’s middle names are ‘doom’ and ‘gloom’, that’s better than most.
Mahatma Ghandi once said, “adversity is the mother of progress”, and in football terms the saying is remarkably applicable, for it’s not the knocks you suffer, but how you build and recover from them.
The first opportunity for recovery comes on Saturday night in the 3rd place playoff match and it’s vitally important for Brazil to put in a good performance in an attempt to abolish the remnants of disappointment.
We will learn a great deal about the new Brazil on Saturday night, it’s vitally important that Luiz Felipe Scolari picks a side that collectively, are up for the fight against a world waiting to hammer the final nail in the coffin.
Defeat against Germany is most likely the last time we’ll see certain individuals don the famous yellow shirt. The likes of Dante, Marcelo, Hulk, Maicon and in particular Fred demonstrated little stomach for the fight, and it’s important that Scolari, or whoever is in charge of Brazil further down the line, dismisses those members of the old guard who are no longer good enough.
It will be a test of character and intestinal fortitude, and the harsh nature of such a defeat means those who cannot shed the psychological scars must be considered as expendable.
After all, Brazil have an abundance of talent who, for whatever reason, didn’t make the squad, most notably Lucas Moura, Phillpe Coutinho, Roma’s Leandro Castán and Atlético Madrid due Filipe Luís and Miranda, all of whom can expect an imminent call up.
Brazil must therefore take inspiration from those ones who slain them. Germany transferred themselves from an efficient machine devoid of emotion, to a side that plays with vigour, guile and style. The metamorphosis from purely functional cocoon to gleaming butterfly should be an inspiration to all, no matter the considerable length of time the transformation took.
Fred’s desolate and slumped expression having been discarded to the bench will, for many Brazilians be the endearing image of the host nations tournament, however it shouldn’t be. It should be a symbol of hope and motivation for future generations of Brazilians, the shedding of considerable dead weight no longer needed.
Belo Horizonte, when the dejection wears off, should be remembered as the establishment of Brazil’s second football empire, not the burial site of the old one.