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Game # 61 - SF1 Brazil vs Germany
Shocked and stunned! Stunned and shocked! Who would have thought that Brazil would be utterly demolished by half-time and then toyed with to the point of humiliation in the second half? I thought that Brazil might have struggled a bit in attack without Neymar but I didn't imagine that Thiago Silva's loss would be the one that completely destroyed the coherence of the team.
The game started fairly conventionally with Brazil raiding fast and furious with Germany counter-attacking and then suddenly the wheels fell off. The first really penetrating German attack resulted in a goal from a completely unmarked (and very surprised) Thomas Muller. Something clicked in the German midfield/attack because it became apparent that, in Thiago Silva's absence, no-one in Brazil's defence (and, to some extent, their midfield too) really knew what their tasks were. The central defenders were all at sea with Dante and David Luiz constantly caught out of position and Marcelo unable to track back often enough to fill his slot either. Adding to this, both Fred and Hulk were utterly out of sorts so Germany blunted their attacks quickly and with ease but then flung their own midfield down to the Brazil end to a defence that was just embarrassing in its ineptness. Germany made the five first-half goals look easy but it was really their own accuracy and ruthlessness that made that happen. A lesser team might have only got two and been faced with a much closer team. 0-5 to Germany was the half-time score.
The second half started with a bit of a flurry from Brazil and a defence that at least strung together basic defensive sweeps adequately. Brazil got two good attacks in, both of which could have resulted in goals, first from Oscar and then a double from Paulinho but Neuer was in great form and none of the three went in. Instead, the next two goals were from Germany to make the scoreline a stunning 0-7. Oscar's hard work (one of the few Brazilians who could have that description) finally paid off and he scored a consolation goal on the 88th minute.
So ended one of the most surprising games I think I have ever seen at the World Cup. I also suspect that it may be the last international appearances for a number of the Brazilian players - Fred ( who even the Brazilians fans booed at times), Dante, Hulk and perhaps even David Luiz and Marcelo (both of whom are talented players but their utter inability to adapt to the tactical situation in the game was painful to watch). Both Oscar (even though he scored a goal) and Bernard were both shown to be all too easy to be muscled off the ball by larger players.
The game started fairly conventionally with Brazil raiding fast and furious with Germany counter-attacking and then suddenly the wheels fell off. The first really penetrating German attack resulted in a goal from a completely unmarked (and very surprised) Thomas Muller. Something clicked in the German midfield/attack because it became apparent that, in Thiago Silva's absence, no-one in Brazil's defence (and, to some extent, their midfield too) really knew what their tasks were. The central defenders were all at sea with Dante and David Luiz constantly caught out of position and Marcelo unable to track back often enough to fill his slot either. Adding to this, both Fred and Hulk were utterly out of sorts so Germany blunted their attacks quickly and with ease but then flung their own midfield down to the Brazil end to a defence that was just embarrassing in its ineptness. Germany made the five first-half goals look easy but it was really their own accuracy and ruthlessness that made that happen. A lesser team might have only got two and been faced with a much closer team. 0-5 to Germany was the half-time score.
The second half started with a bit of a flurry from Brazil and a defence that at least strung together basic defensive sweeps adequately. Brazil got two good attacks in, both of which could have resulted in goals, first from Oscar and then a double from Paulinho but Neuer was in great form and none of the three went in. Instead, the next two goals were from Germany to make the scoreline a stunning 0-7. Oscar's hard work (one of the few Brazilians who could have that description) finally paid off and he scored a consolation goal on the 88th minute.
So ended one of the most surprising games I think I have ever seen at the World Cup. I also suspect that it may be the last international appearances for a number of the Brazilian players - Fred ( who even the Brazilians fans booed at times), Dante, Hulk and perhaps even David Luiz and Marcelo (both of whom are talented players but their utter inability to adapt to the tactical situation in the game was painful to watch). Both Oscar (even though he scored a goal) and Bernard were both shown to be all too easy to be muscled off the ball by larger players.