bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

For many Brazilians, Tuesday’s humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany accomplished the unthinkable – a disaster even worse than the last time the country hosted the World Cup, in 1950.
Back then, it was a 2-1 loss to tiny Uruguay in the final, a massive upset that still brings tears to the eyes of older Brazilians.
This defeat may have been even more scarring, some fans said, because the final result was not even close. Brazil’s team were torn to shreds.

Anger and disappointment was so intense that it threatened to darken the national mood for some time to come, with possible consequences for President Dilma Rousseff as she seeks a second term in October.
“This is worse than 1950. It’s one thing to lose a game where you suffered and fought hard, and it’s another to be completely humiliated,” said Fernando Hazzan, 28, in Sao Paulo.
“This game is going down in history, too,” he said.

Many Brazilians at the stadium in Belo Horizonte sobbed, while others began streaming out before the first half was over. Those at bars and restaurants around the country cried or screamed at the television, or drowned their sorrows in beer.
The inability to win a championship on home turf will remain a black spot for a country that has one of soccer’s proudest traditions – with five World Cup championships, more than any other team.
The losing Brazilian team from 1950 suffered fallout for years, even decades.

Zizinho, a midfielder, took the phone off the hook every year on the anniversary of the game because people would call asking why the team lost. Barbosa, the goalkeeper, famously complained that he suffered for more than 30 years, equal to the maximum criminal sentence in Brazil.
The psychological pressure of trying to reverse that curse took its toll on the 2014 team, and may have explained the defensive breakdowns that led to Germany scoring five goals within the first 30 minutes of the match on Tuesday.
The lopsided loss obscured what has been an otherwise surprisingly successful tournament.

While the lead-in to the World Cup was marked by doomsday predictions that stadiums and airports would not be ready on time, prior to Tuesday they had been drowned out by congratulatory talk about the hospitality of Brazilians and the high quality of play on the field.
Some fans said the rout would radically change the way they saw the whole tournament.
“The memory of this World Cup will always be tarnished now. It will be remembered as a tragedy,” Michelle Gomes, a local business manager, said at a bar in Rio de Janeiro.
The darkened mood could dent President Rousseff’s approval rating, although the effect might only be temporary, said Claudio Couto, a political science professor in Sao Paulo.
“If we [took the poll] in a month, I doubt that it will have any effect,” he said.


China marks 20 years since reaching its only Fifa World Cup with long wait for return set to go on

On this day: China qualified for its only Fifa World Cup

Hong Kong broadcast rights for Tokyo 2020 and 2022 World Cup up in the air

Xi Jinping’s World Cup dream, tattoo bans and Carlos Tevez: Chinese football in the 2010s

Fifa World Cup 2014

Mauling could outrank even 1950 final defeat, say shellshocked Brazil fans

A fan cries as she watches the match in Belo Horizonte. Photo: AP

Fans in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: AFP

A fan ruins his make-up with tears. Photo: EPA

A fan with a Neymar mask. Photo: Reuters

Germany smash Brazil for SEVEN as hosts suffer heaviest World Cup defeat

Fernandinho sinks into the net after yet another goal. Photo: AP

Sami Khedira's shot flies into the net. Photo: AP

Sami Khedira celebrates the fifth. Photo: AFP

Toni Kroos scores his second, Germany's fourth. Photo: Reuters

Kroos celebrates his second. Photo: AP

Toni Kroos makes it 3-0. Photo: Reuters

Germany players celebrate Kroos's first. Photo: EPA

Miroslav Klose celebrates becoming the World Cup's all-time top goalscorer. Photo: EPA

Thomas Muller fires in the first to kickstart a complete implosion by Brazil. Photo: AFP 

Mueller opens the scoring. Photo: AP

Andre Schuerrle lashes in his second, Germany's seventh. Photo: AFP

Andre Schuerrle celebrates after coming off the bench to make it 6-0. Photo: AP

Records tumble as Brazil are utterly humiliated

A fan wearing Brazil contact lenses can't believe what she's witnessing. Photo: AP

Sport

Football

Supporters struggle to cope with magnitude of loss
