After Germany destroyed Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup semi-finals many people have been left wondering just where it went wrong for the hosts.
Was it down to the absences of captain Thiago Silva and injured star striker Neymar? That was certainly a factor but that only slightly masks the true reason.
To put it simply, Brazil were outclassed by a better side on the day. Brazil should have done far better and their performance left a lot to be desired as they slumped to their heaviest ever defeat. At least three of the first five goals were very soft, it was almost like a training session! But even if the South Americans had shown more pride on the day I think it would have only meant a less heavy defeat for them.
Germany really were in the mood to demolish who was ever put in front of them in the final four. For all the deserved criticism of Brazil, nothing should be taken away from Germany as they were truly superb. Germany had a huge part to play in one of the most remarkable games in World Cup history.
Brazil went into the game as slight favourites due to being hosts but some, including myself, backed Germany to do the job and before the game I had said to friends they would come out on top. I also had doubts about Brazil early on in the competition, although nobody could have imagined the margin of victory that occurred in Belo Horizonte.
As England fans we are meant to rival Germany but they truly captivated me in this one and as the game wore on I just wanted them to keep scoring, such was the magnificence of their performance. Manager Joachim Low deserves a lot of credit for the job he has done with the three-time world champions.
Not only did Low mastermind the 7-1 defeat over Brazil, it was done on Brazilian soil where the hosts previously hadn't lost a competitive match in 39 years. But their hammering of the South American giants was no fluke as Low's men also beat European heavyweights Portugal 4-0 in the group stages.
From one to 11, Germany were superb. Even in a game where their defence was seldom tested, the back four stayed mainly solid and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was immense the few times he was called upon. Brazil threatened briefly in the early stages of the second half and Neuer, who had been a mere spectator in the first half, pulled off two world class saves to keep Germany in firm control.
If only we had a squad like this in England that we could be this proud of. We have some talented players in our squad, but Germany have so much depth and, with a fairly young squad, will undoubtedly keep getting better and better.
Brazil, on the other hand, face a huge reality check and changes are likely to occur with Luiz Felipe Scolari's job up in the air in what has been a tough summer for their coach. David Luiz, who captained Brazil on the night, had engineered a big money move to PSG earlier in the summer and people are already doubting whether this is now a good move for the French club. Yes, Neymar was a joy to watch for before injury ended his tournament, but Brazil as a whole failed to meet expectations.
Anything other than reaching the final would likely be considered a failure and the hosts really did fail at this World Cup, well on the pitch. Off the pitch they have produced one of the greatest World Cup of my lifetime, full of shocks, drama and plenty of entertainment. But on the pitch there have been concerns from the word go!
Brazil managed to beat Croatia in their opening group game, but they were very lucky to be given the controversial penalty that got them back in the game and some neutrals felt the European side had been hard done by. Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa produced heroics to force Brazil to be content with a goalless draw before the hosts finally got a deserved 4-0 win. That victory was over Cameroon, although the African side are being investigated over alleged match-fixing.
Brazil did the business with results against Chile and Colombia in the knockout stages and things were still looking up, although in reality both games could've gone either way as the hosts were pushed all the way by their South American rivals.
As they walked out onto the pitch in the semi-final against Germany many fans were expecting a cracking match and that is just what was served up...just not quite in the way we all imagined it.
Brazil knew it would be tough but conceding five goals inside the opening half an hour was surely unthinkable, yet it happened. Thomas Muller fired home a Toni Kroos' corner to set Germany on their way after just 11 minutes. To add insult to injury Miroslav Klose broke Brazilian Ronaldo's record after 23 minutes to become the World Cup's all-time leading goal-scorer with 16 goals (and that was done in just 23 games). Not only did Klose become a record-holder but he also has the remarkable feat of his country never having lost in a game in which he has scored any of his 71 goals.
Low's men doubled their advantage with two more goals in just three minutes. Kroos took advantage of some poor defending to side-foot home before scoring his second following an unselfish assist from Sami Khedira.
Brazil were being torn apart and simply had no answers to the Germans' attack, with the score getting even worse before half-time. The hosts' defensive frailties again came to the fore, allowing Khedira to score a simple goal from close-range after 29 minutes. Brazil had now conceded four goals inside seven minutes, such a crazy turn of events.
Frustratingly I had experienced similar when watching Arsenal face Chelsea and Liverpool last season, but this was something else. This was far worse and in a World Cup semi-final as well, what on earth was going on? It was a truly terrible effort from Brazil and one that could take a hell of a lot of recovering from.
Brazil were well and truly out of the World Cup by half-time but people wondered whether they would at least salvage some pride. Personally, one of the iconic images of the game for me was of a Brazilian fan holding onto a replica trophy, almost like his life depended on it. But Brazil well and truly lost their grip on any chance of lifting the trophy just as pathetically as Spain's defence of it had been.
The South American side started better in the second half and could've pulled two goals back had it not been for the heroics of Neuer. Whilst Tim Howard, Keylor Navas and Guillermo Ochoa have deservedly been singled out as stand-out performers in this World Cup, Neuer must be right up there. He may not have been called into action too often against Brazil, but he proved his world class ability when called upon.
Neuer ensured no pride was restored for Brazil and Andre Schurrle came off the bench to put the icing on the cake for Germany with a well-taken brace. The substitute tapped in after 69 minutes before scoring the pick of the bunch soon after with a sublime control and shot beyond Julio Cesar.
By the time Oscar scored in stoppage time to get Brazil off the mark, I had almost forgotten that the hosts were even on the pitch. It was a horrific capitulation by Scolari's men but Germany deserve massive credit for their world class performance.
I still think the Germans will take the title but Holland or Argentina are likely to give them a much tougher game in the final. The one-sided semi-final against Brazil may serve as a wake-up call to Holland and Argentina, who have now witnessed just how quickly World Cup dreams can be dashed. It could be a cagey first half with the sides possibly being more careful or maybe someone will produce a moment of magic. Whatever happens it looks set to be another great game.
Let the drama continue
World Cup 2014 - One to Remember and it's not over yet!
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