Brazil goes into mourning after record defeat
Print Edition
THE tears started flowing before half time, and by the end of a 1-7 shellacking in the World Cup semifinal, millions across Brazil were in dazed, damp-eyed disbelief.
The national team wasn’t just defeated by a powerful German team. It was routed in front of the entire world, humiliated at its own party. Young and old, Brazilians shared in the anguish of what many called a national calamity — the worst loss in their team’s storied World Cup history.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was like the game was on replay,” said Valeria Mazure, a 67-year-old retired teacher drinking beer in Rio, and sporting Brazil’s colors in a green tunic and yellow scarf. “I’m feeling disappointed, sad, but more than anything I’m feeling embarrassed. It was embarrassing to watch.”
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and captain David Luiz apologized for demolition of the pride and joy of Brazilian football.
President Dilma Rousseff said she was sad and sorry. “Like every Brazilian, I am very, very sad about this defeat. I am immensely sorry for all of us. Fans and our players,” she wrote on Twitter.
“But we won’t let ourselves stay down,” she said, before quoting a Brazilian song: “Brazil, get up, dust yourself off and move forward.”
Rousseff has seen her popularity drop over the past year amid protests against the record US$11 billion spent on the tournament.
Several buses were set on fire and an electronics store was looted in Sao Paulo, police said.
Police did not give a figure but Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said on its website that some 20 buses were torched in a garage where unused vehicles were stored. Another three buses were set ablaze in other parts of the mega city.
Looters ransacked an electronics store in the east of the city.
Two dozen fans scuffled, forcing police to intervene at the official “Fan Fest” on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach.
The record defeat sent social networks into overdrive, with Twitter and Facebook beating previous marks of activity for sporting events. A total of 35.6 million tweets were sent during the match.
Some posts depicted Rio’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue covering its face in shame — or even replaced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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