What can one say about the most shocking result in World Cup history except for “wow?” Germany hammered Brazil into submission for 30 minutes in the first half. Germany continued to hammer the hosts in the second period until we were left with the most lopsided World Cup semifinal in the modern era.
After starting brightly, Brazil conceded the opening goal and simply couldn’t handle the shock of the early deficit. Germany sensed Brazil’s vulnerability and dealt the hosts the death blow — Klose’s record-breaking goal. The Germans then continued to strike, capitalizing on Brazil’s every mistake in one of the most ruthless demonstrations of top-level soccer the world has ever seen.
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This is the end of a dream for Brazil. For seven years, the host nation rallied around the idea of winning its sixth world championship and doing it on home soil. But this Brazil squad was simply not good enough — technically, tactically, physically and psychologically — to withstand Germany’s onslaught on Tuesday. The six-goal defeat was Brazil’s worst-ever loss in a World Cup game.
Brazilians spent billions and ceded control of their public and private spaces in an effort to successfully host the World Cup, and most only wanted the championship in return. Brazil, its fans and many neutrals now are heartbroken, as they didn’t deserve to lose this way on this grandest of stages. No one does.
Germany moves on to its first World Cup final since 2002. It will face either Argentina or the Netherlands on Sunday.
That’s all for now and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
90th minute, 7-1 Germany: Oscar finishes the breakaway this time.
Germany’s defensive line was at the halfway line. Luiz played Oscar behind it with a long pass, and the Brazil midfielder rounded a defender and fired a shot past Neuer.
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89th minute, 7-0 Germany: Oscar runs behind the Germany defense but misses Neuer’s goal with his outside-of-the-foot shot.
88th minute, 7-0 Germany: Germany is controlling the ball, as the clock ticks toward the 90-minute mark.
Germany can’t do much more damage than it already has in that limited time. Maybe it can score two or three more, but that’s about it.
83rd minute, 7-0 Germany: The Germans are moving the ball around at will, and the crowd responds with shouts of “Ole.”
81st minute, 7-0 Germany: Marcelo shoots wide.
79th minute, 7-0 Germany: Germany is up seven, as the humiliation continues.
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Schurrle fires past Cesar after a throw-in. Brazil’s defense wasn’t ready — for the game or Schurrle’s darting run into the box.
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It’s Schurrle’s second goal of the game.
79th minute, 6-0 Germany: Luiz and Muller have an altercation after the Brazilian defender attempts to boot his German opponent.
Luckily, Luiz missed both Muller and the ball.
77th minute, 6-0 Germany: Germany makes its final substitution.
Khedira departs. Draxler takes his place in the midfield.
74th minute, 6-0 Germany: Paulinho shoots straight into Neuer’s waiting arms.
Germany fans are making all the noise at the Estadio Mineirao.
70th minute, 6-0 Germany: Willian replaces Fred, as Brazil makes its third and final substitution of the game.
69th minute, 6-0 Germany: That’s six for Germany.
Lahm finds Schurrle in the penalty area, and the Germany forward slots his shot past Cesar.
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68th minute, 5-0 Germany: Dante is cautioned for a foul on Muller.
67th minute, 5-0 Germany: The teams are going through the motions right now, but someone should tell that to Germany.
Cesar rushed off his line to prevent Schweinsteiger from reaching a through-ball and breaking in on goal.
62nd minute, 5-0 Germany: Maicon dives in the Germany penalty area, but the referee isn’t interested in giving out gifts at this stage of the competition.
61st minute, 5-0 Germany: After another lengthy spell of possession for Germany, Muller curls a shot on goal, which Cesar saves over the crossbar.
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58th minute, 5-0 Germany: Germany makes another substitution. Klose departs, and Andre Schurrle takes his place.
Klose will undoubtedly take the game ball home when this is all said and done.
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53rd minute, 5-0 Germany: Neuer now makes a double save on Paulinho.
The German goalkeeper is on high-alert. The same can’t be said about his 10 teammates around whom Brazil is passing and moving with ease in the second half.
52nd minute, 5-0 Germany: Oscar shoots on goal, but Neuer makes another save.
51st minute, 5-0 Germany: Fred sends Ramires in with a well-placed through-ball. Ramires tried to cut a pass back to Oscar, but Neuer intervenes and breaks up the play.
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49th minute, 5-0 Germany: Oscar goes down after colliding with Boateng in the penalty area, but the Brazil midfielder doesn’t win the penalty kick that he wanted.
46th minute, 5-0 Germany: The second half is underway.
Brazil made two substitutions during the interval. Hulk and Fernandinho exit. Ramires and Paulinho replace them.
Germany made a change at center back, replacing Hummels with Per Mertesacker.
Halftime, 5-0 Germany: That’s the end of the first half. Wow.
Brazil is down and out, while “Die Mannschaft” has brought a smile to German faces everywhere. Germany has an insurmountable, five-goal lead at the break. Muller’s goal started a sequence of events in which Brazil capitulated and Germany capitalized by scoring four more goals in six minutes.
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Klose’s goal was his 16th career World Cup goal, which moves him past Ronaldo as the all-time leading scorer in tournament history.
44th minute, 5-0 Germany: At this point, Germany must do its best to avoid injury and suspension.
None of Germany’s players are on yellow-card watch this game — all previous infractions were wiped out after the quarterfinal — so the Germans must manage themselves for the next 45-50 minutes and prepare for the 2014 World Cup final.
39th minute, 5-0 Germany: This could get worse for Brazil, as its notoriously fickle crowd could turn and direct its boos and whistles toward its own team.
Perhaps it hasn’t already started because they are still trying to come to terms with what they’re witnessing.
36th minute, 5-0 Germany: The Germans lead by five and are trying to add to the already lopsided score, while Brazil collects its composure and dignity.
32nd minute, 5-0 Germany: Kroos nearly makes it six for Germany, but his deflected effort goes out for a corner kick.
31st minute, 5-0 Germany: Brazil fans are weeping in the stands, as records fall in Belo Horizonte.
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29th minute, 5-0 Germany: Brazil is making mistakes all over the field, and Khedira continues the punishment.
26th minute, 4-0 Germany: Germany is through to the 2014 World Cup final after Kroos gives his team a four-goal lead.
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24th minute, 3-0 Germany: Kroos adds to Germany’s lead and compounds Brazil’s misery.
23rd minute, 2-0 Germany: Klose scores a record-breaking goal, and it couldn’t have been easier for him to do so.
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17th minute, 1-0 Germany: Lahm stops Marcelo’s forward raid with a tough tackle inside Germany’s penalty area.
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The Brazilian fullback wants a penalty, but the referee declines to award it.
Some pushing and shoving between Neuer, Hulk, Boateng and Marcelo follows.
17th minute, 1-0 Germany: Brazil is trying to muster a response, and the crowd is still behind the home team, but Germany has managed the last few minutes and prevented Brazil from creating any clear scoring chances.
11th minute, 1-0 Germany: Muller strikes, and Germany has the early lead.
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Kroos lofted the corner kick into the penalty area, and the unmarked Muller volleyed it past Cesar (and Marcelo) from seven yards away.
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It’s Muller’s fifth goal of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. If Muller scores one more, he will tie James Rodriguez in the race for the “Golden Boot.”
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10th minute, 0-0: After a bright start, Brazil has given away the ball in Germany’s half a few times.
Fifth minute, 0-0: The crowd at the Estadio Mineirao greet Germany’s first spell of possession with deafaning whistles. Time will tell what effect Brazil’s home-field advantage has on the teams.
Third minute, 0-0: Brazil has the better possession, territory and vitality in the opening minutes.
After pinning Germany in its own third, Marcelo shoots wide from distance.
Kickoff: The 2014 World Cup semifinal between Brazil and Germany is underway.
Pregame: The national anthems are being played, and the game will begin in a matter of minutes.
Brazil’s stand-in captain Luiz and goalkeeper Julio Cesar held up the jersey of injured star forward Neymar during the national anthems.
Bernard starts on Brazil’s forward line in place of Neymar.
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3:30 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
Brazil
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Germany
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1 p.m. ET: The 2014 FIFA World Cup has thrilled the soccer world for the last month, but the heavyweights are the only ones still standing.
The 2014 World Cup semifinals begin Tuesday when Brazil faces Germany at the Estadio Mineiro in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It’s the first of two semifinals which pit Europe’s last hopes against their South American counterparts with a potential world championship on the line.
Brazil and Germany were among the experts’ top picks to win the tournament, and Tuesday’s game will move the winner one step closer to heaven while sending the loser into a state of everlasting agony.
Brazil will be missing key figures when it takes on Germany. Captain Thiago Silva is suspended for the game due to yellow card accumulation. Fellow back David Luiz will captain Brazil in Silva’s absence. Meanwhile, superstar forward Neymar will miss the rest of the tournament after he suffered a broken back in Brazil’s victory over Colombia in the quarterfinals.
After topping Group G in the round-robin phase of the tournament, Germany defeated Algeria in the Round of 16 and France in the quarterfinal to earn a place in the last four. The stakes have never been higher, but Germany is healthy, hungry and confident ahead of its meeting with the host nation.
The 2014 World Cup semifinal between Brazil and Germany kicks off at 4 p.m. Stay right here for all the action from the Estadio Mineirao.
Photo via Facebook/FIFA World Cup