7 down. Heartbroken. Shocked. But will rise again..

..coz it’s Brazil we are talking about!

If you are not a football fan, you will still know the scoreline 1-7. The jokes have erupted on social media with the scoreline being the central figure. You may have seen some players and fans in yellow jersey crying their heart out completely oblivious to the camera pointing at them. You may have read a story of an old person reluctantly handing over a replica of World Cup to a German fan after the match. You may have seen a child crying when the Germans were right in the middle of their rout.

Team that lost 1-7 against Germany

If you are a football fan, you knew Germans were favorites to win the bout. Especially after Neymar and Thiago Silva were ruled out of the semis. But by this margin? No one would have ever expected / dreamt about it (apart from those few who actually predicted 1-7 in betting and made a living out of it). I was elated when Germans scored their second as I knew it will be tough for Brazil to comeback against a disciplined German defense. When they scored their third, it was all over. And then, 4th happened quickly followed by 5th. If, by any chance, you decided to go for a pee break after Germany scored their 2nd goal, you have probably missed one of the most woeful defensive setups that led to 4 goals in barely 6 minutes. And we are talking about World Cup semifinals. You just cannot mess it up at that level! But it happened and it happened to none other than Brazil.

The blame game has already begun. Luis Felipe Scolari, Brazilian coach, has taken complete responsibility. I agree to an extent. He had some of the best names in his squad of 30 which he ignored for this World Cup. Who’s the backup for Neymar? And Thiago Silva? Dante is good but not good enough to gel with David Luiz. Their full-backs are so attack-minded that they messed up the prime reason for being in the team – defense. The defenders were caught napping when the Germans attacked. And why is Fred still in the playing 11 despite his performances (or the lack of it)? I won’t buy the “best possible team” argument simply. Kaka is still playing and was in the squad of 30. Who knows, he could have done a better job than Bernard. Robinho was also omitted and Fred / Jo were considered. Honestly, there are many in this team who don’t deserve (yet) to be part of the Brazilian team.

But all this is retrospective analysis. Mistakes are noticed often through a rear-view mirror. But that’s already done. What’s next?

Many will agree that this team is less Brazilian than most of their predecessors. And probably here’s why - how many of their 23 World Cup players play for Brazilian teams? Answer – 4/23. The remaining 19 play in various European leagues and some have been playing there since their younger days. I feel this is one area Brazilian Football needs to look at. They need some youngsters to play their own leagues and in their own “Brazilian style”. Easier said than done, I agree. The lure of playing European football is so much that it has become every youngsters dream. Fame and money are found in plenty there. Case in point – Hulk. I believe, at this stage, he has actually overshot his market value. Individually, they are all great players – Oscar, Neymar, William, Gustavo, Silva and Luiz. We need some of these players to be a Ronaldinho, a Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Rivaldo et al. Or even better, if that’s possible! Many of us blamed the standing captain David Luiz for moving out of his defensive position especially after Germans opened their account. But I guess he was left with no option considering that there was hardly anyone who can equalize for Brazil. Ironically, Luiz – a defender – was their best bet to score. Doesn’t that say a lot about this team?

But this is still Brazil. The original powerhouse of Football. If you go by most World Cups ever won by a team, Brazil will top the list. They are simply the best for a reason. And they will make a grand comeback. I am sure. Brazilian fans know it deep down. The footballing world are bracing themselves for a response. And it can happen as soon as the next World Cup in Russia. However, Brazilian football association will have a serious role to play sans politics. The Ronaldo’s, Ronaldinho’s, Carlos’ need to come together and not just as administrators – some as coaches – to make it happen. Imagine Brazil taking on Germany in 2018 finals and destroying the great German wall of defense with their typical Brazilian way of attacking football. Won’t that be a sweet retribution for the 1-7 loss?

That’s what defines a sport – you are down and out at the moment, but you will rise from the ashes and reclaim what truly belongs to you. And when that happens, we will be forced to forget that dreaded scoreline in 2014 World Cup semifinals 1-7.