The tears started flowing before half time and by the end of a 7-1 shellacking in the World Cup semifinal, millions across Brazil were in dazed, damp-eyed disbelief. The national team wasn’t just defeated but mauled at its own party. Young and old, Brazilians shared the anguish of the national calamity, the worst loss in 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 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.”
Some fans in the stadium where the massacre played out excruciatingly exited at halftime, some tearing up there tickets and giving the thumbs down to TV cameras. “Five to zero is so embarrassing, we’re not going to stay any longer,” Ribeiro said when Germany were 5-0. “One to nothing is fine, one-one, two-one, two-two, but five to nothing is shameful for a country that has a tradition of soccer.” Tears flowed freely & the mood for many was shifting to anger, disbelief and a search for comedy relief. “By the 30th minute my Facebook feed was full of jokes poking fun at the team,” said Mirel Ribeiro, a 25-year-old fan. “This was such a slaughter we can’t even cry about it. Jorge Cardoso, an engineer, said simply: “It’s like someone you love has died.”