Blues in Brazil

Article by e-Chelsea's Robert Wake

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e-Chelsea World Cup Update

Congratulations to Andre Schurrle – World Champion. Commiserations to Oscar, Willian and Ramires whose quest for glory was emphatically ended by the Germans last Tuesday in Belo Horizonte.

Oscar started for Brazil against Germany while Ramires replaced Hulk at Half-time with the hosts unbelievably 5-0 down. I have watched football both live and on television for 40 years, but I can’t remember ever witnessing any team anywhere implode as quickly and totally as Brazil did in that devastating six minute spell when the Germans scored four rapid-fire goals. It was surely as close as any team has ever come to a complete and utter meltdown on the pitch. It appeared as if the pressure of winning the World Cup in their own country, in front of an adoring public suddenly, and spectacularly became too much to bear for every player wearing the famous yellow jersey. Thomas Muller put the Germans ahead after 11 minutes, but there was little indication of what was to come. On 23 minutes, Miroslav Klose converted from close range, and straight from the restart, Toni Kroos made it 3-0. The game was over as a contest, but Brazil’s humiliation was far from complete. Two minutes later, Kroos scored his second and Germany’s fourth, and Sami Khedira added a fifth 3 minutes later. Chelsea’s Andre Schurrle replaced Klose on 58 minutes, and proceeded to rub more salt into the gaping Brazilian wounds. On 69 minutes Schurrle finished from close range, before thumping a rising drive beyond the shell-shocked Julio Cesar for Germany’s seventh. Oscar scored a nicely taken individual goal in the last minute, but it was no consolation for Brazil who had seen their dreams become a living nightmare, played out on a world stage.

The last thing Brazil needed was another match, but had to go through the formalities of the ridiculous and singularly pointless 3rd/4th place Play-off match on Saturday. Oscar, Ramires and Willian all started as the hosts sought to somehow erase the cataclysmic events of Belo Horizonte.Those thoughts were soon quashed by the Dutch. Robin Van Persie converted an early penalty after Arjen Robben had been pulled back by Thiago Silva. Daley Blind added a second on 16 minutes, and we wondered whether another humiliation was on the cards. As it transpired Wijnaldum added the coup de grace in stoppage time, and Brazil’s misery, at least in the short term was mercifully over.

Andre Schurrle has been used as an impact substitute by Joachim Low, and this was again the case in The Maracana on Sunday evening. Schurrle’s opportunity came earlier than normal, replacing the unfortunate Christoph Kramer on 32 minutes, after the youngster suffered concussion. Schurrle was a threat throughout, initially interchanging well with Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose, and latterly, decisively with Mario Goetze. On 113 minutes, Schurrle burst down the left, before delivering an inch perfect cross for Goetze who controlled the ball on his chest before beating Romero from a tight angle. Argentina will rue missed chances, particularly in the first half when Gonzalo Higuain failed to capitalise on an errant back-header from Kroos, but for me Germany were the best team in the tournament and are deserving of the title World Champions.

It has been a great tournament, possibly the best in my lifetime. It has had controversy with Luis Suarez biting another opponent, and being rewarded with a lucrative transfer to Barcelona, the emergence of James Rodriguez as a world star, great goals by Rodriguez, Tim Cahill and others, and the heroic performances of Costa Rica, Algeria and the USA. Above all though, the abiding memory of Brazil 2014 will be of Brazil 1-7 Germany on 8 July in Belo Horizonte. For millions of Brazilians, that day will be indelibly etched into the tapestry of this great football nation long after everything else has been forgotten.

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