Brazil were handed out a great lesson in football last night by the Dutch super coach Louis Van Gaal. Van Gaal has always been critical of the play off for the third spot in the World Cup and did not shy from making his feelings known to the media. He was clear that at least from the next World Cup, the match between the losers of the semi-finals had to be stopped with, as this was a match nobody wants to be a part of. Losing the semi-finals of the World Cup is bad enough for the players, who just wish to go home immediately after and lick their wounds in peace, without having to push themselves for one more effort on the football pitch. But Van Gaal is a perfectionist, and he had his team perfectly prepared for the match against the home team.
Holland looked hungry for a win, and so the final result was hardly a surprise. What was unexpected was the abject performance put by Brazil. Things were really at a low for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men and they got a lot worse in yesterday’s match. Scolari is the most hated man in Brazil today, while only a few days ago, he was the most admired man in the country. That’s how fast fortunes change in a World Cup. Brazil are not used to losing at home. They lost their last competitive home game in 1974. But now, they have lost two in a row, famously losing 7-1 to Joachim Loew’s Germany in the semi-finals and losing 3-0 last night to Van Gaal’s Holland in the play off for the third position.
The day began on a bright note for Brazil as their inspirational young playmaker and national hero, Neymar Junior was back in Brazilian team colors, but only as a cheerleader from the sidelines as he was still very much injured. There wasn’t a single dry eye in the stadium as the Brazilian players and the crowd got together in spirited rendering of the Brazilian national anthem. It was more of a sad goodbye to a tournament which has held so much hope for the entire country of 200 million people, but it was not to be so.
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But there are no hiding places on the football field. Brazil were horrified as Thiago Silva, their captain and best defender, made a poor mistake by bringing down Arjen Robben inside the Brazilian box. Silva was lucky to be let off with just a yellow card as he was the last defender in the line as he had fouled Robben. Robin Van Persie needed no second invitation as he coolly smashed the ball in the top-right corner beyond goalkeeper Julio Cesar’s reach. So it was 1-0 to Holland, and only 3 minutes had passed. The crowd was silenced, wondering if it was going to be a repeat of the match against Germany.
Things only got worse for Brazil only in the 16th minute as David Luiz made another costly defensive error for his team, heading a cross from Holland’s Jonathan de Gruzman into the path of Daley Blind. Blind has been one of the best players for Holland, and he made his no mistake, curling the ball into the Brazilian net. The tournament has gone horribly wrong for David Luiz, who was a national star after his spectacular performance against James Rodriguez’s Colombia in the quarterfinals. He is today subject of national humiliation after his disastrous performance against Germany, and his horrendous mistake against Holland would leave his new club, Paris Saint-Germain wondering if paying $50 million to buy him from Chelsea was a mistake.
Brazil did try hard in the second half, with Oscar doing his best, but there was little they could do as the Dutch ended the match in grand style as Georginio Wijnaldum made it 3 – 0 in the 92nd minute of the match, leaving the crowd more disappointed than angry.
The World Cup that began so well for Brazil has ended in an abject humiliation. The entire tournament was supposed to be a celebration of Brazil. But it is today something that the whole of Brazil would gladly like to forget in a hurry. It may even get worse for them if arch rivals Argentina end up winning the World Cup later tonight!
