The first semi-final is just around the corner and hosts Brazil would be patting their backs for having come this far. As a nation, they have a lot to be proud of. Even before the stars descended on the Brazilian soil, there were murmurs about this nation being on the brink of a possible embarrassment. There was a mob that opposed the World Cup vehemently. There were protests that sparked off riots on the streets of Brazil.
If man-made troubles weren’t enough, technological and logistical nightmares added fuel to fire. The venues weren’t ready and preparation was nowhere near the schedule. The deadlines were beginning to look like a monster and even the FIFA expressed its displeasure over the way Brazil was handling the preparations. It looked like a comedy of errors was about to unfold. Brazil waited with bated breath and so did the rest of the world.
And when the D-Day arrived, the world was stunned. Brazil pulled off an effort that fit the bill for a ‘hat’s off performance’. The opening ceremony, although criticised by one too many, was impressive to say the least. To face such resistance from their own people and to be able to pull it off in such panache is something worth appreciating.
Brazil did reasonably well in their group stages, as predicted. Their journey from the group stage to the quarters to the semis have been a bumpy ride, with some splendid performances and some ‘could have been better moments’. However, they pulled through and have made it to the semis, where they will lock horns with Germany, who’ve been at their ferocious best.
If you thought Brazil have their stuff sorted out, then believe me, they haven’t right before their critical semi final encounter against Germany, they’ve lost services of one of their key players — Neymar. With four goals to boot the team ahead, he will be thoroughly missed, but then as coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said, it’s for the rest of the team to play its part. Out of the World Cup thanks to a broken backbone that happened in the quarter final encounter against Colombia, it’s a pretty bad time for the Brazilian camp.
But then, Germany needs to remember only one thing — Brazil have stunned everyone every time they were up against a challenge. A team without Neymar against the Germans in the semi-finals is nothing short of a challenge and Brazil fans would hope that history would repeat itself.