Gamut of emotions after Brazil loss

As Brazil crashed out of World Cup thousands of web users came up with hashtag #vergonhabrasil (humiliation Brazil).

BRASILIA:  “Brazil have Neymar; Argentina, Messi; Portugal, Ronaldo. Germany have a team.”

That was just one of a blizzard of sardonic comments doing the rounds on social media, a virtual meeting point for tens of millions of Brazilians, after Tuesday’s 7-1 hiding by the Germans.

As Brazil crashed to an epic World Cup semi-final loss thousands of web users in a country with a voracious appetite for social media came up with the hashtag #vergonhabrasil (humiliation Brazil).

Some posts to sites depicted Rio’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue covering its face in shame — or even replaced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Can somebody explain to me how a knee in the back for [absent injured star] Neymar renders 11 [Brazilian players] paraplegic?” asked Twitter user @MonteiroLovato.

Some users scolded the critics, preferring to offer thanks to their players, including skipper David Luiz, for their World Cup effort which finally imploded spectacularly.

“Before the game everyone was talking about us winning a sixth title, you ungrateful lot who only back Brazil when they are winning,” huffed @itspetrov4l.

However, most posts were humorous and ironic in nature.

“If we’re going to lose then let it be by a margin that puts us in the Guinness Book of Records,” was one such post accompanied by an image of the team holding a pitch-side group hug as if aware of the German assault to come.

Still more posts alluded to the protests which have assailed the giant nation in recent months over the cost of staging the event rather than investing in poor public services.

“The worst thing is there are no hospitals to treat my depression” about the result, was how one internet user put it.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2014.

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