New loss disgusts Brazil fans
Brazilians fans shook their heads in disgust on Saturday as their team ended a disastrous World Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in the third-place playoff.
Vinicius Costacurta, who traveled from Sao Paulo to attend the third-place game in Brasilia, left with his head down, reeling from another embarrassing loss.
“I couldn’t take it,” said Costacurta, who wore Brazil’s jersey and painted his face in the country’s yellow and green colors. “That’s 10 goals in two games. It is very frustrating for a team that won five titles.”
Some Brazilians were so angry after the loss to Germany that they wore the orange Dutch jersey.
“I was supporting Holland. Our team is useless,” said businessman Diogo Chaer.
The defeat to Germany was decried as an embarrassment that eclipsed Brazil’s traumatic defeat at home to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final.
In Rio, fans began to leave a public screening on the legendary Copacabana Beach before the game was even over.
Thousands had attended the official Fan Fest, hoping for Brazil to salvage some sense of pride, but they watched in despair at another defeat.
“I’m off to another party; dreadful match,” said Francisco Ramos, a 21-year-old soldier wearing a Brazil jersey.
Brazilians began to leave the Fan Fest even before half-time with their side trailing 2-0 and still clearly feeling the effects of their horror show against Germany.
Julius Miranda, a 32-year-old government worker in the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, danced on the beach with the Brazilian flag wrapped around him like a cape.
“I feel neither sadness nor happiness. Brazil is so used to going
to the final that finishing second or fourth is the same thing,”
he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2014.