2014 World Cup Semfinal: Brazil vs. Germany

Overview

2014 World Cup: Brazil vs. Germany was the first of the two semifinal matches in the international football tournament that ended in a 7 – 1 landslide victory for Germany. During the game, several relevant hashtags, including #BrazilvsGermany, #BRA (Brazil) and #GERM (Germany), were mentioned in 35.6 tweets, setting a new record for the most discussed single sports game ever on Twitter.

Background

On July 8th, 2014, the host team and five-time champions Brazil went against Germany in the first of the two semifinal matches at the 2014 World Cup. Hopes were high for both teams, as Brazil and Germany have each won multiple tournaments in the past and led up to the semifinal with an undefeated record, though Brazil had two of its key players missing in the lineup due to foul accumulation and injury, Thiago Silva and Neymar respectively.

The Match

After an exchange of offense plays from both sides, Germany's Thomas Müller scored the first goal by volleying a corner kick into the net in the 11th minute. In the following 30 minutes, Germany gained four additional goals in an impressive display of offense, ending the first half at 5 – 0. Brazil started the second half with a strong pressure, but their attempts were halted by remarkable saves from Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Brazil gave up two more goals to Germany's substitute André Schürrle and nearly an eighth towards the end of the game. In the 90th minute, Oscar scored the only goal for Brazil, with the only consolation of having avoided the team's worst ever loss in World Cup history.

Notable Developments

The result shocked the football world and was subsequently referred to by the press as the Mineirazo, evoking the spirit of the Maracanazo in which Brazil unexpectedly lost the 1950 FIFA World Cup on home soil to Uruguay.

External References