German blitzkrieg blows away Brazil

Germany handed Brazil their worst ever defeat in their footballing hostory as the European team drubbed the five-time World Cup champions 7-1 in the first semi-final of the 32-nation tournament in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on Tuesday. Germany, the three-time World Cup winners, will face either Argentina or the Netherlands on Sunday in the finale of the world's greatest soccer show on earth. It was Brazil’s worst ever defeat in their 100-year footballing history. Sixty-four years after Brazil were plunged into national mourning after their loss in the 1950 final, the hosts were torn apart in a defeat likely to be every bit as traumatic as the fabled ‘Maracanazo.’ Tearful Brazil captain David Luiz immediately apologised to the nation after the rout. ‘Apologies to everybody, apologies to all the Brazilian people,’ said Luiz, his eyes red from tears. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari echoed the mood of despair. ‘We ask for forgiveness,’ said a shellshocked Scolari. ‘To the people, please excuse us for this negative mistake.’ Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff added to the gloom. ‘Like every Brazilian, I am very, very sad about this defeat. I am immensely sorry for all of us. Fans and our players,’ she wrote on Twitter. Germany’s passage to Rio was booked after a first-half blitz which included a burst of four goals in six devastating minutes. Mueller opened the scoring on 11 minutes, punishing poor Brazilian marking at a corner to make it 1-0. Brazil, badly missing suspended captain Thiago Silva, tried to regroup but there was no respite. Miroslav Klose’s cool finish on 23 minutes -- which made him the World Cup's all-time top-scorer with 16 goals -- was the cue for the floodgates to open. Toni Kroos struck twice in the 24th and 26th minutes to make it 4-0 and then Sami Khedira rounded off another clinical move to make it 5-0 on 29 minutes. Dead and buried inside half an hour, the crowd at the Mineirao Stadium was stunned into silence. After the fifth goal, well before half-time, hundreds of people left their expensive seats.
- Fans anger -
A section of the crowd chanted sexually-expletive obscenities against the team and Brazil's leader Rousseff, who up to now had enjoyed a reprieve from protests over the record $11 billion spent to host the tournament. Across the nation, other fans shouted at their televisions and abandoned public screenings. Though Brazil rallied at the start of the second half, the torture continued on 69 minutes when Andre Schuerrle swept in Germany’s sixth. This time boos rang out around the Mineirao as the Germans celebrated. Schuerrle then grabbed his second on 79 minutes to make it 7-0, and confirm the worst defeat in the history of the South American team. The previous record loss had been a 6-0 reverse to Uruguay in 1920. Schuerlle’s 2nd goal was greeted by a burst of applause as Brazilian fans saluted Germany’s wonderful exhibition of attacking football. A late goal from Oscar was barely applauded by the Mineirao Stadium crowd, according to a news agency.