Plunged from a nationwide party into deep despair, Brazilians lambasted their team’s lack of heart and style on Friday and begged for a return to the “beautiful game” by the time they host the World Cup in 2014.
In a country that has won more World Cups than any other and which defines itself by the success of its national team, the second successive limp exit to a European team at the quarter-final stage was too much to stomach for many fans.
“This is painful. It’s a miserable pain,” said a sobbing, bikini-clad Maria Elisa as she left Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach, where about 20,000 fans, most wearing canary-yellow, endured the 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands shown on a giant screen.
PHOTO: EPA
Within minutes of the game’s conclusion, hundreds of forlorn Brazilians vented their frustration on the blog of Juca Kfouri, one of Brazil’s best-known sports writers.
Many blamed coach Dunga for fielding a team that lacked some of the country’s greatest stars, such as Ronaldinho, Ganso and Neymar.
Many commentators had long had their knives out for 1994 World Cup winning player Dunga for what they saw as his stubbornly defensive style that was a far cry from the jogo bonito or beautiful game that Brazilians expect.
“What happened was precisely what we all knew would happen before the Cup even started — a mediocre team, mediocre football,” one fan named Anderson Verdao wrote.
In Brazil’s biggest city of Sao Paulo, disconsolate bankers, builders and other workers trooped back to their workplaces or consoled themselves with more beer as they analyzed the defeat.
“There is no way to kill our sorrow. We just have to wait until 2014,” 27-year-old systems analyst Rafael Moretti said, swigging a beer as other fans defiantly blew out some final blasts on vuvuzela horns.
A common view was that Dunga, who indicated immediately after the game he would not stay on as Brazil coach, had been too stubborn and inflexible to calls to change styles.
“Dunga is stupid — he didn’t call up Ronaldinho,” 40-year-old systems analyst Edson Cavalcante said while swaying from the effects of beer and disappointment on a Sao Paulo street.
Brazil lost to France in the 2006 quarter-final even with skillful playmaker Ronaldinho on the team, but fans said on Friday that his exclusion had left the squad without options.
“It’s not a problem of Brazilian football — we have great players. The problem was Dunga’s philosophy of being the big chief, he was too hard-headed,” 29-year-old banker Daniel Garcia said.
Felipe Melo, the midfielder who scored an own goal and was sent off in the second half for stamping on Dutch playmaker Arjen Robben, was also singled out for blame.
“Felipe Melo shouldn’t spend his vacation in Brazil,” Ronaldo, the striker who led Brazil to its most recent World Cup title in 2002, wrote on his Twitter.
With Brazil hosting the next World Cup, Brazilians could at least look forward to a huge party and a strong chance of winning their sixth title in four years’ time.
“I think there is an arrangement at [soccer governing body] FIFA that Brazil can’t win too many times and of course the next one will be at home,” said Sydney Medeiros, a 52-year-old parking attendant in Sao Paulo who had his Brazil shirt draped over one shoulder. “Clearly, it’s a conspiracy.”
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
RSS