Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has urged the country to bounce back after its devastating 7-1 World Cup defeat against Germany.
“Like all Brazilians, I am very, very sad after the defeat. But we will not let ourselves be broken,” she tweeted.
The coach of the national team Luiz Felipe Scolari called the defeat “the worst day of his life”.
Brazilian media reflected the mood of shock on Wednesday, describing the result as a “historic humiliation”.
The result was Brazil’s biggest defeat in World Cup finals history.
Fans who had paid upwards of $300 (£175) for their tickets were streaming out of the ground in Belo Horizonte at half-time – by which time the Germans were already way out of sight with a commanding 5-0 lead.
On Tuesday night, many Brazilians were dealing with defeat in the way they know best – playing music, drinking and staying out on the streets.
Others have taken it to heart. Football and the Selecao really do mean that much to them.
They’re hurt and humiliated. To be fair the writing had been on the wall, it’s just that no-one had expected this World Cup campaign, on home soil, to be extinguished in such a brutal manner.
“I feel bad for all of us – for fans and for our players,” Ms Rousseff said, urging Brazilians to “get up, shake off the dust and come out on top”.
Some have speculated that the team’s poor showing may affect Ms Rousseff’s chances in the presidential election in October.
“Brazil’s historic humiliation has set off a warning signal in Dilma Rousseff’s government, which fears that the bad mood stemming from the defeat may affect expectations for the economy – already not very favourable – as well as the campaign trail,” a column in the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said.
It added that fans in the stadium had chanted insults about Ms Rousseff.
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The German team established a 5-0 lead within just 29 minutes, adding two more goals in the second half.
By the end of the match many of the remaining Brazilian fans were cheering the German team.
The match was the first time a team had scored seven goals in a World Cup semi-final, and the first World Cup game with eight or more goals since Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 in 2002.
(vanguard)
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