It was the saddest day in Brazil’s proud footballing history, and one man — team captain David Luiz, no less — was absolutely appalling.
Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of the 2014 World Cup host marked Brazil’s first loss in a competitive match on home soil since 1975, and its greatest footballing embarrassment.
Luiz, the world’s most expensive defender on the back of his record $91 million transfer from Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain, was at fault in at least six of Germany’s seven goals.
1-0: From a German corner, Luiz loses his man at the far post, enabling Thomas Mueller to cruise in and score the opener in the 11th minute.
2-0: Luiz allows Germany’s Toni Kroos to slide a through ball right by him, and ultimately into the path of Miroslav Klose, who doubles the lead on 23 minutes.
3-0: Just a minute later, Luiz is in no man’s land as Kroos — in acres of space at the edge of the area — hammers home a first-time shot on goal.
4-0: There isn’t much Luiz can do about this one as Brazil’s Fernandinho gives up the ball almost immediately from the restart, and Kroos pounces to score his second goal in the space of three minutes. Luiz is, however, very slack in tracking back.
5-0: Luiz’s poorly timed, rushed-in tackle in the middle of the park allows Germany to cut right through the heart of Brazil’s defence, and Sami Khedira cashes in with a side-footed finish for his team’s fourth goal in seven minutes.
6-0: Second half now, and flat-footed and poorly positioned Luiz again allows a German attacker a free run into the box. This time it’s Andre Schurrle who pokes it home from close range after the ball is rolled in from the right.
7-0: Luiz is a good 7 feet behind Schurrle as the German races onto the ball on the left side of the area and hits a free half-volley, which strikes the underside of the bar before nestling in the back of the net.
“We wanted to make the people happy but we couldn’t do it. Sorry to all the Brazilians,” he said.
And Brazil’s fans deserved an apology. Luiz’s performance was unacceptable for a player of his caliber.
“I don’t know what he was doing, he was all over the shop,” SBS analyst and former Socceroo Zeljko Kalac said of Luiz’s display.
The defender was berated on Twitter, with many fans blaming him for the loss.
https://twitter.com/Troll__Football/statuses/486620351460171779
“It’s the worst loss ever of the Brazil team … a catastrophe,” Brazil’s coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, said after the match. “It was like we blanked out. It’s the worst day of my life.”
While the loss of injured superstar Neymar has been well documented, Luiz’s inefficiency punctuated just how big a hole the suspension of Thiago Silva left in the center of the Brazilian defense.