It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Here was team, handpicked by former World Cup winning captain Dunga, with a sole purpose — add a sixth World Cup crown to the trophy cabinet. The manager opted for a pragmatic approach, shedding the team’s all-out attacking ways. And, what was the end result?
The current bunch, that had a relatively hassle-free run in the tournament, failed to step up to the plate when the situation demanded it. When they needed to stand up to the Dutch challenge they simply failed to arise.
On record this team did no worse than the Socrates-led 1986 dream team — both went out in the quarterfinals. But, these two teams best encapsulate two vastly different styles of play Brazil are capable of.
The lanky Socrates lamented how Brazil had gone from playing Joga Bonita or ‘The Beautiful Game’ in his time to the counter-attacking ways of Dunga’s men. The former midfield general even said Dunga’s philosophy is an “affront to our culture”.
Felipe Melo best typified Dunga’s hard-nosed approach. And it was the Juventus tough-man who will go down as the villain in the eyes of the Brazilian fans.
Of all ways to stamp one’s authority in a match, Melo chose the worst possible route. He planted his stud on the thigh of a fallen Arjen Robben and needless to say was shown the marching orders by the referee.
The coach tried to defend his ward, but everything he said lost all consequence after a shocking mental lapse from the central midfielder. “Melo was sent off — it’s not the first time that has happened in a World Cup game and at the end of the day, we are all responsible for this situation. I am very proud to coach these players given the dignified manner in which they have always played for the Brazilian national team,” he said.
Dignified? Really?
Holland coach Bert van Marjwik put it best. “I’ve seen the images of the red card situation, and you would be ashamed, ashamed for Brazilian football.”
The 2002 World Cup winning star Ronaldo knows what comes with failure at the World Cup. He was vilified in 1998 as a mysterious fit on the eve of the final disrupted the Brazilian teams rhythm as they meekly succumbed 0-3 to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired France.
He had a piece of advice for Melo, “Felipe Melo shouldn’t spend his vacation in Brazil,” he wrote on his Twitter page.
Kaka and Robinho, the two offensive stalwarts of the team, started in true Brazilian style and even Melo produced a piece of typically Brazilian wizardry to set up Robinho for the opening goal. Kaka could have finished off the contest on the half-hour mark, but his excellent strike was deflected away by Holland goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Brazil is the spiritual home of football and there is very little about the sport that you need to explain to them. However, on Friday, one would be compelled to tell Robinho the most elementary rule of football — it’s a game of two halves.