Brazil v Germany (2014 FIFA World Cup)
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The Brazil versus Germany football match (also known by its score as 7–1, or Mineiraço in Brazil) was the first of two semi-final matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup that took place on 8 July 2014 at the Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Both Brazil and Germany reached the semi-finals with an undefeated record in the competition, with the Brazilians' quarter-final with Colombia causing them to lose forward Neymar to injury, and defender and captain Thiago Silva to accumulation of yellow cards. Despite the absence of these players, a close match was expected, given both teams performed comparably well throughout the tournament. Also, both were regarded as two of the biggest traditional FIFA World Cup forces, sharing eight tournaments won (5 for Brazil and 3 for Germany) and having previously met in the 2002 FIFA World Cup final, where Brazil won 2–0 and earned their fifth title. This match, however, ended in a historic loss for Brazil; in a massive show of dominance, Germany led 5–0 within 29 minutes, with four goals being scored inside a six-minute span, and brought the score up to 7–0 in the second half. Brazil scored a consolation goal through Oscar in the last minute, ending the match 7–1. Germany's Toni Kroos was selected as the man of the match. The game marked several tournament records. Germany's win marked the largest margin of victory in a FIFA World Cup semi-final. The game saw Germany overtake Brazil as the highest-scoring team in World Cup tournament history and become the first team to reach eight World Cup finals. Miroslav Klose scored his 16th career World Cup goal and surpassed Brazil's own Ronaldo as the tournament's all-time record goalscorer. Brazil's loss broke their 62-match unbeaten streak at home in competitive matches, going back to the 1975 Copa América (where they lost 3–1 to Peru in the same stadium), and equalled their biggest margin of defeat in a match alongside a 6–0 loss to Uruguay in 1920. It was also Brazil's worst margin of defeat in a World Cup match, with their previous worst loss in that category being their 3–0 loss to France in the 1998 final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris. Ultimately, the match was described as a national humiliation. The game has been dubbed the Mineiraço ([minejˈɾasu]) in reference to the Mineirão stadium, evoking a previous "spirit of national shame" known as the Maracanaço in which Brazil unexpectedly lost in the de facto final of the 1950 FIFA World Cup on home soil to Uruguay. Brazil lost 3–0 to the Netherlands in the third-place play-off, while Germany went on to win the World Cup for the fourth time, winning 1–0 against Argentina in the final. This was Germany’s fourth World Cup triumph, bringing them joint-second behind five-time winners Brazil, as well as the first European World Cup triumph in the Americas.