Kolkata: Closed for the summer, the school in Bergisch Gladbach thrummed with activity. Brazil were in the house and had drawn the world’s media to this sleepy, leafy town not far from Cologne. To them, Robinho grandly said that the next match would be his Real Madrid teammate Zinedine Zidane’s last in a France shirt.
A key player for the defending champions exuding confidence ahead of the 2006 World Cup quarter-final didn’t feel odd given that while France had struggled to get out of the group, Brazil had soared.
We know now how wide of the mark Robinho was. After the 1-0 defeat in Frankfurt, the Brazilian media kept asking coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and head of delegation Mario Zagallo different versions of the same theme: how embarrassing was it for Brazil that Zidane and not one of their stars showed how the beautiful game should be played.
The world had no way of knowing then that the 2002 title would be an outlier in Brazil’s World Cup story from 1998 to Sunday when Norway knocked them out. Never since 1990 have the five-time champions exited in the round of 16. But if two World Cup titles and a final berth in the next three editions made that loss to Argentina unusual, this felt expected like water-logging in Indian cities during monsoon.
Brazil qualified as South America’s fifth best. The latest defeat was their seventh to a team from Europe in a knockout match in the World Cup, the trend starting in 2006. The last time Brazil beat a team from Europe in a must-win World Cup match was also the last time they won it.
In all those matches after 2002, Brazil have shown signs of bottling it. After Zidane had them under his spell, in 2010 they were bewitched by Arjen Robben in Port Elizabeth. It led to Wesley Sneijder scoring with his head, Brazil shipping their first own-goal in the World Cup, seeing a red card and failing to protect the lead Robinho had given them.
Then came the calamitous 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany. In Russia, Kevin de Bruyne did a Zidane on them. Against Croatia in Qatar, Brazil took the lead through a brilliant solo effort from Neymar Jr but lost on penalties.
Designating Neymar Jr as the last kicker was an example of a short circuit in the team’s thinktank as Brazil were eliminated before his turn came. The team displaying Neymar Junior’s shirt before the semi-final in 2014 was another. Emotionally overwrought, they were torn to ribbons by Germany.
For Tostao, Brazil’s performance against Norway was a “melancholic failure.” The 1970 World Cup winner possibly couldn’t fathom why Brazil were “passive”. They had 34% possession, the least in a World Cup match since such records began to be compiled in 1966.
Brazil relying on counter-attack like Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid would have been acceptable had they taken their chances. Not being able to highlighted another problem. Brazil have had players named Graphite and Dynamite but a striker of substance they have not had for years before and after Ronaldo.
Hooked off at half-time against Morocco, Igor Thiago reminded of Tele Santana’s comment on Serginho, Brazil’s striker in the 1982 World Cup. When Serginho Chulapa plays, the ball is square, the former Brazil coach had said. The future may be Endrick’s, the present not quite.
Once giants, Brazil have become their ghosts who let rivals have the ball. “We will use this as fuel going forward,” said head coach Ancelotti. “We need some young talent…” Can he find someone who will step into Casemiro’s role? Full backs of the kind they once had? Players with the kind of mental fortitude last seen 24 years ago? The world will have some idea by the 2028 Copa America.
