It seems weird to think about it now but going into the game, these two giants of world football were evenly poised for a place in the final. Neither had impressed but had managed impressive feats in getting to the semis: Brazil had opened up the games against Chile and Colombia to unravel the two teams of the tournament, changing them from energetic to frantic, while Germany have looked sterile but in control with their quality-laden squad, most notably against France. With home advantage (and more importantly some suspect officiating up to now), the slogan adorning Brazil’s team bus,* “Brace Yourself – The 6th Is Coming”, wasn’t just optimism. As history unfolded before our eyes, that phrase had more to do with Andre Schurrle than anyone would have expected. Brazil started the game in the 4-2-3-1 they have roughly used as a template throughout the tournament, with Dante and Bernard replacing missing stars Thiago Silva and Neymar, and Germany made no changes to their 4-3-3. Considering the eventual outcome, the opening minutes of the game were nervy and bitty from both sides. They struggled to keep possession with the ball scrambled from side to side, yet Germany still took the […]
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