Kolkata: Closed for the summer season, the school in Bergisch Gladbach thrummed with activity. Brazil remained in your house and had actually drawn the world’s media to this drowsy, leafy town not far from Cologne. To them, Robinho grandly stated that the next match would be his Real Madrid colleague Zinedine Zidane’s last in a France t-shirt.
< source media ="(min-width:768px)" alt ="Brazil players react after losing their Round of 16 match to Norway. (AFP)" > < img src ="https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2026/07/06/400x225/Brazil-players-react-after-losing-their-Round-of-1_1783357713561.jpg"alt ="Brazil players react after losing their Round of 16 match to Norway. (AFP)"title ="Brazil players react after losing their Round of 16 match to Norway. (AFP)"width ="360"height ="202"loading ="eager">An essential gamer for the protecting champs radiating self-confidence ahead of the 2006 World Cup quarter-final didn’t feel odd considered that while France had actually had a hard time to leave the group, Brazil had actually skyrocketed.
We understand now how broad 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 various variations of the very same style: how awkward was it for Brazil that Zidane and not one of their stars demonstrated how the gorgeous video game must be played.
The world had no chance of understanding 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 ever considering that 1990 have the five-time champs left in the round of 16. If 2 World Cup titles and a last berth in the next 3 editions made that loss to Argentina uncommon, this felt anticipated like water-logging in Indian cities throughout monsoon.
Brazil certified as South America’s 5th finest. The most recent defeat was their seventh to a group from Europe in a knockout match on the planet Cup, the pattern beginning in 2006. The last time Brazil beat a group from Europe in a must-win World Cup match was likewise the last time they won it.
In all those matches after 2002, Brazil have actually revealed indications of bottling it. After Zidane had them under his spell, in 2010 they were bewitched by Arjen Robben in Port Elizabeth. It resulted in Wesley Sneijder scoring with his head, Brazil delivering their very first own-goal on the planet Cup, seeing a red card and stopping working to safeguard the lead Robinho had actually provided.
Came the disastrous 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany. In Russia, Kevin de Bruyne did a Zidane on them. Versus Croatia in Qatar, Brazil took the lead through a dazzling solo effort from Neymar Jr however lost on charges.
Designating Neymar Jr as the last kicker was an example of a brief circuit in the group’s thinktank as Brazil were removed before his turn came. The group showing Neymar Junior’s t-shirt before the semi-final in 2014 was another. Mentally overwrought, they were torn to ribbons by Germany.
For Tostao, Brazil’s efficiency versus Norway was a “melancholic failure.” The 1970 World Cup winner potentially could not fathom why Brazil were “passive”. They had 34% belongings, the least in a World Cup match given that such records started to be put together in 1966.
Brazil counting on counter-attack like Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid would have been appropriate had they taken their possibilities. Not having the ability to highlighted another issue. Brazil have actually had gamers called Grafite and Dinamite however a striker of compound they have actually not had for years before and after Ronaldo.
Hooked off at half-time versus Morocco, Igor Thiago advised of Tele Santana’s talk about Serginho, Brazil’s striker in the 1982 World Cup. When Serginho Chulapa plays, the ball is square, the previous Brazil coach had actually stated. The future might be Endrick’s, today not rather.
As soon as giants, Brazil have actually become their ghosts who let competitors have the ball. “We will utilize this as fuel moving forward,” stated head coach Ancelotti. “We require some young skill …” Can he discover somebody who will enter Casemiro’s function? Complete backs of the kind they as soon as had? Gamers with the sort of psychological perseverance last seen 24 years back? The world will have some concept by the 2028 Copa America.
