Brazil’s World Cup dreams ended in humiliating and brutal fashion as Germany inflicted their heaviest defeat in the first semi-final in Belo Horizonte.
A thunderous occasion that began with Brazil riding a tidal wave of emotion was reduced to a nightmare as Germany were 5-nil up inside 29 remarkable minutes in front of a disbelieving Estadio Mineirao crowd.
Brazil’s players mourned the absence of the injured Neymar before kick-off, but Captain Thiago Silva was an even bigger loss.
The result was their first competitive home defeat in 39 years, and the end of their hopes of making it to the World Cup final at the iconic Maracana on Sunday.
Instead, Germany will meet either Argentina or the Netherlands, who play on Wednesday in Sao Paulo.
