Brazilians fans shook their heads in disgust on Saturday as their team ended a disastrous World Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in the third-place playoff.
Vinicius Costacurta, who traveled from Sao Paulo to attend the game in Brasilia, left with his head down, reeling from another loss.
“I couldn’t take it. That’s 10 goals in two games. It’s very frustrating for a team that won five titles,” said Costacurta, who wore Brazil’s jersey and painted his face in the country’s colors.
Some were so angry after the loss to Germany that they wore the Netherlands’ orange jersey.
“I was supporting Holland. Our team is useless,” businessman Diogo Chaer said.
The defeat to Germany was decried as an embarrassment that eclipsed Brazil’s traumatic defeat at home to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final.
In Rio de Janeiro, fans began to leave a public screening on the legendary Copacabana Beach before the game was even over.
Thousands had attended the official Fan Fest, hoping for Brazil to salvage some sense of pride, but they watched in despair as another defeat unfolded.
“I’m off to another party. Dreadful match,” said Francisco Ramos, a 21-year-old soldier wearing a Brazil jersey.
“We’re sad because the Cup is in Brazil and we finished in fourth place,” said Eduarda Alves, a 16-year-old wearing a shirt decorated with the Brazilian flag.
Others stayed until the bitter end. Leonel Freitas, 25, and his sister Marina, 21, raised their hands in desperation when the Netherlands scored a third goal at the end.
“The national team needs renovation. It relies too much on Neymar,” said Leonel, an industrial planning assistant, referring to the star forward who missed the final two games after breaking a vertebra in their quarter-final against Colombia.
The siblings, like many Brazilians, were cheering for Germany yesterday, even though the Europeans handed the Selecao the biggest defeat of their 100-year history.
“I will never support Argentina. Argentina can never win in Brazil,” Leonel said.
Julius Miranda, a 32-year-old government worker in the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, danced on the beach with the Brazilian flag wrapped around him like a cape.
“I feel neither sadness nor happiness. Brazil is so used to going to the final that finishing second or fourth is the same thing,” he said.
Argentina fans left the beach singing songs mocking Brazil.
“Rivalry is a beautiful thing in football,” said Ramiro Taran, 20, a shopkeeper from Rosario, Argentina.
Not all Brazilians are anti-Argentina.
“I don’t hate Argentina,” said Lucas Carvalho, a 23-year-old electrical engineer who wore a Netherlands jersey and an orange top hat, along with a Brazil scarf.
“I was in Belo Horizonte [for the Germany game]. That’s why I’m wearing the Dutch shirt. It was difficult, but I stayed to the end against Germany. I’ll remember that historic match for years."
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