The 90th minute of a World Cup semi-final in Belo Horizonte. Oscar slaloms past a German defender into the box and slams a shot home past Manuel Neuer. Some small celebrations can be heard from the crowd, but Oscar sheepishly picks the ball up and doesn’t celebrate. No teammates come over to congratulate him.
Brazil 1-7 Germany
This was meant to be the World Cup that cleansed Brazil of the traumatic Maracanazo. The first time they had hosted since 1950. They might not have had the best side that could match up to the greats of the past, but there was Neymar and Thiago Silva, playing elite level football. With a home crowd backing them, there was hope.
The quarter-final 2-1 win against Colombia changed the perception of what was possible. Thiago Silva picked up a yellow card that would mean he’d miss the Germany match through suspension. Even worse, Neymar suffered a serious spine injury when he was kneed in the lower back by Zúñiga.
You wouldn’t expect a country the size of Brazil, with its history of success to be derailed by an injury to one player, but when the teams walked out for the semi-final there was an imbalance of emotion and tension, the players focusing on what was missing (Neymar) rather than on what they could do to beat Germany. David Luiz and Júlio César held up a Neymar shirt while the players all stood together behind them. The squad also wore baseball caps saying "Força Neymar" as they arrived at the stadium earlier in the day. It was a bit much.
Signing at the same time as Eden Hazard for European Champions, Chelsea, for £25 million, Oscar was a future star in the making. His transfer from Internacional came after he’d already established himself in the Brazilian side.
At the age of 24, after playing for Chelsea for four and a half seasons, Oscar was the first big name player that wasn’t over the hill to join the Chinese Super League project. Shanghai Port bought paid £60 million to bring him to China from Chelsea. The money was flowing over there in a way that hadn’t been seen before and wouldn’t be seen again until the Saudi’s started throwing money at sport a few years later. Even when the finances didn’t stack up in China and the drain of big players began, Oscar stayed, playing for Shangai for 9 seasons before heading back to club football in Brazil for one last season in 2025. In December 2025, Oscar retired from football at just 34, due to health problems caused by fainting during a medical.
Back to Belo Horizonte, 8th July 2014.
Within 29 minutes Germany had taken a five goal lead, four of those goals coming in 6 magnificent minutes. Against Brazil. In the Maracana. In a World Cup semi-final! It’s what dreams are made of if you’re German, and an absolute nightmare if you’re Brazilian.
Germany stepped off the gas in the second half, otherwise it may have somehow got even worse for the hosts. They did score two more goals, by Oscar’s Chelsea teammate André Schürrle, but there was a definite feeling that it was embarrassing enough to win by that much in a game of such importance.
There wouldn’t be a party to celebrate another World Cup final. In fact, the hosts would go on to lose the 3rd placed playoff 3-0 to Netherlands. Unable to overcome the hangover of this defeat.
Germany had a very, very good side that year, but hadn’t sparkled into that moment. They won the whole thing, beating Argentina after extra-time in the final. But no one could have predicted such a massive victory in a big game. Some would say that the Brazilian players were too emotional after the injury to talisman, Neymar, that the fans still held the generational trauma from the last time Brazil hosted a World Cup, and everything came together in a perfect storm.
Another home defeat that will live in the national memory for decades to come. Another Maracanazo. The only slight relief looking from the outside is that it was the semi-final and not the final. If Brazil had won it would have been a final at the Maracana against arch-rivals Argentina. Imagine if something like this had happened again in a final, against the worst team possible?
For 2014, they’ll always have that Oscar consolation goal.
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