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A rematch of the 2002 World Cup Final
In a repeat of the 2002 FIFA World Cup final in South Korea, Germany will play Brazil this coming Tuesday to book a place in the finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. While Hummels’ header empowered Germany to go past France 1-0 in their quarterfinals tie, Brazil had a comparatively rough day on the field as they rode home to a 2-1 victory against Columbia. David Luiz’s fabulous free kick in the 69th minute of the game virtually assured the host nation a place in the final four, but the match saw some last minute drama as James Rodriguez pulled one back for the Colombians with 10 minutes to spare.
Despite all the drama which unfolded last night, the world of football is about to witness a mouth watering clash between two of the most stellar soccer sides in World Cup history who have consistently proved their credentials on the grandest stage of them all. The penultimate question is: Can Germany bring Brazil’s 39 year old winning streak at home to an end with a victory over the host country in the semi-finals on Tuesday?
The answer to this query would have been dicier had Neymar not suffered from a fractured vertebra which has ruled him out of the remaining tournament. With Neymar not in a position to compete any further and Brazilian Captain Thiago Silva serving a one match suspension after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against Colombia, Germany are better placed than ever before to dash Brazilian dreams of a fairy tale ending to a World Cup which has split people in the South American nation.
Also, the fact that Joachim Loew’s men had a smoother game against France in the quarter-finals would provide the Germans with a psychological edge over Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team who were involved in a rather “dirty game” against Columbia which was over-loaded with foul play.
Can Germany end Brazil’s unbeaten streak?
While the answer to the question can Germany break Brazil’s winning streak certainly lies in a ‘yes’, the second inevitable question would be that do the Germans deserve to bring such an esteemed record to an end? Does the current German side exemplify enough soccer genius to have the honour of breaking a 39-year old record? Well, if you analyze the performance of the German squad in the current World Cup then history would certainly weigh heavy on them as they have not performed as well as they could have played or have played in the previous World Cups. However, Germany is the only side in world football to have made it to semi-finals of every World Cup held in the 21st century. The Bavarians have made consistency an article of faith for themselves and it is this virtue of theirs which makes them eligible to be the “streak-breakers”.
Thus, the last and final question which remains is the following: Should Brazil’s 39 year old winning run at home come to an end? The universe of sports rests on streaks. If we travel through the memory lane, we’ll come across numerous records and streaks which shall never be forgotten.
The enormity of this streak
A case in point could be Pakistani squash legend Jehangir Khan’s 555-match long winning streak or Bradman’s impeccable test average of 99.94. However, streaks in the sporting world are meant to be broken so that new records can come into being and add into the history of the game. The once invisible Australian cricket side, which won three consecutive cricket world cups between the years 1999 and 2007, eventually lost ground to India in 2011 thus bringing down the curtains on the supremacy of Kangaroos in the gentleman’s game.
After having harassed Federer repeatedly on clay courts, Nadal eventually submitted his 81-match winning streak on clay to the Swiss tennis legend in the final of Masters Series Hamburg in 2007. The point which the writer is trying to make is that no streak stands forever. The industry of sports entertainment is a testimony to this fact as visible from Undertaker’s recent shock defeat to Break Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30 which brought his tally at the “Showcase of the Immortals” to 21-1.
If the Germans succeed at beating the Brazilians in their semi-final tie, the game of football would witness another Marcanazo-like moment which would add into the beauty of the beautiful game. There is no better stage and no better moment for Brazil to lose its 39 year old winning streak than in a semi-final game against Germany in the World Cup. Some might argue against this and suggest that if Brazil would indeed lose on the streak, it should happen in the finals but that would be too painful a thing for the Samba-nation.
Reaching the finals amidst such protests and chaos would definitely qualify Brazil to be the eventual champions. A defeat in the finals would be too hard for the Brazilians to digest specially at this moment in history. The best place for it to happen is indeed the semi-final because that would give the streak a befitting end and not an inconsequential demise as would happen if Brazil were to win this World Cup and one fine day lose day at home in a timid World Cup qualifier or international friendly. Let’s hope the Germans become the streak breakers come this Tuesday.
