“I landed early in Sao Paulo after a sleepless night in Belo Horizonte. I was too consumed with the thrashing of Brazil to get any real sleep. I had always thought an early exit from the tournament would be a crucial moment in the Brazilian psyche, but the way it played out was much more complicated. The crippling of Neymar by the knee of Zuniga along with the Thiago Silva ban were daggers in the heart of the host nation. The absolute dismantling of the rest of team by Germany was the fatal twist of the blade. It was shocking and, in the end, humiliating. Newspapers around Brazil trumpeted the great shame brought upon the country. There was a new blight in the history of the beautiful game: the Mineirãzo. It was a time for soul searching, not impetuous rioting as everyone feared. Only fate could have come up with such a tragic ending.” New Republic