It didn’t finish 7-1 but for long stretches it bore many of the hallmarks. Brazil were again knocked out of the World Cup. Brazil were again exploited on the counter-attack after losing an early goal. Brazil were again taken apart by the more clinical side.
Just as they had been feasted upon in Belo Horizonte by a devastating Germany four years ago, so the Selecao were pulled this way and that by a brilliant first half Belgium performance as Roberto Martinez’s side won 2-1 in Friday’s quarter-final at the Kazan Arena.
They had the emotional trauma of Neymar’s absence through injury to pinpoint as an excuse for their non-performance back in 2014 but here they cannot have any qualms about losing as their star number 10 turned in his worst performance of this tournament.
