Scolari: “It's been my worst game ever”

“It's been my worst game ever.” That was how coach Luiz Felipe Scolari referred to Brazil's 7-1 defeat to Germany on Tuesday (July 8). Speaking at a press conference after the match at the Mineirão stadium, Brazil's coach took full responsibility for the result and said there had been “a blackout” and the team players were “completely shocked” after Germany opened the scoring on ten minutes of the first half.

“I think we did our best, but we lost to a great team that was effective enough to decide the match within six or seven minutes with three or four goals, in a most extraordinary way,” Scolari said. “Who is responsible for the choices? I am. This disastrous outcome can be shared by the whole group. But the accountability, the choices in tactics and play style, it was all up to me. It was all my fault,” he regretted.

According to Scolari, the players began to lose control after Germany's opening goal. “We freaked out. It's not the norm, but it does happen. We lost the game to a great opponent. Even the Germans didn't know what was going on. It went like, five moves, five goals,” he said. “We just panicked and it started to happen,” he added.

The coach reckons that the result would have been no different had Neymar been in the game. Brazil's leading goalscorer had to quit the competition for good after fracturing a lumbar vertebra playing Colombia on Friday (4). “Everything Germany did worked out today,” said Scolari, pointing out that “Germany played its best game in the World Cup, whereas Brazil played its worst.”

“If this was a disastrous defeat – Brazil's worst defeat ever – we should learn a lesson from it,” he added, noting that at least 14 players in the current line-up may be capped for the next World Cup. The focus now will be going for third place on Saturday (12), when Brazil faces the losing side between Argentina and the Netherlands.

Translated by Mayra Borges