Player ratings from game that changed the world

The 2014 FIFA World Cup was supposed to be Brazil’s homecoming party.

For the first time in 64 years, the World Cup was on their soil. They didn’t have the best team and the national side was going through a sticky patch, but they still had star power.

But by the time they reached the semi-finals, they had lost their two best players by a million miles. Poster boy Neymar picked up a back injury in their quarter-final triumph against Colombia, while captain Thiago Silva was suspended.

Awaiting Brazil in Belo Horizonte were Germany, who had limped and stumbled through the tournament to that point. No one could have predicted what was about to happen.

Germany ran out 7-1 winners. With only half an hour on the clock, they had already scored five. Goals from Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira, record-breaker Miroslav Klose and a brace from Toni Kroos. Shock and awe at the Estadio Mineirao.

Andre Schurrle came off the bench to add Germany’s final two goals, while Oscar scored the most pitiful of consolations.

Here are retrospective player ratings, takeaways and conclusions from July 8, 2014.

GK: Julio Cesar – 3/10 – Hard to put too much blame on Cesar for any of the goals conceded. Though there were seven of them. That is quite a lot.

RB: Maicon – 2/10 – Four years on from his mauling at the feet of Gareth Bale that essentially ended his spell as one of the world’s best right-backs, Maicon looked a shell of his former self. No quickness, no acceleration and a fright from Ozil that forced him to play inside and distort any semblance of defensive cohesion.

CB: David Luiz – -1/10 – What the hell was this all about, eh? There were times when Germany were about to score and Luiz wasn’t even in view of the camera. He showed no desire to defend, no aggression with any of his off-ball actions. Luiz looked gifted when Brazil were in possession, but he was their starting centre-back with no intention of defending.

CB: Dante – 1/10 – Unlike Luiz, Dante at least showed the presence of mind to try and defend. He just so happened to not be very good at it. Must have been painful heading back to Bayern Munich facing so many of his opponents from this wincing evening.

LB: Marcelo – -1/10 – Fair enough, giving so much space to Muller, whose trademark ‘raumdeuter’ position translates to ‘space interpreter’, was a choice. Germany quickly identified that Marcelo was trying to play as a winger and started to hit his side with…