There may be no sporting event that is driven by emotion than the World Cup.
Both extremes were perfectly evident in the 2014 edition of this event. Whether it was complete exultation on the sides of the victors or complete despair on the side of the vanquished, passion seeped through the host nation of Brazil over the course of one month’s worth of football drama.
Ultimate joy went to Germany, which used the latest goal ever scored in World Cup final to edge Argentina in extra time.
That ever-precious and ever-dramatic goal came off the foot of Mario Goetze in the 113th minute and went past the outstretched arms of Sergio Romero.
It prompted cheers from the German rooters contrasted with tears and anguish from the Argentines—which lasted through the final whistle and may last for the foreseeable future.
While Goetze is the hero of the moment, Lionel Messi has been a star for years. The unquestioned leader of the Argentina attack finished the World Cup as the third-highest scorer (four goals) and the recipient of the Golden Ball Award—given to the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. However, he was rendered helpless in the all-important final—managing a meager four shots (none on goal) against German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The last came in the waning seconds, as Messi was granted a free kick 25 yards away from the net. Bypassing a possible pass to a teammate, he went for the score—and his attempt was well high.
Moments later, Germany had captured its first World Cup title since 1990 and had eliminated Argentina for the third straight time.
But the failure for Messi to bring a championship for his home country was nothing compared to the complete unraveling of the host nation.
Brazil and its fans had sights set on a dream finish. Instead, they got a nightmare scenario. After cruising through group play, needing penalty kicks to beat Chile in the round of 16, and edging Portugal in the quarterfinals, they encountered Germany in a semifinal showdown. It quickly became a one-team showcase.
The Germans scored in 11th minute, then in the 23rd minute, the 24th minute, the 26th minute, and the 29th minute. Before many could blink, it was 5-0. Brazil was stunned, Germany was cruising. The final score was 7-1, marking the largest defeat in Brazilian history.
Four days later, the home team attempted to summon up the energy to play in the third place match—but there were similar results. Going up against a Netherlands team that had already exceeded expectations with its run, Brazil surrendered a goal just three minutes in. Another Dutch score came just 14 minutes later. Brazil never recovered and once again couldn’t mount any offense, ultimately falling 3-0. It’s 14 goals allowed in the tournament was the most by a team in any World Cup since 1986 and the most by a host nation in the event’s history.
For Brazil, Argentina, and the other nations that came up short in their efforts for 2014, they now have to set their sights on Russia in 2018.