July 8 – The last few weeks, with the tournament in full swing, have been a lot better. But I don’t think anyone could justifiably argue that Brazil’s first of three years in the global sporting spotlight has gone entirely to plan. Today in Belo Horizonte Brazilians must face up to the distinct possibility of more bad news: can their yellow-shirted warriors, shorn of their two best players, feasibly get the better of a typically well-drilled, composed and experienced Germany, or will the nation be obliged to accept that, for a second time, the most successful team in World Cup history has failed to capture the trophy on home soil?
David Owen: Brazil’s year of living dangerously and the death of jogo bonito
