Tears flow with silence of the Samba

“This is a sad day,” said 29-year-old geographer Aveloino Pereira, his eyes red from crying. “We didn’t think we could lose this one, especially to a country that doesn’t have a history of soccer.”

Soccer is normally a source of great pride for Brazilians who have suffered years of economic chaos and grinding poverty and they had prayed hard for a fifth World Cup title.

The loss in Paris was felt like a jolt across Latin America, where the poor versus rich aspect of the Brazil-France final found deep resonance.

Mexican radio commentators even wondered whether Brazil had been bought off. “How can such a world class team perform so badly. Were they paid off?” saidone commentator on Radio Red.

A call-in television poll of Brazilians before the match found that 86 percent thought they would win.

Brazilians had shot off firecrackers, blew horns and wildly celebrated in the streets as if the Cup title was their’s since beating The Netherlands in a nail-biting semifinal on Tuesday.

But the mood soured quickly after last night’s final started as it became clear Brazil were not in World Cup form. By half-time trailing 0-2, normally exuberant Brazilians were in despair.

In the industrial city of Sao Paulo, they stomped out of bars and tossed away green and yellow Brazil banners in disgust. Supporters in one bar in Sao Paulo’s middle class Vila Magdalena neighbourhood even started cheering for France.

“I think it was great France won because our game was so bad we didn’t even get one goal. It’s pathetic,” said Sao Paulo resident Barbara Correa.

One man collapsed on the Copacabana sand as the second half started, wailing he couldn’t bear to watch any more. Likemany other men in this macho land, he found himself weeping openly and being soothed by a more stoic female partner.

Some took comfort in remembering that they already had won four titles and they had been playing against the hosts.

“Don’t forget we’re the only ones who’ve won it four times,” he said as several people cried softly nearby and leaned on each other for support.

Others in Brazil’s central western state of Goya saddled up for a long horseback ride home well before the game ended.But the shock was not as bad as in 1950 when Brazil lost the World Cup final to Uruguay in front of a home crowd in Rio de Janeiro. The nation was traumatised then but seemed resigned and accepting yesterday.

“Being runners-up seems like nothing to us, but to get to the World Cup final is a lot and we only lost to the hosts,” Pele, one of the world’s greatest soccer players, told Globo Television.