Juninho: Germany Taught Brazil How to Play Football

Former Brazil international Juninho Pernambucano credited Germany with playing like Seleção squads of the past after their 7-1 thrashing of the host country in Tuesday night’s World Cup semi-final.

The Nationalmannschaft were in scintillating form as a superb first half performance saw the Germans score four goals in six minutes to stun the home crowd.

“I’m in shock. It is unbelievable,” Juninho, who played 40 matches for Brazil including the 2006 World Cup, told FIFA.

“The back four was not closing down, they were moving and passing it so easily and it is difficult to understand the attitude [of Brazil’s players].

“Everyone was talking about Neymar but [if Brazil had Thiago] Silva in this game I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t concede the space we did.”

Neymar missed the match with a back injury and Thiago Silva was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

Looking forward, the free kick specialist noted, “It will be difficult to recover and some of them I don’t think will be back to wear the Brazilian shirt.

“Germany taught us how to play football and we have to learn from that.

“Germany played like we like to play.  We need to sit back and see what’s happened with Brazilian football – something is wrong.”

“But I am happy because football won,” he concluded, in a possible backhanded insult to Felipe Scolari’s tactics with Brazil in this tournament.