World Cup 2014. Germany 7 - Brazil 1
8 July 2014, 4:00 pm. Zum Schneider Outdoor Viewing Party, Kips Bay
We stood in a parking lot adjacent to the East River, which was renovated to a biergarten by the German restaurant Zum Schneider, who even have their own soccer club the Zum Schneider FC in the local Metro Soccer League here in NYC. It proved to be an ideal viewing party for the macabre scenes that soon unfolded on the Brazilians as the Germans tactfully demonstrated their might upon a weakened Seleção.
With delicious brats bathed in spicy mustard and tall Wurzburgers in hand, we stood in anticipation alongside a gaggle of German fans to see how the Brazilians would overcome the physiological trauma of losing Neymar to a cracked spine and the suspension of their crucial defensive stalwart Thiago Silva.
Let’s be honest, Brazil’s home advantage and emotional volatility carried them into the round of 16. Each match they faced seemed to be an uphill struggle. The last time Brazil was shocked so badly in defeat was the Maracanazo, the famous 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final, which seemingly pales in comparison to what was about to transpire in front of us.
The agony truly began during the buildup to third goal, as it happened so quickly that the Zum Schneider crowd initially mistook it for a replay, as they had not even finished celebrating Klose’s previous goal. And, the goals proceeded to rain into the Brazilian net from there... thus paving the way for Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals and the collective emotional shock of the host nation.
We witnessed history. We witnessed the Brazilian pain and tears of the Minerazo alongside the cheers of the jubilant Germans in NYC.












