Germany produced one of the great World Cup performances of all time as they humiliated hosts Brazil 7-1 in their semifinal in Belo-Horizante on Tuesday, the joint biggest defeat in the history of the South American nation.
The home fans were reduced to tears as Germany scored five goals in the opening 29 minutes and then added two more in the second half of a match that will go down in football folklore.
Thomas Muller got the opener, before Miroslav Klose scored a record 16th World Cup goal, moving past Brazilian legend Ronaldo in the process.
André Schürrle added two more in the second half, while Oscar got a late consolation for Brazil.
The European side were clinical in their execution, but were assisted by some disastrous Brazilian defending that almost beggared belief as they lost a first competitive match at home since 1975.
The scoreline is the joint-heaviest defeat in Brazilian football history, equalling a 6-0 loss to Uruguay in 1920.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was without injured playmaker Neymar and, perhaps more crucially as it turned out, captain and central defender Thiago Silva, whose absence clearly unsettled the backline.
Germany were ahead on 11 minutes and the ease with which Muller turned home Kroos’s corner, completely unmarked, was a precursor of things to come.
Klose got his record-breaking goal on 22 minutes as Kroos was again the provider, laying the ball into the veteran forward’s pass. His first shot was blocked by Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal, but Klose reacted quickest to tap home the rebound.
From there, Brazil just lost it.
Two minutes later and Kroos had a goal of his own as be blasted the ball home from the edge of the area.
And two minutes after that, they had their fourth. Fernandinho lost the ball in midfield and Germany poured forward. Kroos played in Khedira, who returned the ball to the former for the easiest of tap-ins.
Brazil then had a respite of three minutes before they conceded again. Khedira the scorer this time after he was teed-up by Mezut Ozil.
They managed to limp through to halftime without conceding any more, but were vociferously booed off the pitch by their own fans at the break.
Brazil came out with some fire in the belly for the second half and forced Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into three excellent saves as they pressed to close the gap in the scoreline.
But although Germany noticeably took their foot off the peddle after halftime, they still managed to score two more, both coming from substitute Schurrle.
Philipp Lahm swung in a ball from the right and the Chelsea forward had the simplest of finishes to make the scoreline the most one-sided in World Cup semifinals history.
Schurrle got his second with a thumping finish onto the underside of the crossbar after being set up by Muller, leading to applause even from the dumb-founded Brazilian fans in the stadium.
Ozil should have scored an eighth for Germany when he was put clean through but missed the target, but seconds later there was some cheer for the weeping Brazilian fans as Oscar scored a fine individual effort.
Germany now await the winner of Wednesday’s second semifinals between Netherlands and Argentina in Sao Paulo.