As if it couldn't get any worse for Brazil, it did on the day after.

The South American team that will play in the final in legendary Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday will not be Brazil. Instead it will be Brazil's archrival, its despised neighbor, Argentina.

And the brilliant young forward trying to put his personal stamp on Brazil 2014 will not be Neymar. It will be Lionel Messi.

Messi, considered the best player in the world, will take on Germany, which appears to be the best team in the world. Against the talented Germans, Messi will try to solidify his reputation as the golden player of his generation, a title that requires a World Cup championship.

Messi's team survived a game with the Netherlands that was the complete antithesis of the first semifinal. Wednesday's match was devoid of disbelief, astonishment and goals. Messi did nothing beautiful or breathtaking.

Instead, it was a suffocating, grinding ordeal through 120 scoreless minutes, finally decided by penalty kicks. After Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved two of the Dutch penalties, Maxi Rodriguez, 33 and playing in his third World Cup, made the winning kick that sent Argentina into its greatest celebration since Pope Francis was elected.

And so it will be Argentina taking on Germany. Though it has been a month of surprises, upsets and wild entertainment, the final boils down to two of the handful of teams that are almost always there at the end.

This final will be a third-time World Cup matchup. In 1986, in the "Hand of God" tournament, Diego Maradona led Argentina to a 3-2 victory over Germany. Four years later, in Italy, Germany retaliated with a 1-0 win.

The Dutch were hoping to finally weave their name into the World Cup tapestry, but once again the Netherlands will depart without the cup. As they did against Spain in the 2010 final, the Dutch ruthlessly squeezed out any space for flair or creativity and failed to create any of their own.

While most of the game lacked intrigue, the penalty-kick finale provided some odd decisions from Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal. After his brilliant tactical move against Costa Rica, switching goalkeepers for the penalty shootout, launched the Dutch into the semifinal, Van Gaal's wizardry vanished Wednesday.

Instead of subbing giant Tim Krul for starting keeper Jasper Cillessen, Van Gaal was out of subs (using his last to replace Robin Van Persie who was ailing with the stomach flu and had been largely ineffective since scoring that beautiful goal in the first game against Spain). Cillessen didn't save a shot. Van Gaal also had Ron Vlaar, who had a spectacular game at center back, take the first penalty kick. Unaccustomed to the situation, Vlaar struck it poorly.

It was a sputtering finish.

Now Argentina will face a German team that is almost always described as "machine-like" and "clinical," which seem like unfair clichés. In truth, the Germans have played the most lyrical soccer of the tournament, and forward Thomas Mueller deserves to be mentioned alongside the creative artists in his sport.

Wednesday's semifinal game and Sunday's final - no matter how spectacular it may turn out to be - will reside in the shadow of Brazil's stunning defeat in the semifinal. The loss truly may have been the worst defeat in the history of sports, given the event, the expectations, the history, the political and economic context, the importance to 200 million people, and the humiliating lopsidedness of it all.

Most Brazilians can't remember the last time their country lost at home, in 1975, let alone the haunting 1950 defeat at the hands of another rival, Uruguay, in the World Cup final at Maracana. That failure, considered a national tragedy, cast a shadow over the country for 64 years and made the pressure on this Brazilian team almost unbearable.

And while it might be lazy from the outside to overstate the importance of soccer to the Brazilian national identity, there is no exaggerating the magnitude of the ante Brazil staked on chasing another golden moment at Maracana: an estimated $14 billion, in a country where too many people don't have basic necessities.

Now that, as one Brazilian put it to the New York Times, the "time of bread and circus is over," the repercussions may be harsh. The country was placated while united by its team. But the aftermath may not be pretty.

And part of the aftermath began on Wednesday as the invading contingent of Argentine fans celebrated their victory and began the dance to the final at Maracana.

-- Online Extra: For more, visit

World Cup Final

Argentina vs. Germany

Noon Sunday

Channel: 7 Channel: 10 Channel: 14
