BRAZIL captain David Luiz was apologetic; Joachim Loew hailed German efficiency after the 2014 World Cup hosts were destroyed 7-1 in the semi-final.

The World Cup had come to the land of football for the first time since 1950 and for Brazilians, it was the year they hoped to be crowned Kings of the World for a sixth time.

Instead, it was their conquerors on that night in Belo Horizonte who would be crowned world champions five days later at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium.

The Germans were rampant, ripping apart the fragile Brazil defence, who were without their inspirational captain Thiago Silva, to shreds.

As the football-mad nation who had already lost star striker Neymar to injury watched in anguish, the Germans rained down goals on them.

“We apologise to all Brazilians,” David Luiz, handed the captain’s arm-band for that match, said afterwards.

That scoreline would undoubtedly be the biggest upset in the sporting world in the last year. Brazil’s footballing legacy had been tarnished.

“It’s a catastrophe … we’ll have difficult days for the rest of our lives,” their coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had said at the time.

Brazil, nevertheless, hosted a spectacular tournament. After a chaotic build-up marred by delays, the country put up a show to remember.

It was a month-long feast of rip-roaring action from the time Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in the opener till Germany’s Mario Goetze struck that superb extra-time winner against Argentina in the final.

James Rodriguez was the star of the World Cup, scoring six times to lead Colombia to the quarter-final where they lost to Brazil in the match which saw Neymar suffer his back injury.

That news dominated headlines as did the one of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez sinking his teeth into Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini to earn himself a four-month ban.

A World Cup full of action came to a sensational close on July 13, the final action of the final coming with Lionel Messi’s last-minute free-kick sailing high and wide.

Messi’s long-running duel with Real Madrid and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the year.

Had that free-kick went in and had he helped Argentina win the World Cup, it would’ve been a glorious year for the Barcelona star.

Ronaldo’s Portugal exited the World Cup in the group stage but at least he had, a month before the World Cup, led Real Madrid to their much-vaunted 10th UEFA Champions League title, the Decima.

In the final in Lisbon, Carlo Ancelotti’s men roared to a 4-1 comeback victory against city rivals Atletico Madrid, who had pipped Barca to the La Liga title.

Messi’s year ended empty-handed having also seen Ronaldo claim the Ballon d’Or award earlier in the year.

He will be up against Ronaldo and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to see which player wins the award for the best player of 2014.

After the World Cup, Real would then embark on a 22-match winning streak that also saw them win the FIFA Club World Cup — underlining their status as the world’s best team.

Like Brazil, the year saw the legacy of another team being hit.

In their first season since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes-led Manchester United finished seventh in the English Premier League with city rivals Manchester City’s title win rubbing salt into the wounds.

Moyes was sacked and Louis van Gaal, who led Netherlands to the World Cup semi-finals before their penalty shootout loss to Argentina, took over the reins at Old Trafford.

He faces a monumental task and United have shown signs of recovery.

So have Brazil, under Dunga, but their real test will come at next year’s Copa America.

The year after that, which sees an expanded Euro 2016 taking place, will show how far Spain have recovered after their dismal flop at the World Cup — the defending champions crashing out at the group stage, ending an era of total dominance.

Next year meanwhile, also sees the African Cup of Nations, which was shifted to Equatorial Guinea from Morocco in the wake of the Ebola virus while the Asian Cup is contested in Australia.

Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers provided the fairytale story of 2014 when the unheralded side, founded in 2012, overcame much renowned opposition to win the AFC Champions League.

But the year, which began with concerns about the World Cup in Brazil, ended with concerns on the next two editions of the quadrennial spectacle.

Allegations of corruption over the awarding of Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) continue to add drama in the running of affairs of the world’s football governing body FIFA.

As FIFA president Sepp Blatter prepares to stand for re-election next year, the report into the investigation into the bidding process led by American prosecutor Michael J. Garcia is expected to be published next year.

Garcia resigned from his post, citing differences with FIFA, and Blatter in his year-ending message, said FIFA needs to restore its credibility.

“It’s very important for me personally at the helm of football to restore credibility and to breathe the New Year again with good attitude for the upcoming competitions,” said the Swiss.

And as he seeks to be re-elected for a fifth four-year term, Blatter can point towards the spectacle in Brazil as his big achievement as the head of world football last year.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2014