Pieces

As an environmentalist, I have always been fascinated by systems and their parts. 

Yesterday's unprecedented 7:1 victory in the semifinals of the World Cup got me thinking. 

To what extent was Brazil's dramatic loss due to its top player Neymar being out of commission (after being fouled and fracturing a lumbar vertebra)? 

Germans, who have a long history of losing to Brazil, were exhilarated by their triumph. 
The whooping and hollering continued long into the night. 

A few conceded feeling a bit unangenehm (lit. uncomfortable, here embarrassed or guilty), given the expectations placed on the Brazilian team as World Cup host.

But suggesting that the absence of Neymar may have been decisive for Germany's win evokes a defensive reaction:

"Brazil has an excellent team, and an excellent team doesn't put all its eggs in one basket."

Even as a soccer Banause (someone with totally crude knowledge), I wager to disagree. 

We live in a risk-taking world in which we are constantly looking for short-cuts. With a superstar athlete on your team, wouldn't it be hard not to - at least subconsciously - use a "get-the-ball-to-so-and-so" strategy? What are the chances that that person would suffer an injury serious enough to keep him off the field?

Furthermore, the morale of the Brazilian team suffered a major blow, even if its cumulative physical capacity hardly dropped. The fans swarming Neymar at the hospital, the death threats to the Colombian player who fouled him: Brazil's collective psyche felt lost without its front man - and sometimes that's all that matters. 

I am surprised that's Neymar's injury didn't overshadow Germany's jubilation more. I suppose athletes often face injuries and this one doesn't make Germany's victory against Brazil artificial. On the other hand, anyone who has ever played KerPlunk knows that taking away one sliver from what looks like a solid nest can result in a loss of all the eggs.