Brazil have advanced to the World Cup round of 16, despite many experts predicting that Japan would defeat the Seleção. The football-mad South American nation has lost some of its lustre since the team's dramatic 7-1 loss to Germany in 2014 on home soil – a World Cup that traumatised an entire nation, and not just because of the defeat.
At the time, Brazilians took to the streets to protest against the mega-event's astronomical costs, saying the country needed more schools, hospitals and public transport instead. In Brazil, there is a "before" and "after" 2014; a "Brazilian spring" that divided the nation.
