Germany flatten Ronaldo and Portugal: ‘Another perception-shifting demolition’

It is an understatement to say it has not been a vintage World Cup for the Iberian Peninsula so far.
After Spain were put to the sword in Salvador, Portugal suffered similar problems in the same stadium.
First the World Cup holders, then the world's best player, both beaten by four goals and both threatened with the earliest of exits.
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Cristiano Ronaldo had powered Portugal to Brazil, winning his personal duel with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in November's play-off against Sweden. Another single-handed escapology act may be necessary.
As with Spain's 5-1 thrashing by the Netherlands, the manner of defeat was far more damning than the mere result. This was another perception-shifting demolition, another Iberian embarrassment, another crushing win for northern Europe over south.
The temptation is to say that everything that could have gone wrong did. It is not quite true, simply because Ronaldo's knee problem did not prevent him from playing 90 minutes.
Compared to the tournament's other semi-fit superstars, such as Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal, he looked in reasonable shape. He was Portugal's most persistent player; the positives for them begin and end there.
A second Real Madrid man, Fabio Coentrao, may have seen his tournament come to a premature end because of a hamstring injury. A third, Pepe, will be fortunate to feature again.
Stupidly sent off, he will be suspended after headbutting the histrionic Thomas Muller.
Pepe's career has been pockmarked by moments of rank idiocy and this was the latest, the 13th red card of his career. He merits no sympathy.
Portugal's problems at the back extended beyond that. Germany exploited a high defensive line, springing the offside trap and chipping passes over Paulo Bento's rearguard time and again.
This was a failing of fitness, tactics and temperament. They lost Hugo Almeida, their front-line striker, within half an hour. They lost any remaining hope when Pepe departed before half-time.
Muller then cemented his status as Portugal's nemesis and a World Cup specialist with a hat-trick to render his 50th cap a memorable occasion. The Golden Boot winner in 2010 is staking his claim for an unprecedented double.
More pertinently, he is ending the debate about who leads the line for Germany. Rather than their record scorer Miroslav Klose, instead of a false nine, they have a hybrid, a finisher with elusive movement.
Joachim Loew was perming four from seven for the most advanced positions in his team and, given the playmaking brilliance of the Paul Scholes-esque Toni Kroos and the havoc wreaked by Mario Gotze and Mesut Ozil on the flanks, it is undeniable he picked the right quartet.
After a troubled build-up, Germany started in ominously impressive fashion. Indifferent performances, injured midfielders, defensive difficulties: all are suddenly consigned to the past by the ultimate tournament team.
By routing Portugal, Germany gave themselves the sort of problems others can only envy.
This was a meeting of two of the top four in the Fifa rankings; Ghana, quarter-finalists in 2014, and the United States, ranked 13th, are up next for Loew's team but, typically, they were unperturbed by an intimidating draw.
There is no such thing as a group of death for Germany, instead, the applicable cliche concerned Germans and penalties: Muller converted his to open the scoring
Even the departure of Mats Hummels, their classiest defender, fits into an encouraging narrative. Germany have seen key players sidelined before, like Michael Ballack four years ago, and prospered. Adversity seems to bring the best from them.
Now we will discover if the mercurial Portuguese can react similarly. Having lost half of their first-choice defence, reeling from a thrashing, the other 10 owe it to Ronaldo to give him a platform to perform.
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