Andre Schurrle is living the dream but his Chelsea team-mates have been sucked into a devastating nightmare from which they may never recover.
No sooner had the brilliant German midfielder dug the knife even deeper into broken Brazil with a superbly taken double from the bench to complete the thrashing of all thrashings, Schurrle was quick to console David Luiz, Ramires, Willian and Oscar.
For a while the 23-year-old couldn’t believe what was happening, neither could his utterly distraught Stamford Bridge friends.
“I don’t think you can joke about it,” said Schurrle who has now scored three goals in the tournament and is pushing hard for a start in the Maracana.
“It’s hard for them, for sure. They played a fantastic tournament with the emotions. They gave everything. They gave their heart. You could see it in every game. I just said to them to keep their heads up and I will see them in pre-season.”
You can understand just why Schurrle is struggling to take everything in right now.
If reaching the World Cup final wasn’t enough to muddle his brain, the ovation from the stunned Brazil fans when he lashed home his second and Germany’s seventh was even harder to comprehend.
“It’s crazy. At the age of 23, to be looking forward to a World Cup final, it’s fantastic, “ he added. “It’s unreal. We were looking at each other on the bench and we couldn’t believe. In the first 30 minutes, when it’s 5-0, it’s unbelievable. We celebrate but the team is so experienced. We have players like Lahm and Schweinsteiger who have won everything, so they will keep us down to earth.
“I heard the crowd applauding my goal when I was on the field and the guys were talking about it afterwards. It’s an incredible feeling. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
To have a quality performer like Schurrle come off the bench tells you everything you need to know about the sheer depth of quality at manager Joachim Low’s disposal.
From the majestic goalkeeping of Manuel Neuer to the dynamism of Thomas Muller, Germany have a squad many can only dream of.
The production line continues to churn out the goods, with the side which won the Under 21 European Championships in 2009 superbly making the step up to senior level.
Per Mertesacker said: “I think we have one of the strongest squads I’ve ever played in. We have two excellent players for every position and our whole squad is very lively.
“Everyone is capable to play and as you could see all of the players who came on was magnificent and that can make the difference.
“It started off in 2009 when we won the under-21 tournament. That was a turning point and five or six players from that team are doing well here.”
