Five Things About the Beat Down in Brazil
They say in Brazil that football is second only to breathing in importance. On Tuesday, 200 million people in the World Cup host nation had their breath stolen away from them in a dazzling, dizzying display of scoring by the No. 2 team in the world, Germany.
No one could have predicted a 7-1 scoreline. That's something from qualifying when a big fish hosts a minnow. It's not the result of a match between the top powers of the sport.
Here's a look at some of the record-setting numbers that came from the rout of all routs:
1. They were in it - for 10 minutes
You'd have to be almost 100 years old to have been in attendance for the last time Brazil was thumped this badly.
At least we think it was Brazil. It certainly didn't look like the product of a nation that has won five World Cups.
The funny thing is Brazil was pretty good for the first 10 minutes. They pressed the Germans, mostly kept the ball in the German half.
But Germany scored in the 11th minute when Thomas Mueller was left so alone he could have set up a grill in the penalty area and made steaks for everyone.
And then the Germans made a meal of the Brazilian defense, stuck in first gear, while the Germans were zipping both ball and strikers artfully through the confused Brazilians.
A tearful David Luiz apologized to his countrymen.
"I just wanted to see my people smile. We all know how important it was for me to see all of Brazil be happy, at least because of football," the defender said.
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Hurricane Arthur Makes Landfall in North Carolina as Category 2 Storm
Sherman Lee Criner is vacationing in a bull's eye. Emerald Island, North Carolina, is just west of where Hurricane Arthur came ashore late Thursday with 100 mph winds.
The Category 2 storm made landfall at 11:15 p.m. between Cape Lookout and Beaufort, the National Hurricane Center said. Arthur was charging to the northeast at 15 mph.
Criner didn't plan it to be right in its path. He asked his two children and niece where they wanted to spend the holidays, they voted for the beach and he granted the wish.
He thought of canceling the trip as the storm brewed but decided against it.
"It's a doable storm," Criner said.
The lawyer lives in Wilmington and has sat out hurricanes before. He also felt confident sturdiness of their accommodations of concrete and steel.
"We're in an 8th floor condominium," he said. When Arthur's eye wall hits, he will wake up son Sherman, 9, daughter Elizabeth, 14, and niece Mary Brown, 10.
They'll to look out the window at the surf below, as the storm surge pushes it up Indian Beach.
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Howard's Big Night Ends in Heartbreak
Rarely is the man of the match a goalkeeper whose team loses 2-1. But Tuesday was a special and spectacular night of heart-stopping shot-stopping.
Belgium must have been feeling that surely a goal would come, but how in the world are we going to get something past Tim Howard?
The American goalkeeper had saves of every kind. He flashed a leg out several times to knock shots away. He dived to his right or his left to snare hard-hit balls. He reflexively punched close-in shots away. He tipped the ball over the crossbar on a couple of occasions.
The 35-year-old, who plays at Everton in the English Premier League, kept the score from being 4-1 or worse with 16 saves, many of those stops during extraordinarily tense moments in the U.S. penalty area.
That's the most saves in any World Cup game since they began keeping such records in 1966.
On "New Day" Wednesday, Howard told CNN's Chris Cuomo he felt "in rhythm" while making the record-breaking saves.
“The game has slowed down for me. I’m seeing things much earlier, my reactions have been very quick,” he said.
When asked about what's next for the soccer star, Howard said he plans to go home and relax.
He'll "hang out with the kids, get some more tattoos, you know just be me."
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RELATED: 10 surprising facts about America's new soccer hero, Tim Howard
Late Goal Gives Portugal 2-2 Draw With United States
This time it was the United States that gave up the dramatic goal.
Portugal's Silvestre Varela scored on a strong headed goal deep, deep in stoppage time to give Portugal a desperate 2-2 draw with the United States in a key Group G World Cup match at Manaus, Brazil.
The goal, in the 95th minute, came off a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo, who showed no signs of a knee injury that was the subject of much media attention in the buildup to the contest.
Second half strikes by U.S. midfielder Jermaine Jones and striker Clint Dempsey had given the United States a 2-1 lead until Portugal rescued its World Cup chances.
"You're disappointed not to get three points but at the same time you have to take the positives from the game," Dempsey said. "We're happy with four points and there's everything to play for in the last game."
The United States plays co-group leader Germany on Thursday while Ghana and Portugal square off.
The Americans will win the group with a victory, but could also advance to the Round of 16 with a draw and a tie in the other match, which will be played at the same time.
But if Ghana or Portugal wins and the other match also has a winner, tiebreakers - the first being goal differential - will determine the second-place team in the group.
See more on CNN.com and watch "New Day" starting at 6am ET as Chris Cuomo will be co-anchoring live from Rio de Janeiro.
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