Brazil remain feared on the international stage, but the record five-time World Cup victors are not quite the same animal they once were.
Back-to-back quarterfinal exits mean they haven’t lifted their favorite golden trophy aloft since 2002, with a fourth-placed finish on home soil the best they have mustered since 2014, when their tournament was overshadowed by their humiliating 7–1 defeat to Germany in the semifinal.
