BELO HORIZONTE - Brazil captain David Luiz has apologised to the South American nation following their humiliating 7-1 defeat by Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup on Tuesday.

It was their worst defeat in their 100-year footballing history, and the rout was swiftly christened "The Shame of Shames" by the football-mad media.

"Apologies to everybody, apologies to all the Brazilian people," said a tearful Luiz after the match.

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari echoed the mood of despair. "We ask for forgiveness. To the people, please excuse us for this negative mistake."

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff added to the gloom. "Like every Brazilian, I am very, very sad about this defeat. I am immensely sorry for all of us. Fans and our players," she wrote on Twitter, where many Brazilians vented their anger.

Germany star Thomas Mueller, who plundered his fifth goal of the tournament in the thrashing, admitted he was stunned by the scale of the victory.

"I don't know what to say to be honest. I can't believe it. It's something totally crazy. It just went well today," Mueller said.

Germany's passage to Rio was booked after a first-half blitz which included a burst of four goals in six devastating minutes.

Mueller opened the scoring on 11 minutes.

Miroslav Klose's cool finish on 23 minutes was the cue for the floodgates to open. Toni Kroos struck twice in the 24th and 26th minutes to make it 4-0, and then Sami Khedira made it 5-0 on 29 minutes, while Schuerrle grabbed his second on 79 minutes. Oscar got a consolation goal at the death. - AFP