Dhaka, July 6 -- There are moments in football when silence seems to speak more loudly than words. After the final whistle, millions of Brazilian hearts around the world felt the same weight of disappointment. I know that many of those hearts were here in Bangladesh.

To the extraordinary supporters of Brazil in this country, I wish to say, first of all: thank you. Thank you for wearing our colours, for raising our flag, for singing for our players, for believing in Brazil with such generous and sincere passion. Your love for our national team moves us deeply.

This defeat hurts. It hurts because football, for Brazilians, is never merely a game. It is memory, childhood, family, music, joy, hope - and sometimes, as today, heartbreak. But h...