Brazil defeated pessimistic predictions for the World Cup -Rousseff

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said Brazil defeated pessimism about its ability to host the World Cup by staging one of the best tournaments ever. She told a news conference in Brasilia that the country can consider itself "a victor" because of how it managed the tournament and received people from all over the world. Many feared a continuation of mass protests over the cost of hosting the World Cup would mar the tournament. "People didn't just come to see the beauty of Brazil, they came to see the beauty of its people," Rousseff said. Brazil finished fourth in the World Cup, though many in the country consider its team's performance in the tournament an embarrassment after a 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semi-finals, its worst loss ever.