<p>The mournful cries of millions of Brazilians were drowned out in the high-decibel musical gala during the FIFA World Cup's closing ceremony, which was graced by crowd pullers such as Shakira, guitar king Carlos Santana and also had a dash of samba here today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>FIFA lined up six events that followed a series of lavish opening acts before the grand finale between Argentina and Germany at the iconic Maracana.<br /><br />The events attempted to combine the cultural distinction of host nation Brazil with a nod to every country involved in the sporting extravaganza.<br /><br />Colombian star Shakira, Mexican guitarist Santana, Brazilian Grammy award singer Ivete Sangalo and a samba school led the musical entertainment.<br /><br />Around 1,000 people were involved to celebrate the greatest values of the planet's most popular sport as the tournament closed in on its climax.<br /><br />The 18-minute show inside the stadium was designed to pay tribute to the beautiful game and its 'key symbols'.<br /><br />Kicking off with an expression of the sport's values through four characters – Freedom, Solidarity, Passion and Diversity – the ceremony subsequently included representations of all 32 teams to have participated at this World Cup, with particular focus on the two finalists: Joachim Low's Germany and Alejandro Sabella's Argentina.<br /><br />Set to a soundtrack of samba music, incorporating a cast of 400 people and featuring GRES Academicos do Grande Rio, a special reference to the World Cup trophy took centrestage, while a unique tribute to the game symbolically brought together the two sides battling to be crowned winners of football world.<br /><br />Shakira captivated the audience with her trademark 'la la la' song.<br /><br />The ceremony concluded with a spectacular combination of music: Shakira and Carlinhos Brown performing 'Dare'; Alexandre Pires, Santana and Wyclef Jean providing a rendition of the World Cup official anthem - 'We Will Find A Way'. Last but not the least, a medley of Brazilian songs was performed by Pires and Sangalo. <br /></p>
<p>The mournful cries of millions of Brazilians were drowned out in the high-decibel musical gala during the FIFA World Cup's closing ceremony, which was graced by crowd pullers such as Shakira, guitar king Carlos Santana and also had a dash of samba here today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>FIFA lined up six events that followed a series of lavish opening acts before the grand finale between Argentina and Germany at the iconic Maracana.<br /><br />The events attempted to combine the cultural distinction of host nation Brazil with a nod to every country involved in the sporting extravaganza.<br /><br />Colombian star Shakira, Mexican guitarist Santana, Brazilian Grammy award singer Ivete Sangalo and a samba school led the musical entertainment.<br /><br />Around 1,000 people were involved to celebrate the greatest values of the planet's most popular sport as the tournament closed in on its climax.<br /><br />The 18-minute show inside the stadium was designed to pay tribute to the beautiful game and its 'key symbols'.<br /><br />Kicking off with an expression of the sport's values through four characters – Freedom, Solidarity, Passion and Diversity – the ceremony subsequently included representations of all 32 teams to have participated at this World Cup, with particular focus on the two finalists: Joachim Low's Germany and Alejandro Sabella's Argentina.<br /><br />Set to a soundtrack of samba music, incorporating a cast of 400 people and featuring GRES Academicos do Grande Rio, a special reference to the World Cup trophy took centrestage, while a unique tribute to the game symbolically brought together the two sides battling to be crowned winners of football world.<br /><br />Shakira captivated the audience with her trademark 'la la la' song.<br /><br />The ceremony concluded with a spectacular combination of music: Shakira and Carlinhos Brown performing 'Dare'; Alexandre Pires, Santana and Wyclef Jean providing a rendition of the World Cup official anthem - 'We Will Find A Way'. Last but not the least, a medley of Brazilian songs was performed by Pires and Sangalo. <br /></p>