Anderson Silva has message for his fellow countrymen ahead of Brazil vs. Netherlands FIFA World Cup match: ‘Raise your heads’

Brazilian sports fans were hit with one of the country's most staggering of defeats on Tuesday afternoon when their football team suffered a historic 7-1 loss to Germany in the semi-final round of the FIFA World Cup. It was a loss that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, and served as an even bigger embarrassment since the tournament is being hosted in Brazil.

While the situation is not ideal, former UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva offered the Brazilian fans encouraging words regarding their third place match against The Netherlands later today. As someone who has been on both sides of the fence, Silva has experience with both the highs and lows of sporting events.

"No one can know what happiness is if you have not gone through the disappointment," Silva told Globo.com. "One can only savour the victory if he has felt the bitter defeat.

"Raise your head Brazilian team."

Brazil is scheduled to meet the Dutch team in the third place match at The Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil. The match begins at 4pm ET.