The 1969 Trofeo Colombino | OneFootball

On August 24, 1969, Tricolor defeated Real Madrid 2-1, with goals by Benê and Babá, and was crowned champion of the Troféu Colombino, a traditional European preseason competition. The most curious thing, however, was that in this match São Paulo played in an all-blue kit, borrowed from a local team.

The short-format tournament began a day earlier, on August 23, in Huelva, Spain. In its opening match (the semifinal), São Paulo beat Las Palmas 3-2, with goals by Zé Roberto, Babá, and Nelsinho. The final, on the following night, was against the team from the Spanish capital, which had beaten Belgium’s Anderlecht 2-1 in the opening round.

Tricolor took the field wearing blue shirts, shorts, and socks: a tribute to the city of Huelva and Recreativo de Huelva, the host of the event and the oldest football club in Spain. According to the newspaper “El Mundo Deportivo,” the gesture was a request and a promise from São Paulo’s directors in case the team reached the final.

The game began in the opponents’ favor. Just seven minutes into the first half, the referee awarded a penalty against São Paulo. Gento sent it into the net and opened the scoring. Tricolor, in blue, however, did not back down and went on the attack, pressing the Spaniards deep in their own half. The reward came still in the first half, in the 32nd minute: after the defense failed to clear the ball, it fell to Benê outside the box, and he struck the rebound hard and low into the net to level the match.

From then on, it was all São Paulo. In the second half, in the 15th minute, Paraná was brought down in the penalty area in a play similar to the penalty awarded at the start of the match, but this time the referee gave nothing. Despite all of São Paulo’s attacks, the winner only came in the 41st minute. Paraná, on the left, crossed into the box, and Babá, who had already missed two great chances, headed it accurately into the back of the net.

In stoppage time, Tricolor even scored a third goal, through Téia, but the referee had “ended” the match moments earlier. It did not matter: with the result, São Paulo were crowned champions of the Troféu Colombino and received a magnificent and famous trophy representing one of Christopher Columbus’s caravels.

SÃO PAULO 2 X 1 REAL MADRID24.08.1969. Troféu Colombino 1969 – FinalHuelva (Spain), Huelva Stadium

SPFC: Picasso; Cláudio Deodato, Jurandir, Roberto Dias and Édson Cegonha (Tenente); Nenê and Benê; Miruca, Nelsinho, Babá (Téia) and Paraná. Coach: Diede Lameiro. Goals: Benê, 32/1; Babá (header), 41/2

Opponent: Antonio Betancort; Antonio Calpe (Gregório Benito), Pedro De Felipe and Manuel Sanchís; Sánchez Pirri (José Luis) and Ignacio Zoco; Fleitas, Amancio Varela, Ramón Grosso, Manuel Velázquez and Francisco Gento. Coach: Miguel Muñoz Mozún. Goal: Francisco Gento (penalty), 7/1

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.