Brazil at the World Cups: 1970, the spectacle of a third title | OneFootball

Pelé celebrates the title after the 4-1 thrashing of ItalyCredits: FIFA Archive

The most revered national team of all time, packed with stars, put on a show in Mexico at the 1970 World Cup. With joy, purpose, and highly refined technique, the Brazilian National Team made the world surrender to the beauty of its artistic football and the genius of Pelé and company.

Right in their opening match of that World Cup, on June 3, the Seleção showed no mercy against the strong Czechoslovakia side. Brazil won 4-1 at Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara. Rivellino, Pelé, and Jairzinho, twice, scored Brazil’s goals, with Zagallo in charge of the team at a World Cup for the first time.

Carlos Alberto Torres, the 1970 captain, with the trophy for Brazil’s third titleCredits: Sebastião Marinho

In the second match, the opponent was England, also a title contender, as they came in with confidence after winning the 1966 World Cup on home soil. With another very strong performance, again at Jalisco Stadium, Brazil won 1-0, with a goal by Jairzinho.

After those two convincing victories against two major European national teams, Brazil commanded even more respect. To close out the group stage, the Seleção defeated another representative of the Old Continent: Romania, beaten 3-2 at the Jalisco in front of 50,000 people.

Pelé, twice, and once again Jairzinho scored the team’s goals. Having qualified first in Group 3 with a perfect record, Brazil faced Peru in the quarterfinals.

Battle for the ball in Brazil vs. England: 1970 World CupCredits: FIFA Archive

The match, again at the Jalisco, ended in another Brazilian rout: 4-2, with goals from Rivellino, Tostão, twice, and Jairzinho. Their South American neighbor had no way to match that team. It was the same in the semifinal against another continental rival, Uruguay, still at the Jalisco, venue for five of Brazil’s six matches at the tournament.

Clodoaldo, Rivellino, and Jairzinho were Brazil’s scorers in the match that sealed the Seleção’s place in the title decider.

The peak of that historic campaign came on June 21, 1970, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, with 107,000 fans in attendance.

Pelé, Gerson, Jairzinho, and Carlos Alberto Torres drove goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi to despair with Brazil’s four goals as they defeated Italy 4-1, in one of the most memorable displays in matches between national teams. Brazil overflowed with talent and creativity, and the 1970 Seleção, with its third title, confirmed the supremacy and magic of Brazilian football.

Jairzinho celebrating the goal he scored in the final against ItalyCredits: FIFA Reproduction

At that World Cup, at least four spectacular plays became part of every encyclopedia that set out to tell the history of football, all of them involving Pelé.

They were: the shot from midfield that skimmed the crossbar while Czech goalkeeper Viktor ran in desperation to stop it; England goalkeeper Gordon Banks’s legendary save from the King’s header into the right corner after a cross from Jairzinho; the unprecedented body feint that fooled Mazurkiewicz, followed by a finish that narrowly went wide of the left post of the goal defended by the Uruguayan; and the touch of genius, measured with ruler and compass, for Carlos Alberto Torres to score the fourth goal against Italy.

See Brazil’s squad for the 1970 World Cup:

Goalkeepers: Ado (Corinthians), Emerson Leão (Palmeiras) and Félix (Fluminense);

Defenders: Baldochi (Palmeiras), Brito (Flamengo), Carlos Alberto Torres (Santos), Everaldo (Grêmio), Fontana (Cruzeiro), Joel Camargo (Santos), Marco Antônio (Fluminense), Piazza (Cruzeiro) and Zé Maria (Portuguesa);

Midfielders: Clodoaldo (Santos), Gerson (São Paulo), Paulo César Caju (Botafogo) and Rivellino (Corinthians);

Forwards: Dadá Maravilha (Atlético-MG), Edu (Santos), Jairzinho (Botafogo), Pelé (Santos), Roberto Miranda (Botafogo) and Tostão (Cruzeiro).

Head coach: Zagallo.

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