When MorumBIS welcomed Ghana’s national team | OneFootball

With MorumBIS Stadium practically completed and about to be officially inaugurated on January 25, 1970, São Paulo received an illustrious visitor at the end of the 1969 season: the Ghana national team. As on this June 23 the African side faces England in the 2026 World Cup, the Historical Archive uses this occasion to recall what happened nearly 57 years ago.

The year 1969 was very fruitful for Tricolor in terms of results and international achievements, such as winning the Troféu Colombino. To round off the season well, the club agreed to take part in the Ghana national team’s tour of Brazil. It was the Ghanaians’ fourth match on Brazilian soil (first they lost 2–1 to Desportiva Ferroviária of Espírito Santo, then drew 0–0 with Fluminense de Feira de Santana, and finally beat the Sergipe State Team 5–1).

Ghana (still written as Ghana, in accordance with the spelling of the time), had a few months earlier been eliminated early from the World Cup qualifiers by Nigeria, after an away defeat and a draw in Accra. In Brazil, they sought to broaden their understanding of football as a way of gaining experience for the 1970 African Cup of Nations, which would be held in Sudan – Ghana had won that tournament in 1963 and 1965 and was seeking a third title.

For one member of the Black Stars technical staff (Black Stars, the official nickname of the Ghanaian national team, in reference to the black star on the country’s flag), Ben Koufie, the important thing was contact with new ways of playing. “For him, the cunning and improvisation his players may learn are more important,” reported an O Estado de S. Paulo journalist on December 6.

“All the players are amateurs. Some work for the government and our left winger is a truck driver. Everyone works and only has time for daily training when they are with the national team, because the government makes sure they are released at those times. When they are with their clubs, they train once or twice a week, after they get off work,” revealed the foreign team’s coach.

Asante Kotoko (African runners-up in 1967 and future champions in 1970) and Hearts of Oak were the backbone clubs of the Ghana team, whose greatest characteristic was speed, concentrated in precise, incisive attacks. São Paulo, on the other hand, under coach Diede Lameiro, was known for its measured tempo.

Tricolor were very much in end-of-year rhythm, with many players returning from injuries and lacking match fitness, such as goalkeeper Picasso, midfielder Gérson, and center forward Toninho Guerreiro. In any case, Picasso, Sérgio, Arlindo, Nenê, Dias, Tenente, Edson, Gérson, Benê, Nicanor, Zé Roberto, Toninho, Téia, Paraná, Wylherson, Vilela, Lourival, Babá, and Toninho II were called up for the training camp.

Once the ball got rolling, São Paulo realized from the start that an easy rout was very possible, almost expected. In less than five minutes, Gérson opened the scoring after a passing move with Toninho and Zé Roberto. Five minutes later, Tricolor doubled the lead, this time through Toninho, who received a low cross from Nicanor (who may perhaps have been offside, but who can say…).

Next, Zé Roberto missed with a bicycle kick that flew just past the post. With the match under control and other big chances wasted, São Paulo eased off. Near the end of the first half, then, came the punishment, and Ghana, through Owusu – supposedly also offside – got in behind, beat Dias in a footrace, and hit a powerful shot, almost at crossbar height, straight down the middle of Picasso’s goal. 2–1.

The goal renewed their spirit and gave the Ghanaians more energy in the second half. Overeager, however, they either ended up being dribbled past easily or committed rough and violent challenges. Looking to conserve themselves, Tricolor gradually slowed the pace and hardly threatened anymore. In the 20th minute, the African persistence was rewarded and, after a first-time shot by Acquah from an Owusu cross, Picasso fumbled and let the ball in, it slipping underneath his body. 2–2.

That was when the Tricolors woke up. They started attacking more and stopped avoiding challenges. In one of them, however, Toninho Guerreiro came off worse and left the field injured, with a severe ankle dislocation. As São Paulo had already made two substitutions by that point (the maximum allowed in an official match at the time), the team was left with one man fewer on the field…

Even so, what followed was strong São Paulo pressure, forcing goalkeeper Mensah to make a series of saves in just a few minutes. Nenê, however, in the 36th minute, fooled the opposition with a rehearsed free-kick routine with Gérson and put São Paulo back in front on the scoreboard. Near stoppage time, Tricolor found the net once more after a penalty committed by Mingle on Gérson, which Zé Roberto calmly converted into the right corner of the African goalkeeper’s net. São Paulo 4–2 Ghana!

It was a great experience for Ghana. Days later, the national team would also face Palmeiras at Pacaembu (and lose 3–1). They left Brazil with good stories and experiences, which helped the team reach the final of the 1970 African Cup of Nations once again – they ended up finishing as runners-up to the hosts, Sudan.

SÃO PAULO 4 x 2 GHANA12/06/1969. International Friendly: Single Match.São Paulo (SP), Cícero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium – MorumBIS.

SPFC: Picasso; Arlindo, Roberto Dias (Cláudio Deodato), Nenê and Tenente; Édson Cegonha and Gérson; Nicanor (Valter Zum-Zum), Zé Roberto, Toninho Guerreiro and Paraná. COACH: Diede Lameiro. GOALS: Gérson, 5' 1st half; Toninho Guerreiro, 10' 1st half; Nenê (free kick), 36' 2nd half; Zé Roberto (penalty), 45' 2nd half.

OPPONENT: Essel Badu Mensah; Edward Boye, Armah Akuetteh, John Eshun and Alex Mingle; Oliver Acquah, Joseph “Joe” Garthey, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio and Robert William Foley; Kwasi Owusu and Abukari Garibah. COACH: Karl-Heinz Marotzke. GOALS: Owusu, 40' 1st half; Acquah, 20' 2nd half.

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