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1970 FIFA World Cup final

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1970 FIFA World Cup final
Both teams lining up before the match
Event1970 FIFA World Cup
Brazil Italy
4 1
Date21 June 1970
VenueEstadio Azteca, Mexico City
RefereeRudi Glöckner (East Germany)
Attendance107,412
← 1966
1974 →

The final match of the 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams, was played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, on 21 June 1970, and was contested by Brazil and Italy.

The tournament comprised hosts Mexico, defending champions England, and 14 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organized by the six FIFA confederations. The 16 teams competed in a group stage, from which 8 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Brazil finished atop Group 3, with three wins, before defeating Peru in the quarter-final and Uruguay in the semi-final. Italy finished first in Group 2, with one win and two draws, after which they defeated Mexico in the quarter-final and West Germany in the semi-final.

Background

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The 1970 FIFA World Cup was the ninth edition of the World Cup, FIFA's football competition for national teams, held in Mexico between 31 May and 21 June 1970.[1][2] Mexico and England qualified automatically for the finals — Mexico as hosts and England as winners of the previous World Cup. The remaining 14 spots were decided through qualifying rounds held between November 1968 and December 1969, organized by the six FIFA confederations.[3] In the finals, the team were divided into four groups of four with each other playing each other once in a round-robin format. The two top teams from each group advanced to a knock-out phase. Holders England were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 1970.[2]

Brazil and Italy had previously met four times; their first encounter was in the semi-finals of the 1938 tournament, which Italy won 2–1. The most recent meeting between the two teams before the 1970 World Cup was at a friendly match at the San Siro on 12 May 1963, which Italy won 3–0.[4]

Route to the final

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Brazil

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Brazil qualified for the tournament as Group 2 winners in the South American qualifiers.[5] They were drawn into Group 3 for the World Cup, in which they were joined by England, Romania, and Czechoslovakia.[6] Their first group game was against Czechoslovakia at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara on 3 June.[7] Ladislav Petráš opened the scoring for Czechoslovakia in the eleventh minute, with Rivellino equalizing from a free kick thirteen minutes later. Pelé scored to give Brazil the lead in the second half, with Jairzinho scoring Brazil's third and fourth goals to seal a 4–1 victory for Brazil.[8] In their second group game, Brazil played England in Guadalajara on 7 June.[9] Jairzinho scored the only goal of the game from eight yards after receiving Pelé's pass to give Brazil a 1–0 win.[10] Their third and final group game was against Romania in Guadalajara on 10 June.[11] Pelé struck the first goal from a free kick in the 19th minute, with Jairzinho doubling Brazil's lead three minutes later. Florea Dumitrache pulled a goal back for Romania in the 34th minute, with the first half finishing 2–1. Pelé scored Brazil's third goal in the 65th minute, before Emerich Dembrovschi added a second for Romania six minutes before the end of regular time.[12]

Brazil's quarter-final match was against Peru in Guadalajara on 14 June.[13] Brazil held on to a 2–1 lead in the first half, with both Brazilian goals from Rivellino and Tostão, and one from Alberto Gallardo for Peru. Seven minutes into the second half, Tostão scored his second from a rebound of Pelé's shot to make it 3–1, before Teófilo Cubillas added Peru's second in the 69th minute. Jairzinho scored five minutes before the end of regular time to seal another Brazilian victory of 4–2.[14] Brazil's opponents in the semi-final were Uruguay in Guadalajara on 17 June.[15] Uruguay took the lead after eighteen minutes when Brito's mis-hit clearance fell to Julio Morales, who passed it to Luis Cubilla, who scored past goalkeeper Félix. Clodoaldo equalized for Brazil in the 44th minute, with Jairzinho scoring in the 76th minute to give Brazil the lead. With one minute remaining, Rivellino hit a left-footed drive shot following Pele's pass to secure a 3-1 victory for Brazil and progress the team to their fourth consecutive final.[16]

Italy

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Italy qualified for the tournament as Group 3 winners in the European qualifiers.[5] They were drawn into Group 2, alongside Sweden, Uruguay, and Israel.[6] In their first group game against Sweden at Nemesio Diez Stadium in Toluca on 3 June,[17] Angelo Domenghini scored the only goal of the game in the first half, in which defender Comunardo Niccolai was forced off injured after a collision with striker Ove Kindvall.[18] Their second group game against Uruguay at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla on 6 June[19] ended in a goalless draw.[20] Similarly, Italy's third and final group game against Israel in Toluca on 11 June finished with no scoring,[21] despite various chances from the Italians. Nevertheless, Italy managed to qualify for the quarter-final.[22]

Italy's opponents in the quarter-final were Mexico in Toluca on 14 June.[23] José Luis González Dávila struck the first goal from close range in the 12th minute to give Mexico the lead, but Javier Guzmán scored an own goal halfway through the first half, allowing Italy to equalize. Gigi Riva added a third goal for Italy in the 63rd minute, followed by a goal from second-half substitute Gianni Rivera seven minutes later. Riva scored his team's fourth goal in the 76th minute to seal a 4–1 victory for Italy.[24] In the semi-final, Italy faced West Germany at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on 17 June.[25] In a match dubbed by The Daily Telegraph as the "Game of the Century" in 2012,[26] Italy won 4–3. Italy took the lead after eight minutes through Roberto Boninsegna, with Karl-Heinz Schnellinger equalizing the score before the end of regular time, forcing the match into extra time. Gerd Müller gave West Germany the lead in the 94th minute, but Tarcisio Burgnich levelled for Italy five minutes later. In the 104th minute, Italy retook the lead from a goal by Gigi Riva, before Müller added his second for West Germany a minute later, tying the score 3-3. In the 111th minute, Gianni Rivera received Roberto Rosato's pass in the penalty area and scored the winning goal.[27]

 Brazil Round  Italy
Opponent Result Group stage Opponent Result
 Czechoslovakia 4–1 Match 1  Sweden 1–0
 England 1–0 Match 2  Uruguay 0–0
 Romania 3–2 Match 3  Israel 0–0
Group 3 winner
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Brazil 330083+56
 England 320121+14
 Romania 310245−12
 Czechoslovakia 300327−50
 Final group standings Group 2 winner
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Italy 312010+14
 Uruguay 311121+13
 Sweden 31112203
 Israel 302113−22
Opponent Result Knockout stage Opponent Result
 Peru 4–2 Quarter-finals  Mexico 4–1
 Uruguay 3–1 Semi-finals  West Germany 4–3 (a.e.t.)

Match

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Recreation of Pelé's room at the Inter-American Social Security Conference Hotel of Mexico City, their hotel prior to their match against Italy on June 21, 1970.

Summary

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Sequences of the 2nd and 3rd Brazil goals scored by Gerson (above) and Jairzinho (below), respectively

Brazil struck first, with Pelé heading in a cross by Rivellino in the 18th minute.[28] Roberto Boninsegna equalized for Italy after a blunder in the Brazilian defence. In the second half, Brazil's firepower and creativity was too much for an Italian side that clung to their cautious defensive system. Gérson fired in a powerful shot for the second goal, and then helped provide the third, with a long free kick to Pelé who headed down into the path of the onrushing Jairzinho.

Pelé capped his superb performance by drawing the Italian defence in the centre and feeding captain Carlos Alberto on the right flank for the final score. Carlos Alberto's goal, after a series of moves by the Brazilian team from the left to the centre, is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored in the history of the tournament.[29]

A total of seven outfield players from Brazil passed the ball until captain Carlos Alberto hammered the ball into the corner of the Italian goal following a pass across the Italian penalty area from Pelé, prompted by Tostão, who, with his back to the goal, told Pelé that Alberto was steaming in on the right flank. Tostão started the move five yards from the left of the Brazilian penalty area, then ran the length of the field to the Italian box without touching the ball again to tell Pelé to lay it off for Alberto. The players involved in the passes in order were Tostão, Piazza, Clodoaldo, Pelé and Gérson. Clodoaldo beat four Italian players in his own half before passing to Rivellino who hit a perfect pass down the wing to Jairzinho. Jairzinho crossed from the wing to the centre of the box to Pelé who held the ball up to play a pass for Alberto to smash it home. The only outfield players not involved in the move were Everaldo and Brito, although the ball did ricochet off Everaldo's foot when he was nutmegged by Juliano in the tackle. This caused the ball to run loose for Tostao as he tracked back. In 2002, the UK public voted the goal as number 36 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.[30][31]

Details

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Brazil 4–1 Italy
 [Report 1]
Attendance: 107,412

Brazil
Italy
GK1Félix
RB4Carlos Alberto (c)
CB2Brito
CB3Piazza
LB16Everaldo
RH5Clodoaldo
LH8Gérson
OR7Jairzinho
OL11RivellinoYellow card 45'
CF9Tostão
CF10Pelé
Substitutes:
GK12Ado
DF6Marco Antônio
DF15Fontana
MF18Caju
FW13Roberto
Manager:
Mário Zagallo
GK1Enrico Albertosi
RB2Tarcisio BurgnichYellow card 27'
CB8Roberto Rosato
CB5Pierluigi Cera
LWB3Giacinto Facchetti (c)
DM10Mario Bertinidownward-facing red arrow 74'
CM16Giancarlo De Sisti
RW13Angelo Domenghini
AM15Sandro Mazzola
CF20Roberto Boninsegnadownward-facing red arrow 84'
CF11Gigi Riva
Substitutes:
GK12Dino Zoff
DF4Fabrizio Poletti
MF21Giuseppe Furino
MF18Antonio Julianoupward-facing green arrow 74'
MF14Gianni Riveraupward-facing green arrow 84'
Manager:
Ferruccio Valcareggi

Assistant referees:
Rudolf Scheurer (Switzerland)
Ángel Coerezza (Argentina)

Match rules:

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary
  • Replay on 23 June if scores still level
  • Five named substitutes
  • Maximum of two substitutions

Post-match

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Pelé celebrating after winning the match. It was his last World Cup as he would retire from the national team one year later[32]

With this third win after their 1958 and 1962 World Cup victories, Brazil became the world's most successful national football team at that time, surpassing both Italy and Uruguay, who each had two championships. The third title earned Brazil the right to retain the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently;[33][34] it was stolen in 1983 while on display in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered.

Thirty-eight-year-old Brazilian coach Mário Zagallo became the first footballer to win the World Cup as a player (1958, 1962) and a coach, as well the second youngest coach to win a World Cup, after Alberto Suppici in 1930. Pelé ended his World Cup playing career as the competition's first (and as of 2026, only) three-time winner.[35]

Legacy

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Historically, this 1970 Brazil squad is generally revered as the best World Cup team.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "World Cup: History & Winners". Encyclopædia Britannica. 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 Stokkermans, Karel; Jarreta, Sergio Henrique. "World Cup 1970". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel; Jarreta, Sergio Henrique. "World Cup 1970 Qualifying". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 May 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Brazil national football team: record v Italy". 11v11. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 Stokkermans, Karel; Jarreta, Sergio Henrique. "World Cup 1970 Qualifying". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 Stokkermans, Karel; Jarreta, Sergio Henrique. "World Cup 1970". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Czechoslovakia v Brazil, 03 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Brazil routs Czechoslovakia". Mexico City: The Michigan Daily. Associated Press. 4 June 1970. p. 4.
  9. ↑ "England v Brazil, 07 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Brazilians nip England in cup tilt". Mexico City: Windsor Star. The Canadian Press. 8 June 1970. p. 19.
  11. ↑ "Brazil v Romania, 10 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 12 July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Pele keeps Brazilians on right track". No. 135. Mexico: Vancouver Sun. 11 June 1970. p. 27.
  13. ↑ "Brazil v Peru, 14 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Pele Stars". The Gazette. 15 June 1970. p. 13.
  15. ↑ "Uruguay v Brazil, 17 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Brazil into Final". The Herald. No. 122. 18 June 1970. p. 6.
  17. ↑ "Sweden v Italy, 03 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Brazil powerhouse beats Czechs 4-1". Mexico City: The Gazette. Reuters. 4 June 1970. p. 28.
  19. ↑ "Uruguay v Italy, 06 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Russia, Peru For Finals". Mexico City: The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 June 1970. p. 11.
  21. ↑ "Italy v Israel, 11 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Quarter-finalists decided". No. 200. Mexico City: The StarPhoenix. Associated Press. p. 18.
  23. ↑ "Mexico v Italy, 14 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "England plays it cute, blows World Cup match". Mexico City: Windsor Star. The Canadian Press. 15 June 1970. p. 23.
  25. ↑ "Germany v Italy, 17 June 1970". 11v11. Archived from the original on 6 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  26. ↑ Matt Wagg (28 June 2012). "Euro 2012: five classic tournament matches between Germany and Italy including the 'Game of the Century'". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  27. ↑ "Italians Triumph Over Germany In Epic Struggle To Reach Final". Mexico City: The Michigan Daily. Associated Press. 18 June 1970. p. 12.
  28. ↑ "Coca-Cola Memorable Celebrations 1: Pele's iconic leap of joy after scoring Brazil's century goal". Goal.com. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  29. ↑ Benson, Andrew (2 June 2006). "The perfect goal". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  30. ↑ 100 Greatest sporting moments – results Archived 15 January 2002 at the Wayback Machine Channel 4. Retrieved 29 August 2014
  31. ↑ "World Cup final 1970: Brazil v Italy – as it happened". Guardian. 25 October 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  32. ↑ Un día como hoy Pelé jugó su último partido con la selección brasileña on Libero, 18 Jul 2020 Archived 2 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ↑ "Brazil". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. 22 June 1970. p. 1C. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  34. ↑ "Brazil's heroes of 1970 relive their days of glory". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 10 June 2000. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  35. ↑ "70 Facts About Brazil Legend Football Icon Pele On His 70th Birthday". Goal.com. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  36. ↑ Molinaro, John. "THE TOP 10 WORLD CUP TEAMS OF ALL-TIME". Sportsnet. Sportsnet. Archived from the original on 20 July 2026. Retrieved 20 July 2026.

Match reports

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  1. ↑
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