Ceret Sports: Team of The Century : Brazil 70

Mexico was a controversial choice to host the 1970 World Cup, and the distressed condition of some of the athletes in the Olympic Games held there two years earlier did nothing to help the Mexican cause. But in the event the finals not only provided thrilling competition and splendid entertainment, but there was little of the negativity and thuggery that blighted football in the sixties. Brazil, with the incomparable Pele, raised the game to newr heights and were universally popular winners. And England, who did not give up their hold on the trophy without a fight, took part in two unforgettable matches. A Record : 71 countries entered the 1970 World Cup, bill none had a more eventful passage to Mexico than El Salvador from the Concacaf zone. They played 10 games before qualifying, and one win over the neighbouring Honduras sparked off a two-week war between the mutual!) antagonistic countries. By contrast. Brazil qualified effortlessly from South America, winning all six matches and scoring 25 goals (Tostao nine, Pele six. Jairzinho four) to two. With England exempt as holders, Wesl Germany were the most impressive European qualifiers, dropping only one point. Gerd Muller scored 10 of their 20 goals, and they mauled Cyprus 12-0 in one game. The Germans conceded only three, all to Scotland, who were eliminated.

England and Brazil were drawn in the same group, played out in Guadalajara without the severe altitude problem of Mexico City, but with an appalling 98 degrees of torrid heal. Nevertheless, the clash of the two favourites, after thay had both won their opening matches, produced a classic encounter, won 1-0 by the South Americans but remembered for evermore for one Banks save from Pele. England were on top early on, and both Peters and Lee missed chances. Then Jairzinho powered past Cooper to the byline and crossed the ball from the corner of thie penalty box to the far post, here the leaping Pele unleashed a perfect downward header towwards the empty net. The crowd's roar to acclaim a goal was stifled as Banks appeared, seemingly from nowhere, but from the other side of his goal, to paw the ball up and over the bar. England took heart from this reprieve, but in the end it was to no avail, as Brazil got on top in the second half and Tostao and Pele made a goal for Jairzinho. Nevertheless, England had done enough — with Moore, despite his recent problems in Colombia, outstanding — to hope that the two might meet again in the final.West Germany were impressive qualifiers in Leon, apart from an initial hiccup against Morocco, with Muller hitting two hat-tricks. The Soviet Union looked dangerous in Group One. coping well with the problems of Mexico City and going through with the host country. Italy scored just one goal in Group Two, but typically conceded none and finished top.

It could be said that England lost their quarter-final with West Germany because Banks, arguably the best keeper in the world, couldn't hold his drink — the bottle of Mexican beer, that is, that left him weak and groggy. This attack of "Montezuma's revenge" crucially kept him out of the game in Leon. It was another epic encounter between the teams who contested the 1966 final. England, playing their best football so far, deservedly went two up in 50 minutes with goals from Mullery and Peters, both from crosses by right-back Newton. But early in the second half Ihey started back-pedalling and lost the initiative. Berkenbauer cleverly broke through and pulled one back for the Germans. Ramsey — now Sir Alf — put Bell on for Bobby Charlton, and Hunter for Peters, but Seeler equalized with a freakish back-header. England went into extra lime looking lired. but the excellent Hurst soon bad the ball in the net from Lee's pull-back — yet had it disallowed for no apparenl reason. Inevitably it was Mullcr who scored the winner, volleying in from close range. Pity poor Bonetti, without a competitive match for more than a month. It was in the quarter-finals lhat the goals began to flow — 17 in four matches. Only in the Uruguay-USSR game was there a paucity, Uruguay's winner coming in extra lime, just three minutes away from the iniquitous drawing of lols. Brazil and Peru — the surprise of the tournament — put on a dazzling show at Guadalajara, with Brazil's shaky keeper Felix almost letting the Peruvians back into the game before Brazil won 4-2. In Toluca, against Mexico. Italy conceded their first goal of the finals, but after a lucky, deflected equalizer, their attack was seen at last, and they won 4-1 with second-half goals from Riva (two) and substitute Rivera.

The two semi-finals had more goals, thrills a plenty and exhibition stuff from Pele, 12 years after he first exploded on to the World Cup scene as a 17-year-old in Sweden. Intent, as always, not only on winning but on entertaining with his efforts to score the unique goal, Pele had already had one remarkable near miss againsl Czechoslovakia, with a shot from the centre circle. In the 3-1 win over Uruguay, he will always be remembered for Hie dummy that transfixed keeper Mazurkiewicz to the spot before he hooked the ball just wide. The other semi became a thriller in extra time, not because of any pretensions of open football, rather for sheer fatigue. Boninsegna had given Italy the lead in the ninth minute, and his team-mates closed up shop in the second half, unwisely allowing West Germany to take control of mid-field. But, after battering away incessantly at the Italian goal, it was not until injury time that they equalized, when left-back Schnellinger suddenly arrived to convert Grabowski's cross. The Germans began extra time with a distinct disadvantage. Beckonbauer having been cynically hacked down and playing with an arm strapped to his side as they had used their substitutes. Both sides scored twice more before Bivera, on as substitute for the third match running, gave the Italians a 4—3 victory. Brazil did not disappoint the hundreds of millions of television fans around the world who were glued to their sets in the expectation of seeing a triumph for adventurous football.

With arguably the most inventive and deadly attacking force seen in modern times, Brazil knew no other way to play, although they dared not fall back on defence with Felix as their last line. Indeed, it was a bad defensive error that allowed Italy back into the game after Pele had put his side ahead with one of his power-headers, his fourth goal of the finals. A casual hack-heel from Clodoaldo put Brazil in trouble, and a mad rush from Felix allowed Boninsegna to find the unguarded net. In the second half, with Clodoaldo and particularly Gerson taking control of the midfield, Brazil mounted attack after attack. Rivelino had a swerving shot parried by Alberlosi and then crashed a drive on to the bar with his rarely employed right foot. After 65 minutes, Gerson unleashed a left-foot drive from outside the box to put them ahead, and then lifted a 50-yard pass which Pele nodded down for Jairzinho to run in and maintain his record of scoring in every game. The last 20 minutes were sheer magic, a celebration of the beautiful Brazilian game, climaxed with an exhibition goal. It was started by Clodoaldo in his own half, who beat five men as he sambaed upfield, carried on by Rivelino, Jairzinho and Pele, before it was finished off in spectacular fashion by right-back and captain Carlos Alberto. It was Brazil's World Cup and. appropriately, as the first three-time winners, they kept the Jules Rimel Trophy.