FRANCE 98 – Mexico 1970

There were three big winners in the 1970 World Cup. The Brazilians naturally, and their king, Pele, victors for the third time after 1958 and 1962, but also football itself, with many games and individual feats entering football legend.

 Those who were dissatisfied with the standard of play during the 1966 World Cup had nothing to complain about four years later in Mexico, where “the beautiful game” was really seen in all its glory. Three of the game’s all-time greatest matches were played to huge and rapturous crowds: England vs Brazil, England vs West Germany and a simply sensational semi-final between Italy and West Germany. And nobody will ever forget Pele and his glorious attempt to lob the Czech goalkeeper Viktor from 50 metres out!

Then, just to top things off, the Brazilians, the tournament’s most spectacular team, with their unforgettable front-line of Jairzinho, Tostao, Pele and Rivelinho, ran out winners. For this tenth World Cup, the number of participating nations was again at a new high, with 71 teams taking part in the qualifying rounds. And many nations well-grounded in World cup experience didn’t make it past the qualifiers, including Portugal, Hungary, France, Spain and even Argentina. Israel and Morocco, however, made their debuts.

Beckenbauer’s courage
The Moroccans, who became the first African nation ever to qualify for the finals, were one of the star attractions of the first round along with Peru. The Peruvians, in fact, reached the quarter-finals where they held their own gamely against Brazil before finally going down 4-2. But THE match of the quarter-finals pitted the two 1966 finalists England and West Germany. Two-nil down with twenty minutes to go, the Germans miraculously fought back to win 3-2 in extra-time. But a fiercer and even more nerve-racking struggle awaited them in the semi-final against Italy in the brand new Aztec stadium, built especially for the World Cup.

After 90 minutes the two teams were locked at 1-1. What followed in extra-time has enter-ed football folklore, with both teams leading at different times in a heart-stopping ding-dong battle. Franz Beckenbauer remained on the field even with a dislocated shoulder, his arm in a sling strapped to his body. His courage, however, was not to be rewarded, as it was finally the Italians who had their way (4-3), and reached the Final. There, a tired Squadra Azzurra could do nothing to stop the rampant Brazilians, who coasted to a 4-1 win. Carlos Alberto, the “Carioca” captain, stepped up to receive the Jules Rimet trophy, which would remain forever in Brazilian hands. Pele, in tears, was carried triumphantly on his team-mates’ shoulders. He had not onlywon his third World Cup winner’s medal, but also played his last match in a World Cup.