World Cup 1970 (Part 3): The Final

[Final 3 Star]

On this day 50 years ago Brazil conjured up a classic team goal - their fourth of the game - to put the seal on an emphatic victory in the 1970 World Cup Final. It was a fitting ending to a superb tournament, the likes of which we will never see again: Pele at his absolute peak, Brazil’s majestic free-flowing football, the allure of foreign culture at a time when world travel still held the promise of mystery and discovery, and the distorted low-fidelity tv coverage that only further enhanced the magical other-worldliness of the occasion. For me, as a football-mad teenager, it was the culmination of a dream trip.

With the group games and quarter-final at Guadalajara now behind us, a short break in Acapulco helped ease the disappointment of England’s elimination before setting off to Mexico City for the final stages of the tournament.

First up was the remarkable semi-final between Italy and West Germany. A last-minute equalizer from Schnellinger sent the game into extra-time where, with the players at the point of near exhaustion in the rarified atmosphere, fortunes see-sawed back and forth until Italy finally prevailed by the odd goal in seven. After the game my Dad and I went back to the hotel, freshened up, and headed out for something to eat. We were waiting at the lift for what seemed an eternity (we learned later that they were temporarily out of order). After several minutes the door from the stairwell opened and a bunch of guys in tracksuits came walking through; it was the West German squad, who had decided to leg it up the stairs instead of waiting. I quickly pulled out my ever-present autograph book and got as many signatures as I could. Thinking back, it was amazing how they signed without hesitation, considering they had just experienced a heartbreaking semi-final loss. Here are just a couple; if you can’t recognize the names, the squad numbers will give it away…

 

 

We also met up with our friend from Guadalajara who, true to his word, met up with us in Mexico City and gave us a private guided tour of the Azteca Stadium…

 

 

The third-place game, sandwiched between the semi-final and final, was more of a formality but we were still going. A few people from our touring party weren’t so keen and gave us their tickets to offload. Outside the stadium a young boy – can’t have been more than 10 years old – was asking for tickets, so we gave him our spares figuring it would give him the chance to see some of his footballing heroes. No sooner does he have the tickets in hand than he turns around and immediately tries selling them to passers-by!

Here are some pictures from the final. Looking at the picture of my Dad, our seats must have been in the top row of the stadium…

 

 

That evening we attended a farewell dinner for our touring party at the hotel – a celebratory conclusion to the most amazing adventure. As you can imagine the mood in the restaurant was very lively, with all the locals toasting Brazil’s victory. Word got out that Jairzinho, the brilliant Brazilian winger who had scored in every game, was in the building. And so the autograph book made one final appearance before the trip home…

 

[Roger Red Hat]

Thanks for posting this. What a brilliant performance by Brazil. That 4th goal still makes me shiver whenever I see it!