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Pele was not the only Brazilian to dazzle in the sunshine.Hulton Archive/Allsport |
Pele returned after vowing never to play in another World Cup, and Brazil won the Jules Rimet trophy outright with a near-perfect team including Clodoaldo, Gerson, Rivelino, Tostao, Jairzinho, Pele and Carlos Alberto.
In the final at Mexico City's Aztec Stadium, Brazil dazzled and danced to a memorable 4-1 win over Italy with Jairzinho becoming the only player to have scored in every match.
Italy also beat West Germany 4-3 in an astonishing semifinal, the only match in World Cup history that produced five goals in extra time.
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Color television and satellite technology brought the spectacle and drama of the World Cup to a global audience for the first time, and Brazil's players, resplendent in their famous bright yellow shirts, rose to the occasion by taking soccer to what many regard as the game's aesthetic zenith. With the regal Pele at the peak of his powers and a support cast that included Jairzinho, Rivelino, Tostao and Gerson, Brazil samba'd to the title.
In the first round it danced past Czechoslovakia 4-1, Romania 3-1, and beat defending champion England 1-0 in a classic encounter. Peru was beaten 4-2 in the quarterfinals, followed by Uruguay 3-1, in the semis with every match colored with virtuoso moments from the Selecao. Brazil played the final as if it were an exhibition match, falling behind to Boninsegna's goal but then scoring four times. The last goal, Carlos Alberto racing on to Pele's minimalist two-yard pass, has become the defining image of Brazil's greatest-ever side. In honor of its third World Cup triumph Brazil was presented with the Jules Rimet trophy to keep.
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As in England in 1966, the 16 qualifiers were divided into four groups with the top two advancing to the knockout quarterfinal stage. For the first time ever, substitutes were introduced for the World Cup with two allowed per side per game, and the red and yellow card system was introduced to aid communication between referees and players. The tournament began with a colorful opening ceremony, starting a tradition that has characterized the World Cup and other major sporting events ever since.
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Mexico was an unpopular choice, particularly with the European qualifiers, because of the heat and humidity and also the high altitude, all problems that had been highlighted two years earlier when Mexico City hosted the Olympics. The demands of European television companies meant many matches also kicked off at midday to the annoyance of the players.
But Mexico proved a worthy host with a fine collection of attractive stadiums. More than 100,000 turned out for all of Mexico's first round matches and for the final between Brazil and Italy at the awesome Azteca, one of the world's greatest stages. But the host could only finish second in its group behind the Soviet Union. That meant only 24,000 could watch its quarterfinal against Italy, and the host was beaten 4-1.
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Group 1: Soviet Union, Mexico, Belgium, El Salvador
Group 2: Italy, Uruguay, Sweden, Israel
Group 3: Brazil, England, Romania, Czechoslovakia
Group 4: West Germany, Peru, Bulgaria, Morocco
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Quarterfinals: West Germany 3, England 2; Italy 4, Mexico 1; Brazil 4, Peru 2; Uruguay 1, Soviet Union 0
Semifinals: Italy 4, West Germany 3; Brazil 3, Uruguay 1
Third-Place Game: West Germany 1, Uruguay 0
Final: Brazil 4, Italy 1
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The 1970 World Cup belonged to Pele, arguably the greatest player ever. Before the competition he had stated his ambition to score a goal that only he could have created, and he almost succeeded. Against Czechoslovakia he tried to score from deep inside his own half, beating the Czech keeper but missing the goal by a couple of feet. In the semifinal he threw an astonishing dummy to send the ball past the bewildered Uruguayan keeper but then shot wide from a narrow angle. Pele was not the only Brazilian to dazzle in the sunshine. Jairzinho became the first man to score in every round of a tournament while Rivelino with his "elastic dribble" trick was a constant delight. But it was a West German, Gerd Muller, who won the golden boot. Muller blasted consecutive hat tricks against Bulgaria and Peru and finished with 10 goals as his side finished third.
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What World Cup "first" did the Soviet Union's Anatoli Puzach achieve at the 1970 finals?
Click here to answer this question and more.
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CNNSI.com wire services contributed to this report.
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