1986 World Cup Quarter Finals, Brazil 1 – 1 France, France win 4-3 on penalties
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9OxeeU7UYM&feature=related
To understand the Brazil of today, you need to understand the modern history of Brazil at the world cup.
For so long, the world cup WAS Brazil. The 2 intertwined. Brazil gave football its first global superstar (Pele), were the first team to win the cup 3 times and epitomized what beautiful football was to the purist and casual fan alike.
The 1970 Brazil team is still regarded as the best of all time. The 4th goal from Carlos Alberto in the final is still regarded as the best team goal of all time. For years before David Beckham came along, lobbing the keeper from the half way line was called “doing a Pele”.
Brazil, to this day, remain the world cup’s main attraction. The main event. The real deal. Everyone’s attracted to the iconic yellow shirt. Everyone can hum the Brazilian national anthem. I’m even doing it now and I don’t have much love for them.
But in reality, Brazil stopped being the real Brazil a long time ago. The Brazil we were told tales about no longer exists. Joga Bonita is an advertising catchphrase but on the pitch, Brazil rarely practices the beautiful game. The Hype is all that’s left.
The Brazil they sold to us died a long time ago.
I can even give you the time and place: 21st of June 1986 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
There are 3 great Brazil teams: the 58-62 winners of 2 world cups, the 1970 winners in Mexico with Pele at his apex and the 1982-86 vintage. Winners of nothing.
In 1982, Brazil had probably the most exciting side in its history. Zico, Falcao, Socrates, Eder, Junior et all lit up the tournament with some of the most beautiful football ever witnessed in history. They tore into the second round of group stages with every single one of their goals potential goal of the tournament contenders.
Don’t believe me? Check this out. You’ll struggle to find a better way of spending 5 minutes and 47 seconds of your time (skip to 1m30)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZxvYy5-ekI
They were odds on favorites. After tearing Argentina to shreds to the point where a fed up Diego Maradona got sent off for kicking a defender in the nether regions, Brazil faced Italy knowing a draw would suffice in order.
In one of the biggest shocks in the history of the world cup, Brazil lost to 3 Paulo Rossi goals to 2 and were knocked out of the tournament to the dismay of neutrals everywhere. A dodgy keeper and lazy defending led to their downfall as the opportunistic Rossi, recently back from a year’s ban for match fixing, sent suicide rates back in Rio sky high.
Brazil regrouped and targeted Mexico 86. Again they started strong, playing some fantastic stuff with full back Josimar scoring some outstanding long rangers including this, quite frankly, ridiculous one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvroUsu6VgM&feature=related
They drew France in the quarter finals. A side that, themselves, had axes to grind from the world cup in 82 where they were knocked out by the Germans on penalties in the Semis. This was a glorious French team with one of the best midfields ever seen in world football, led by the sublime, and 3 consecutive ballon d’or winner, Michel Platini.
It was a clash of the titans and remains, to this day, one of the best and most dramatic matches in the history of the world cup.
Careca (who partnered Maradona at Napoli) put away the opener after a wonderful free flowing one touch move. Platini equalized after another mix up in the Brazil defence.
The game swung left and right. Brazil hit the post. Tigana missed a one on one for France. It was 2 attacking teams going all hell and leather in the Mexican sun.
Then, late in the second half, Zico- the original and only white Pele- played a beautiful ball to Branco who was felled by the keeper, Joel Bats. Penalty. Brazil had a golden chance to put the game way and reach the semis.
Zico- so often the hero for Brazil- stepped up and saw his penalty saved by Bats. Extra time.
In a dramatic 30 seconds, Platini played in a beautiful through ball to Bellone who was 1 on 1 with the keeper. The keeper rugby tackled him but the referee kept his whistle in his mouth, No foul. The French went crazy, forgetting the ball. Socrates immediately had an open goal at the other end but let the ball pass through his legs.
Just as you thought the drama would end, the game went to penalties. Socrates missed the first one and all the others scored (including an Amoros one that rebounded off the keeper via the post- wrongly allowed by the awful ref) until Michel Platini, France’s talisman, missed the 4th one. It was 3-3 with one pen each.
Julio Cesar stepped up for Brazil and smashed his penalty against the post with such power the ball went back to the center circle. Luis Fernandez then took France’s last one and put it away, sending his team into the last 4 and Rio into another spate of suicide.
But this time, the loss would have long lasting effect. It was a footballing cataclysm. A string of Brazilian managers decided that Brazil could no longer honor their purist roots and play a wide open attacking game. From now on, defensive solidity would be the priority and attacking innovation would come from the brilliance of certain individuals.
They’ve won 2 of the 6 world cups since then and reached a final, but it isn’t the same. No Brazil side since the 82-86 team has captured the imagination of the casual fan or the appreciation of the critic. We’ve seen great players like Romario, Bebeto Roberto Carlos, Cafu Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka et all come and go but we haven’t witnessed a truly glorious Brazil side since that day in Guadalajara.
In fact, it’s not outlandish to say that we haven’t witnessed a great Brazil match since that day. Think of all the 6 world cup campaigns they’ve played in. I struggle to think of a classic. The Holland 3-2 victory in 94 could probably be on the list, but it would be an extremely short list.
The Brazil we were taught about, read about, saw videos about and dreamed about exists no more. Today, their best players are defenders (Thiago Silva, Lucio) and their big names imports to Europe disappoint (Robinho). Gone are the sides which defined football, which made you dream and rendered everyone else basic in comparison.
That Brazil died on the fields of Mexico in 1986.
I don't think that Brazil died. Football changed. The game became much more technical, physical and tactical. The level of competition became much higher. In modern football, by opposition to the 60's and 70's you've got to have a complete team in terms of offense and defense in order to win a world cup. That is what Brazil realized in the 90's. In the 2 world cups it won (1994 and 2002), their defense was excellent, and, combined with talented offensive players, they could outmatch any team. In the world cups where their defense was weaker (1998 and 2006. Not 2010 where they were eliminated due to individual errors), they lost
Posted by: Nadim Nassif | 03/02/2012 at 08:53 PM