casa. Infelizmente a história não se repetiu na Copa seguinte, onde nossos adversários foram os lusitanos, que venceram a Seleção por 3x1, mas repetiu-se em 1970 no México, onde mandamos os italianos de volta para casa.
em Barcelona, à vitória por 3 x 2 da Itália sobre o Brasil de Zico, Falcão, Sócrates, Júnior, Cerezo, Éder e tantos outros. De lá em diante o sonho dos brasileiros continuou em queda. Em 1986 os franceses nos mandaram para casa. Em 1990 foi a vez dos argentinos, no confronto das oitavas de final. Mas a reviravolta chegou em 1994. De um lado estava o Brasil engasgado com os italianos por causa da “Tragédia do Sarriá”, em 1982. Os italianos, por sua vez, também buscavam o tetra e não esqueciam que a última final entre os dois países terminara em goleada tupiniquim. Mas o Brasil voltou a reinar e conquistou mais um título.
O Brasil não conseguiu ao menos fazer lembrar a magia da seleção de 1970, a Inglaterra sequer se classificou para a Copa do Mundo de 1974 e a Argentina ainda era uma força menor do futebol, mas mesmo assim o Mundial disputado na Alemanha se tornou um marco para o esporte. Não fomos campeões, mas levamos para casa o terceiro lugar. Já no ano de 1978, uma Copa considerada cheia de polêmicas, o Brasil ficou em quarto lugar. Mas os piores adversários ainda estavam por vim.
O troco veio depois de quatro anos, mas dado por outro país, a França, que derrotou o Brasil por 3x0. Em 2002 foi a vez de se reerguer e levar o quinto título, deixando para vice a Alemanha. De lá pra cá o Brasil não conseguiu boas posições na tabela de classificação, quinto em 2006 e o sexto lugar em 2010.
Para os brasileiros, a Copa do Mundo de 1982, na Espanha, só não é mais traumática do que a de 1950. Realizada na Espanha, 32 anos depois, ficou marcada pela Tragédia do Sarriá. No dia 5 de julho de 1982, mais de 40 mil pessoas assistiram, no Estádio Sarriá,
lavia beat Bolivia 4 x 0 and only one team would advance to the semi-final. The national team left Uruguay after a 4 x 0 against the same Bolivia, with two goals from Moderato and another two from Preguinho. Without the Uruguayans, then champions, it became the role of Brazil and Argentina to represent South America in the 1934 World Cup. The two countries, that would become huge football powers, had peripheral participations. The Argentineans fell right on the first match against Sweden, 3 x 2, and the Brazilians lost to Spain. Argentina played without any of the athletes from the 1930 team. Brazil repeated the ill successful recipe from the previous Cup and did not go beyond the first match, in the country’s worst campaign in World Cups: 3 x 1 to Spain. Different from previous years, in 1938 Brazil ended in third place and had a brilliant performance in the tournament. After, with Europe rebuilding from the 2nd World War, it became Brazil’s role to resume the four-year routine of the FIFA World Cups, interrupted in 1942 and 1946 by the world conflict. In 1950 the country hosted the event, but what was to be joy for the Brazilians, became a huge deception. The 13 national teams faced an unorthodox regulation. Especially because there was no final match per say. By chance Uruguay and Brazil faced off in the last round in a match valid for the title, but the first round, in fact, was a four-team round that also involved Spain and Sweden. Brazil came to the final duel with an encouraging history: huge wins by 7 x 1 against Sweden and 6 x 1 over Spain. The Uruguayans had tied 2 x 2 with the Spanish and beaten the Swedish 3 x 2. So, Brazil played against the South American rivals, champions of the first edition of the Cup in 1930, needing only a draw, which it did not get, but let us skip that and move on to the following Cup. In 1954 Brazil reached the quarter finals facing Hungary, but the result was not what we hoped. The attempt of winning the first World Cup title ended after a turbulent meeting that became known as the “Battle of Berne”. Kocsis, who would later become the Cup’s top scorer with 11 goals, scored twice in the 4 x 2 Hungarian victory. The match was marked by red cards for Hungarian Bozsik and Brazilians Nilton Santos and Humberto, and also the fight in locker-room after the game. Four years later... Here it is! With duet Pelé and Garrincha Brazil arrived to the semi-finals in a hard played game against France, winning 5x2. Another high score game would come in the final match: Brazil X Sweden. The home team scored first, only four minutes into the first half, with a goal from Liedholm. But Vavá and Pelé scored two goals each and Zagallo another one. This was Brazil’s first title and the Cup that showed Pelé, then 17 years old, to the world and who would be considered, in years to come, by many the greatest football player in history. In 1962, although King Pelé had suffered a lesion right on the second match, the national team was well represented by aces Garrincha and Amarildo, beating Czechoslovakia and again brought the trophy home. Unfortunately history did not repeat itself four years later, when our adversaries were the Portuguese that beat the national team 3x1, but repeated itself in 1970 in Mexico, when we send the Italians back home. Brazil could not even remind us of the 1970 national team magic, England did not even qualify for the 1974 World Cup and Argentina was still a smaller power in international football, but even with all these details the World Cup played in Germany became a mark for sport. We did not become champions, but we brought home third place. In 1978, a Cup deemed full of polemic, Brazil placed fourth. But the worst adversaries were yet to come. For Brazilians the 1982 World Cup in Spain is the second most traumatic, after only 1950. Held in Spain, 32 years later, it was marked by the Sarriá Tragedy. On 5 of July of 1982, over 40 thousand people watched, at Sarriá Stadium, in Barcelona, Italy’s 3 x 2 victory over Brazil from Zico, Falcão, Sócrates, Júnior, Cerezo, Éder, and many others. From then on, the Brazilian dream continued in a downward path. In 1986 the French sent us home. In 1990 the Argentineans did it, in the round of 16 match. But the comeback arrived in 1994. On one side Brazil chocked with the Italians due to the “Sarriá Tragedy” in 1982. The Italians, on the other, were also seeking their fourth title and could not forget the last final match between the two countries that ended with a 4 x 1 score for Brazil. But Brazil ruled again and won yet another title. Payback came after four years, but by another country, France, defeating Brazil 3x0. In 2002 another comeback and the fifth title leaving 2nd place for Germany. From then on Brazil did not place well in Cups, fifth in 2006 and sixth in 2010.
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