Best Matches of World Soccer

Best Matches of World Soccer — page 3 — MUNICIPAL-MARACANA JANEIRO-BRASIL-ESTADIO DE RIO 41 1 4 CHAMPIONSHIP GLORY Soccer as we know it today was founded in England during the mid-1800s The sport began spreading around the world soon after And in 1930 the first men's World Cup was held Brazil was tapped to host the fourth World Cup which was held in 1950 To mark the occasion the country built Chapter

Best Matches of World Soccer — page 4 — The Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro Brazil was packed with fans cheering on the home team at the 1950 World Cup a grand new stadium in Rio de Janeiro The massive Maracanã was finished just eight days before the tournament began The final round of that tournament featured a four-team group stage between Brazil Uruguay Sweden and Spain The team with the best record against the other three opponents would be the champion After two games Brazil had two wins Uruguay had a win and a draw When the South American neighbors faced each other on July 16 Brazil needed only to tie the match to claim the country’s first World Cup title Uruguay had won the first World Cup in 1930 But Brazil’s tiny neighbor was a huge underdog in the 1950 match It didn’t help that a huge home crowd turned up for Brazil The official attendance for the match was 173,000 However it is estimated that more than 200,000 fans made their way into the Maracanã that day The people of Brazil were full of confidence Local newspapers had already printed editions declaring the Brazilians world champions A band was set up on the sideline to play after Brazil won It was one large 90-minute party to celebrate the country’s first world title Through 79 minutes the teams were deadlocked at 1 1 The score wasn’t ideal for Brazil but it was enough Then Uruguayan midfielder Alcides Ghiggia sneaked down the right 5

Best Matches of World Soccer — page 5 — 1 wing and sent a low hard shot on goal When the ball slipped past Brazil goalkeeper Barbosa at his near post the massive crowd turned silent Tens of thousands of stunned Brazil fans could only watch as Uruguay went on to win 2 1 and claim its second World Cup title Though the Brazil Uruguay match wasn’t officially a final it served as one because the result would determine the tournament champion Today the World Cup final is more straightforward Like most other tournaments the World Cup uses a knockout format for the later rounds It ends with the two remaining teams meeting for the title Finals are pressure-packed matches The result determines the champion Players and fans remember these games for the rest of their lives Naturally some of the most iconic games in soccer history have come in such finals Uruguay’s Juan Alberto Schiaffino scores in the 66th minute to put his team even with Brazil at 1 1 in the deciding game of the 1950 World Cup 6

Best Matches of World Soccer — page 6 — STUNNING SILENCE The Maracanã continues to host many events in Brazil It still has a reputation for being one of the rowdier stadiums in the world But later in his life Uruguay midfielder Alcides Ghiggia said of the moment when he scored against Brazil in the 1950 World Cup Only three men have ever silenced the Maracanã Pope John Paul II Frank Sinatra and me MARADONA CONQUERS THE WORLD Argentina had the best player in the world on its side at the 1986 men’s World Cup in Mexico Attacking midfielder Diego Maradona stood only 5 feet 5 inches tall but he towered above the soccer world El Pibe de Oro The Golden Boy had scored two spectacular goals in each of the quarterfinal and semifinal games Now he led his team out against West Germany for the final at Mexico City’s fabled Estadio Azteca The soccer world wondered what he would do next Coming off a runner-up finish in 1982 West Germany had other ideas The squad had not allowed a goal in three knockout games in 1986 To continue that streak in the final 7

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