1970 FIFA World Cup
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The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico, from May 31 to June 21. The decision was made by FIFA in October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan, with Mexico beating out Argentina's bid to organize the event. Two years later Argentina was chosen to celebrate the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The 1970 World Cup was won by Brazil, who beat Italy 4-1 in the final. This tournament saw the return of free-flowing, attacking play after the physical battles of 1962 and 1966, and is still considered by many fans to be the finest World Cup in history. The event featured the first ever use of red and yellow cards for misconduct by players, although no red cards were actually issued in the competition. The Brazilian team, featuring Pelé (who was in his fourth and final World Cup), Jairzinho, Rivelino and Tostão, is often regarded as the greatest team ever.
Qualification
See Football World Cup 1970 (qualification).The main surprises were the absences in the final 16 of perennial South American contender Argentina, 1968 European Championship runners-up Yugoslavia, and World Cup 1966 third-place finisher Portugal. Holland was still to become a major football power--this would happen four years later--and France, mired in a decade-long slump, had been eliminated.
The qualification tournament for this World Cup was the cause of the brief Football War between Honduras and El Salvador.
Summary
The format of the competition stayed the same as 1966: 16 teams qualified, divided into four groups of four playing each other once in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group advanced to the quarter-finals.
In Group 1, host Mexico lived up to the expectations of an entire nation by advancing along with the Soviet Union, though the home side's 1-0 victory over Belgium on the last day resulted from a questionable penalty.
Group 2 saw Uruguay and defending European Champions Italy prevail over Sweden and surprise qualifier Israel after a series of dull, uninspired games. Italy would, however, show the true measure of its talent in the knock-out phase.
The first great moments of this memorable World Cup happened in Group 3, where two-time World Cup winner Brazil was pooled with World Champion England and solid European sides Czechoslovakia and Romania. In Brazil's opening match against Czechoslovakia, Pelé audaciously attempted to lob a shot over Czechoslovak goalkeeper Ivo Viktor from the halfway line, missing the goal by a whisker. The "Clash of the Champions" between Brazil and England lived up to all expectations, Brazil winning 1-0 after a high-quality game in which England goalkeeper Gordon Banks made arguably the greatest save ever from a Pelé header on the six-yard line.
In Group 4, Peru and its attacking style created a sensation by beating established side Bulgaria 3-2 after trailing 0-2 at halftime. Peru eventually advanced along with 1966 runners-up West Germany.
The quarter-finals saw a transformed Italy prevail 4-1 over host Mexico after trailing 0-1. Brazil beat Peru 4-2 after an entertaining match between two equally attacking teams. Uruguay defeated a superior Soviet Union side after extra time and a refereeing error, as the linesman did not see that the ball was out of play for the cross that led to the winning goal. The last quarter-final, a rematch of the 1966 final between England and West Germany, was one of the great moments of World Cup history. After fifty minutes, England had a 2-0 lead and seemed to have West Germany firmly in its grasp. England coach Sir Alf Ramsey, sensing that victory was in hand, decided then to substitute playmaker Bobby Charlton 'to spare him for the rest of the tournament.' Without Charlton, England lost its ability to set its own pace on the game and could not contain the relentless German attacks. After Beckenbauer made it 2-1 with a fine shot, West Germany equalized eight minutes from time with an Uwe Seeler header and a fateful hesitation by second-choice goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, who stood in for the food-poisoned Gordon Banks. Momentum had irrevocably shifted and West Germany avenged the 1966 final loss with Gerd Müller's winning goal in extra time after another Bonetti error.
The semi-final between Italy and West Germany went beyond history and into the legend as arguably the greatest game ever. Italy took a 1-0 lead through Roberto Boninsegna on 8 minutes after an excellent "one-two" combination with Luigi Riva. West Germany pressed to equalize for the rest of the game, until the very end when sweeper Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, then with Italy's AC Milan, scored in injury time. In extra time, Gerd Müller brought Germany the lead on 94 minutes before Italy defender Tarcisio Burgnich leveled the score with a rare international goal. On 104 minutes, Luigi Riva made it 3-2 past 'keeper Sepp Maier, only for Müller to equalize six minutes later. The TV cameras were still replaying this goal when Italy midfielder Gianni Rivera, left unmarked near the penalty spot, volleyed a fine Boninsegna cross past Sepp Maier for the winning goal in the 111th minute. Franz Beckenbauer refused to stop playing after sustaining a broken clavicle from an Italian foul during extra time: as Schön, the West German manager, had already used one of the two permitted substitutes Beckenbauer (who was critical to the German side) stayed on with his arm in a sling. This match is known as the 'Game of the Century' (Jahrhundertspiel) in Germany, and a marker at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City commemorates it.
The other semi-final paled by comparison (in all fairness, most matches would have) and saw Brazil defeat Uruguay 3-1.
In the final, Italy contained Brazil during the first half, Boninsegna answering Pelé's 18th-minute goal. In the second half, Brazil's firepower was simply too much for a tired Italian side, and three goals by Gerson, Jairzinho, and Carlos Alberto consecrated the first tri-campeão (three-time champions) in football history.
With this third win (after 1958 and 1962), Brazil earned the right to retain the Jules Rimet trophy permanently. Brazilian coach Mario Zagallo was the first footballer to become World champion as a player (1958, 1962) and a coach.
Brazilian right winger Jairzinho scored at least one goal in each of the six games that Brazil played in the World Cup (in the first game, against Czechoslovakia, he scored two), a feat which has never been repeated. However, the striker of the tournament was West Germany's Gerd Müller, with an impressive 10 goals in the competition. Müller incredibly scored hat-tricks in two consecutive games, against Bulgaria and Peru in the Group Stage. He did not score in Germany's last game (the 3rd place match) against Uruguay (1-0), however.
Notes
- For the first time in the World Cup finals, teams level on points at the end of the group stage were separated by goal difference (replacing play-offs and goal average) and where two or more teams had equal goal difference, by the drawing of lots. If a quarter-final or semi-final match resulted in a draw after extra time the referee would have drawn the name of the team to progress to the next round out of a hat.
- The rules on substitution were relaxed. In previous tournaments only injured players could be substituted. This tournament allowed up to two outfield players to be replaced at any time and for the goalkeeper to be replaced if injured.
- Red and yellow cards were used in a major tournament for the first time. However, the red card was never pulled out as not a single player had to be sent off in the tournament.
- It was the first World Cup to be televised in colour.
Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1970 FIFA World Cup squadsFirst round
Group A
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USSR | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
Mexico | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Belgium | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
El Salvador | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | |
Group B
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Italy | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Uruguay | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Sweden | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Israel | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
Group C
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brazil | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
England | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
 Romania
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
Czechoslovakia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |
Group D
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Germany | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
Peru | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
 Bulgaria
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | |
Morocco | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
}px" title="20}}}px" /> Bulgaria |
goals1 = Gallardo 51'
Chumpitaz 56'
Cubillas 73' |
goals2 = Dzermendziev 12'
Bonev 50' |
stadium = León, Estadio Nou Camp
Ref: Sbardella (Italy)
Attendance: 14,000}}
}px" title="20}}}px" /> Bulgaria | goals1 = Libuda 20'
Müller 28', 52' pen, 87'
Seeler 69' | goals2 = Nikodimov 12'
Kolev 88' | stadium = León, Estadio Nou Camp
Ref: Ortiz de Mendebil (Spain)
Attendance: 12,700}}
}px" title="20}}}px" /> Bulgaria | goals1 = Ghazouani 60' | goals2 = Zhechev 40' | stadium = León, Estadio Nou Camp
Ref: Ribeiro (Portugal)
Attendance: 12,000}}
Knockout stages
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Third place match
Final
Awards
| 1970 World Cup Winners: |
|---|
|
BRAZIL Third title |