On this day 21 June 1970 (Exactly 49 years ago) Brazil and Pelé became first team and player to win the FIFA World Cup three times, beating Italy, 4-1 in front of 107,412 spectators.
THE 1970 WORLD CUP
For the first time the FIFA World Cup tournament was broadcast in colour around the globe and tens of millions watched spellbound as Brazil brought added brilliance to the spectacle with a glorious exhibition of attacking football that deservedly earned them a third world crown. The Brazilians’ 4-1 Final triumph over Italy gave them the right to keep the Jules Rimet Cup and provided the perfect farewell for Pele on his final appearance on the world stage.
Pele had threatened not to return after his bitter experience in England – where he was literally kicked out of the 1966 tournament – but he returned and took his place in a team rich in forward talent. The front five of Jairzinho, Pele, Gerson, Tostao and Rivelino were all No10s in their own right and together they created an irresistible attacking momentum. Nothing captured the beauty of their football better than their fourth goal in the Final at the cavernous Azteca Stadium, Pele teeing up his captain Carlos Alberto to conclude a seven-man move by arrowing a first-time shot past Enrico Albertosi and into the far corner.
THE FINAL
Brazil struck first, with Pelé heading in a cross by Rivelino at the 18th minute. Roberto Boninsegna equalized for Italy after a blunder in the Brazilian defence. In the second half, Brazil’s firepower and creativity was too much for an Italian side that clung to their cautious defensive system. Gérson fired in a powerful shot for the second goal, and then helped provide the third, with a long free kick to Pelé who headed down into the path of the onrushing Jairzinho. Pelé capped his superb performance by drawing the Italian defence in the centre and feeding captain Carlos Alberto on the right flank for the final score. Carlos Alberto’s goal, after a series of moves by the Brazilian team from the left to the centre, is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored in the history of the tournament.
A total of seven outfield players from Brazil passed the ball until Captain Carlos Alberto hammered the ball into the corner of the Italian goal following an inch perfect pass across the Italian 18 yard box from Pelé, prompted by the intelligent Tostão, who, with his back to the goal, told Pelé that Alberto was steaming in on the right flank. Tostão started the move five yards from the left of the Brazilian 18 yard box, then ran the length of the field to the Italian box without touching the ball again to tell Pelé to lay it off for Alberto. The players involved in the passes in order were Tostão, Brito, Clodoaldo, Pelé, Gérson, midfielder Clodoaldo beat four Italian players in his own half before passing to Rivelino who hit a perfect pass down the wing to Jairzinho. Jairzinho crossed from the wing to the centre of the box to Pelé who held the ball up to play a pass for Alberto to smash it home. The only outfield players not involved in the move were Everaldo and Piazza. In 2002, the UK public voted the goal as number 36 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.
Brazil :Felix, Carlos Alberto (C), Brito, Piazza, Everaldo, Clodoaldo, Gerson, Jairzinho, Rivellino, Tostao, Pele
Manager :Mario Zagallo
Italy: Enrico Albertosi, Tarcisio Burgnich, Roberto Rosato, Pierluigi Cera, Giacinto Facchetti (C), Mario Bertini (Gianni Riva) Giancarlo De Sisti, Angelo Domenghini, Sandro Mazzola, Roberto Boninsegna (Antonio Juliano)
Coach :Ferruccio Valcareggi
Referee : Rudi Glockner (East Germany)
On this day 21 June 1994 (Exactly 25 years ago) Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina scored the 43rd hat-trick of the FIFA World Cup playing against Greece (4-0) at the Foxboro Stadium, Boston
On this day 21 June 1998(Exactly 21 years ago) Gabriel Batistuta became the fourth player to score a hat-trick in two different FIFA World Cup matches playing for Argentina against Jamaica (5-0). The former Argentina forward had scored three goals in a 4-0 win against Greece in 1994.
MOST HAT-TRICKS
2 - Sandor Kocsis (HUN) vs South Korea in 1954 and vs West Germany in 1954 (4 goals).
2 – Just Fontaine (FRA) vs Paraguay in 1958 and vs
West Germany in 1958 (4 goals).
2 – Gerd Müller (GER) vs Bulgaria in 1970 and vs
Peru in 1970.
2 - Gabriel Batistuta (ARG) vs Greece in 1994
and vs Jamaica in 1998.44 other players have scored one hat-trick each.
On this day 21 June 1964 (Exactly 55 years ago) Spain combined home advantage and spirited teamwork to win their first major trophy, as the European Nations’ Cup continued to grow beating the Soviet Union 2-1 in the final at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.
Goals Scored
Spain
Jesus Maria Pereda (6)
Marcelino Martinez (84)
Soviet Union
Galimzyan Khusainov (8)
Spain: Iribar, Rivilla, Olivella (c), Calleja, Zoco, Fust, Amancio, Pereda, Marcelino, Suarez, Lapetra.
Coach: Jose Villalonga
USSR: Yashin, Shustikov, Shesternev, Mudrik, Voronin, Anichkin, Chislenko, Ivanov (c), Ponedelnik, Alexei Korneyev, Khusainov.
Coach: Konstantin Ivanovich Beskov
Referee: Arthur Holland (England)
On this day 21 June 2008 (Exactly 11 years ago) Kumasi Asante Kotoko clinched their 20th Ghanaian league title after beating Real Sportive 2-1.
The victory at the Baba Yara Stadium took the Porcupine Warriors to 60 points; an unassailable lead over their nearest rivals Hearts of Lions.
Lions lost 2-0 to strugglers Hasaacas helping Kotoko to open a 10-point lead with three matches remaining.
The Kumasi side dedicated their title win to their absent coach Bashiru Hayford, whose wife passed away earlier in the week.
Goals from Kojo Poku and Kwabena Yaro helped Kotoko to win the title.
On this day 21 June 2007 (Exactly 12 years ago) Ghana’s heptathlete , Margaret Simpson won Gold Medal at the 9th All African Games held in Algiers with total points of 6278.
BY: GEORGE ‘Alan Green’ MAHAMAH
