Chile 1962 was special for Brazil. It was their successive World Cup title after the exuberant first triumph in Sweden four years earlier. It showed the world that samba magic was there to stay. With Pele injured for most of the tournament, Brazil flew on the wings of Garrincha to victory. Let us have a look at that memorable tournament.
After a 12-year absence, the World Cup returned to South America in 1962 when Chile staged the event. In 1960, FIFA was in the midst of selecting the host nation when a catastrophic earthquake and the ensuing tsunami rocked Chile. Thousands were killed and the country was devastated. Strangely, though, this did not weaken Chile’s application to stage the World Cup, but rather strengthened it. A desperate Carlos Dittborn, president of the Chilean soccer federation, made an impassioned appeal to FIFA. The format of the competition stayed the same: 16 teams were divided into four groups with the top two advancing to the quarterfinals. Games took place in four cities: at the foot of snow-capped mountains in Santiago, the sandy beaches of Vina del Mar, Arica (a northern town bordering Peru) and Rancagua.
As champion of the 1958 World Cup, Brazil didn’t have to play the Qualifiers of the 1962 Cup. Brazil maintained the same basis of the team which won in 1958. Zito, Pelé and Garrincha were now principals. Gilmar, Djalma Santos, Didi, Nilton Santos and Vavá, all present in the final match against Sweden in 1958 were also there. A few modifications: Zózimo replaced Orlando (injured) and Mauro, after a fierce – and fair – dispute, gained the position and the captainship of the team from Bellini. But Brazil’s ‘62 side was ageing. The old Brazilian love for hierarchy had reasserted itself; the class of 58 was world champions, therefore they would always be world champions. The mentality was present four years later, with disastrous results, when any of the 1958 team who could still stand was taken to the World Cup in England. Pele, at 21, and the slightly older Amarildo, who replaced him, was by some distance the youngest players in the team. Next came centre forward Vava, who was 27, Garrincha, 28, and central midfielder Zito, approaching 30. In the absence of Pele, Garrincha stepped up. Instead of playing on the right wing, he played from the right wing, taking over responsibility for the entire attack, scoring with his head, with his left foot, and from free kicks. He gave a series of outstanding performances.
Garrincha was the most outstanding player of the 1962 FIFA World Cup. When Pelé suffered an injury after the second match and was sidelined for the rest of the tournament, Garrincha played a leading role in Brazil’s triumph, excelling particularly against England and Chile, scoring 4 goals in those two matches. After one win and one draw, Brazil faced Spain, without Pelé. The South Americans were losing 0–1 in the second half. Amarildo, Pelé’s substitute for the remainder of the tournament, scored the equalizer. Five minutes before the end, Garrincha took the ball on the right flank, dribbled past a defender and paused. Then he dribbled past the same man and another defender, and sent a cross to Amarildo, who scored again to win the match. In the quarter-finals against England, Garrincha opened the score with a header off a corner kick. England equalized before half time. In the second half, Vavá scored Brazil’s second goal off a rebound of a shot by Garrincha; minutes later, Garrincha received a ball outside the penalty area, paused, and sent a curved shot – known as the “banana shot” – into the bottom of the net. Brazil won 3–1 and advanced to the semi-finals. The British football press said he “was Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and a snake charmer all rolled into one.” He scored two more goals in the semi-final against the hosts, Chile; as Brazil went on to win 4–2. His first goal was a 20-yard left-foot shot; the second one, a header. A subsequent headline in the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio read: “What planet is Garrincha from?” Garrincha was sent off in that match after 83 minutes for retaliating after being continually fouled. However, he was not suspended for the following match.
The final was an entertaining duel. Though the Brazilians were favored, the Czechs were not to be taken lightly. They had, after all, upset Hungary and Yugoslavia in the previous two rounds, and entered the contest brimming with confidence. Adolf Scherer and Josef Masopust combined to devastating effect early on, tearing the Brazilian defence to pieces, and when Masopust scored at the 15-minute mark, a third upset by Czechoslovakia seemed a distinct possibility. Unfazed, Brazil took all of two minutes to level the score, Amarildo beating Czech goalkeeper Vilem Schroif from an impossible angle. Far from overawed, the Czechs pressed forward and put up a solid resistance against the encroaching Brazilian attack. They had Brazil on the back foot in the second half when the game turned in the 68th minute. Pegged back on the sideline, Amarildo rounded a Czech defender with a nifty move and with open space in front of him to work with, he delivered a cross to Zio who scored on an easy header. 2-1 for the champions. Brazil put the game away nine minutes later when Schroif fumbled a lob into the penalty area and Vava was there to score on an effortless tap in. And they became the second team, after Italy in 1934 and 1938, to win the World Cup twice in succession; no team has achieved the feat since.
World Cup 1962; Garrincha Glory in Chile
Chile 1962 was special for Brazil. It was their successive World Cup title after the exuberant first triumph in Sweden four years earlier. It showed the world that samba magic was there to stay. With Pele injured for most of the tournament, Brazil flew on the wings of Garrincha to victory. Let us have a look at that memorable tournament.
After a 12-year absence, the World Cup returned to South America in 1962 when Chile staged the event. In 1960, FIFA was in the midst of selecting the host nation when a catastrophic earthquake and the ensuing tsunami rocked Chile. Thousands were killed and the country was devastated. Strangely, though, this did not weaken Chile’s application to stage the World Cup, but rather strengthened it. A desperate Carlos Dittborn, president of the Chilean soccer federation, made an impassioned appeal to FIFA. The format of the competition stayed the same: 16 teams were divided into four groups with the top two advancing to the quarterfinals. Games took place in four cities: at the foot of snow-capped mountains in Santiago, the sandy beaches of Vina del Mar, Arica (a northern town bordering Peru) and Rancagua.
As champion of the 1958 World Cup, Brazil didn’t have to play the Qualifiers of the 1962 Cup. Brazil maintained the same basis of the team which won in 1958. Zito, Pelé and Garrincha were now principals. Gilmar, Djalma Santos, Didi, Nilton Santos and Vavá, all present in the final match against Sweden in 1958 were also there. A few modifications: Zózimo replaced Orlando (injured) and Mauro, after a fierce – and fair – dispute, gained the position and the captainship of the team from Bellini. But Brazil’s ‘62 side was ageing. The old Brazilian love for hierarchy had reasserted itself; the class of 58 was world champions, therefore they would always be world champions. The mentality was present four years later, with disastrous results, when any of the 1958 team who could still stand was taken to the World Cup in England. Pele, at 21, and the slightly older Amarildo, who replaced him, was by some distance the youngest players in the team. Next came centre forward Vava, who was 27, Garrincha, 28, and central midfielder Zito, approaching 30. In the absence of Pele, Garrincha stepped up. Instead of playing on the right wing, he played from the right wing, taking over responsibility for the entire attack, scoring with his head, with his left foot, and from free kicks. He gave a series of outstanding performances.
Garrincha was the most outstanding player of the 1962 FIFA World Cup. When Pelé suffered an injury after the second match and was sidelined for the rest of the tournament, Garrincha played a leading role in Brazil’s triumph, excelling particularly against England and Chile, scoring 4 goals in those two matches. After one win and one draw, Brazil faced Spain, without Pelé. The South Americans were losing 0–1 in the second half. Amarildo, Pelé’s substitute for the remainder of the tournament, scored the equalizer. Five minutes before the end, Garrincha took the ball on the right flank, dribbled past a defender and paused. Then he dribbled past the same man and another defender, and sent a cross to Amarildo, who scored again to win the match. In the quarter-finals against England, Garrincha opened the score with a header off a corner kick. England equalized before half time. In the second half, Vavá scored Brazil’s second goal off a rebound of a shot by Garrincha; minutes later, Garrincha received a ball outside the penalty area, paused, and sent a curved shot – known as the “banana shot” – into the bottom of the net. Brazil won 3–1 and advanced to the semi-finals. The British football press said he “was Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and a snake charmer all rolled into one.” He scored two more goals in the semi-final against the hosts, Chile; as Brazil went on to win 4–2. His first goal was a 20-yard left-foot shot; the second one, a header. A subsequent headline in the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio read: “What planet is Garrincha from?” Garrincha was sent off in that match after 83 minutes for retaliating after being continually fouled. However, he was not suspended for the following match.
The final was an entertaining duel. Though the Brazilians were favored, the Czechs were not to be taken lightly. They had, after all, upset Hungary and Yugoslavia in the previous two rounds, and entered the contest brimming with confidence. Adolf Scherer and Josef Masopust combined to devastating effect early on, tearing the Brazilian defence to pieces, and when Masopust scored at the 15-minute mark, a third upset by Czechoslovakia seemed a distinct possibility. Unfazed, Brazil took all of two minutes to level the score, Amarildo beating Czech goalkeeper Vilem Schroif from an impossible angle. Far from overawed, the Czechs pressed forward and put up a solid resistance against the encroaching Brazilian attack. They had Brazil on the back foot in the second half when the game turned in the 68th minute. Pegged back on the sideline, Amarildo rounded a Czech defender with a nifty move and with open space in front of him to work with, he delivered a cross to Zio who scored on an easy header. 2-1 for the champions. Brazil put the game away nine minutes later when Schroif fumbled a lob into the penalty area and Vava was there to score on an effortless tap in. And they became the second team, after Italy in 1934 and 1938, to win the World Cup twice in succession; no team has achieved the feat since.
