Background
The Brazilian national team played its first match, which had the status of a friendly,
in 1914 against the English club Exeter City, winning it with a score of 2:0 (according
to other sources, the match ended in a draw 3:3). However, more serious victories on the
world stage were still far away. This was largely hampered by confusion among the
leaders of local football federations within the country.
Be that as it may, in the championships of 1930 and 1934, the Brazilians dropped out of the tournaments after the first stage. In 1938, the team showed significant progress and confidently won bronze medals. And Leonidas da Silva went down in history as the first player to score four goals in one of the World Cup matches.
The first post-war World Cup in 1950 was so far the only one to be held in Brazil. In
addition, it was unique in that it did not host a final match, but the top four teams
from the group tournaments played in the final group tournament. However, the match
between Brazil and Uruguay is considered to be a āfinalā. The match, held at the
MaracanĆ£ stadium in Rio de Janeiro, was watched by 199,854 fans.
In the decisive match, based on the tournament situation, the Brazilians only had to
play a draw to become champions. But, leading the score during the match - 1:0, they
still lost it - 1:2. This match was called āMaracanazoā.
In 1954, a renewed team with a group of good players came to the championship held in Switzerland. However, in the quarterfinals, the Brazilians lost to the championship favorite, the Hungarians, with a score of 2:4, having played one of the most terrible matches in their history. This match was called āThe Battle of Bernā.
In 1958, at the championship in Sweden, the Brazilian team unexpectedly became the world
champion in brilliant style. The team featured such players as Pele, Garrincha, Vava and
many others who went down in the history of world football. The discovery of this
championship was seventeen-year-old Pele, who is still considered the King of Football
of all times.
In 1962, in Chile, the Brazilians were able to repeat their success. The top scorer of the championship was Garrincha, who scored four goals. His partner, Pele, dropped out of the championship after a serious injury received in one of the first matches of the group tournament.
At the World Cup in England in 1966, the SeleƧao faced a huge failure. The Brazilians
were no match for the Hungarians and Portuguese, in whose ranks the magnificent Eusebio
played. The Brazilian national team was unable to overcome the group stage and dropped
out of the tournament, which was regarded as nothing less than a national disaster. A
number of players were forced to stay in Europe for some time, waiting out the turbulent
situation at home. However, already at the next World Cup in Mexico, the Brazilians, in
whom Pele again shone, showed the highest class football and won all the championship
matches. In the final, Brazil defeated the Italian team with a score of 4:1. After the
Selecao managed to become world champions three times in a short time, a long streak of
failure began.
World Cup 1974 in Germany - Brazil fielded one of the weakest squads in its history and took only fourth place. Everyone was looking forward to how the Brazilians would play without Pele. The SeleĆ§Ć£o not only failed to win their two opening matches against Yugoslavia and Scotland, but did not even score a single goal. World Cup 1978 in Argentina - the SeleƧao lost on goal difference to the hosts of the tournament, the Argentines, in the match for reaching the final. Disappointed Brazilians accused the goalkeeper of the Peruvian national team, an Argentine by birth, of deliberately playing poorly (the match between the national teams of Argentina and Peru ended with a score of 6:0, which brought the Albiceleste to the final).
Triumphant period
World Cup 1982 in Spain - the Brazilian squad was considered invincible. However, there
followed an unexpected defeat from the Italian national team with a score of 2:3 and
elimination from the tournament. The Italians eventually became world champions. World
Cup 1986 in Mexico - this time defeated in a penalty shootout by the French team. One of
the Brazilians' penalty kicks was missed by Zico, nicknamed "White Pele".
World Cup 1990 in Italy - a terrible defeat in the 1/8 finals against the Argentines. The Brazilians showed good attacking football throughout the game, storming the opponent's goal over and over again, but were unable to open them. In the last minutes of the match, Claudio Caniggia scored the decisive goal after a counterattack. 1:0 - in favor of Argentina.
The World Cup in the USA in 1994, 24 years after its last victory, was won again by the
Brazilian team. After a difficult final against the Italian national team, the main and
extra time of which ended in a goalless draw, the Brazilians were able to win in a
penalty shootout with a score of 3:2. Among the champions, Romario, Bebeto, Taffarel,
Dunga (team captain in the final match, who received the captain's armband from Rai, who
did not play in that match), Cafu, Branco, especially stood out.
World Cup in France 1998. The famous Ronaldo is part of the SeleƧao team. Brazil again reached the final, but was defeated by the hosts of the tournament, the French team, with a score of 0:3. This is the biggest defeat at the World Championships for the Brazilians. The two goals that marked the beginning of the rout were scored by the leader of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane, after corner kicks.
Ronaldo hardly received the ball and was much more passive than in previous games. He
ruined his only chance in the second half with the score 0:2. Brazil's agony lasted
almost an hour, but all it managed to do was test the strength of Barthez's goal
crossbar through the efforts of the restless Denilson.
Even the fact that the French played in the minority for the last 20 minutes after Desailly was sent off did not help the Brazilians. Petit's last minute goal put the final nail in the coffin. Brazil went home having suffered a major defeat in the final - the first in the history of their participation in the World Cup.
In 2002, for the first time in the history of the World Cup, FIFA trusted two countries
to host the final part - Japan and South Korea. The Brazilian national team, showing an
excellent performance, reached the final of the world championship for the third time in
a row.
In the final, the Brazilians, also for the first time in the history of the final tournaments of the World Championships, met their main absentee competitor - the German national team and beat them with a score of 2:0. The top scorer of the championship was Ronaldo, who scored eight goals against the opponents. A number of top-class masters played as part of the pentacampeons, such as Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Kaka, Rivaldo, Cafu, Lucio and others.