In the history of the World Cup, Brazil has had two major disappointments when hosting the event: it lost the 1950 final to Uruguay by 2-1, at the Maracanã, and was thrashed by Germany by 7-1 in the 2014 semi-final, at the Mineirão. However, for many, the Brazilian team’s most painful defeat to date is a match that was worth the lead in a triangular in the second phase and a place in the semi-finals of the 1982 World Cup: the famous “Sarriá Tragedy”.
42 years ago, on July 5, 1982, the Brazilian National Team, led by coach Telê Santana, who enchanted everyone, was unexpectedly defeated 3-2 by a discredited Italy, which had not been exciting up until that point in the competition, at the Sarriá stadium in Barcelona. A team full of stars such as Zico, Sócrates, Toninho Cerezo and Paulo Roberto Falcão – to name just a few – was eliminated early, causing great commotion in Brazil and the rest of the world.
From then on, Paolo Rossi’s Italy – who scored all three goals against Brazil – gained the confidence they needed and became world champions, beating West Germany in the final. The Brazilians were left to mourn the defeat and the dream of winning their fourth world championship, which had not been achieved for 12 years at the time, only came 12 years later with the victory in the World Cup held in the United States by a team that, according to many critics, played exactly the opposite of Telê Santana’s team.
After the fourth World Cup, the Brazilian National Team was the star of the following World Cups, finishing second in 1998 in France and winning the fifth World Cup in 2002 in South Korea and Japan. New stars emerged, such as Ronaldo Fenômeno, Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Kaká, but the current 22-year drought will equal the same as the one faced until the fourth World Cup.
To avoid waiting longer, Brazil is still searching for its identity under coach Dorival Júnior. On Saturday, the team will have the chance to shine: the Copa América quarter-final knockout match against Uruguay.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
