Brazil halt Italy hat-trick

So Italy reached the quarter-finals. Despite scoring just one, fortuitous, goal they had topped their group. Their opponents in the last eight were the hosts, Mexico, who were full of confidence after progressing into the next phase. Israel Coach Emanuel Sheffer was not convinced the Azzurri would make it to the semi-finals. "If Italy play in the quarter-finals as they did against us, then it will be Mexico who will win."

The small stadium in Toluca was filled to capacity an hour before kick-off with the crowd incessantly chanting ‘Me-hee-co!’ Me-hee-co!’ For a while it seemed Shaffer would be proved correct as the Mexicans aggressively attacked the Italian defence. In the 13th minute the Azzurri conceded their first goal of the competition when Gonzalez beat Enrico Albertosi with a low shot. The crowd went wild and it looked ominous for Ferruccio Valcareggi’s side when Padilla nearly made it 2-0. But Toluca was silenced in the 27th minute when Angelo Domenghini equalised with a deflected shot. Mexico goalkeeper Calderon - a part-time film actor - cut a disconsolate figure on the floor as the Italian players celebrated.

At half time Valcareggi replaced Sandro Mazzola with Gianni Rivera and the game turned on its head. In the 64th minute Riva hit his first goal of Mexico ‘70, inevitably with his left foot. Rivera made it 3-1 five minutes later before setting up Riva for his second of the afternoon to make it 4-1. Mexico had been brushed aside by a ruthless Italian display. "The tactic here," said Valcareggi afterwards, "is to be strong at the end."

In the semi-final, in Mexico City’s concrete cathedral named the Azteca Stadium, Italy faced West Germany in an all-European affair and what followed was the most dramatic soccer match of all time. Roberto Boninsegna gave Italy the lead in the ninth minute with an opportunist strike and after that the Germans threw everything at the Italians to draw level. At times in the second half Albertosi’s goal led a charmed existence - Overath hit the bar, Roberto Rosato cleared off the line and Seeler had a blatant penalty turned down.

It seemed Italy had held out. Then two minutes into injury time, libero Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, who played his football in Italy for Milan, equalised with virtually the last kick of the game. Extra time was unbelievable. Beckenbauer, his arm in a sling after damaging his collarbone following a cynical foul by Pierluigi Cera, urged his team forward and Gerd Muller put the Germans ahead after a mix-up between substitute Fabrizio Poletti and Albertosi.

Burgnich levelled soon after. In his 11 years with the national team he only scored two goals and this was one of them. Riva then hit the best goal of the game, and one of the best of the tournament, finishing off an exhilarating counter-attack that involved Rivera and Domenghini.

In the second period of extra time Muller made it 3-3 but straight from the re-start Rivera, who replaced Mazzola at half time, pounced to make it 4-3. There the pendulum stopped. Italy were in the Final. The Italian media blamed German manager Helmut Schoen for his team’s defeat. ‘Danke Schoen!’ read the headlines. He could not take off the injured Beckenbauer because he had already used both substitutes.

Italy were given little chance against Brazil in the Final. The South Americans appeared unstoppable from the moment they thrashed Czechoslovakia in their first game in Guadalajara. Not only that but the epic semi-final against the Germans, which had taken place just four days earlier, was bound to affect Valcareggi’s players.

Both nations had won the Jules Rimet Trophy twice before and the winner of this Final would get to keep the prize forever. Before the kick-off the Italian players threw flowers into the crowd in order to win support, but the majority of the Azteca were behind the men in canary yellow.

Italy started the better of the two teams. Riva forced an excellent save from Felix with a stinging 25-yard shot before shaving the bar with a header. Pele put Brazil in front in the 18th minute with a breathtaking header, but Boninsegna equalised in the 37th minute, capitalising on Clodoaldo’s lazy backheel. Italy continued to pose a threat until the 65th minute when Man of the Match Gerson restored Brazil’s lead with a savage shot. That was the end of the 1970 Final. Italy, who were beginning to tire, were destroyed mentally after that goal. Jairzinho made it 3-1 five minutes later before Carlos Alberto scored one of the best goals of all time in the 87th minute to make it four.

Italy’s World Cup ended controversially. Just six minutes from time Valcareggi threw on Rivera, too late to change the game. But he did not take off Mazzola, who was having an excellent match. Instead he withdrew Boninsegna, the best of Italy’s forwards. It left a bitter taste. The Italian public was not overly impressed with their team’s second place finish. When the players returned home they were greeted with insults and rotten fruit, the same bouquet that awaited them in 1966.