Brazil, the most successful nation in the history of the world cup. Only country that played in every WC final, from the first one back in 1930 to nowadays. With five titles the most decorated football team. Italy and Germany have four WC titles. Adding to five titles they played in two more finals and same as that 3rd place. We all heard about their first title from 1958 and a great team with a young Pele, then Zagallo, Vava, Garrincha and others. A great Carlos Alberto goal from 1970 WC final against Italy. Superb midfielders from '82: Cerezo, Falcao, Zico and Socrates and their loss from Italy with Paolo Rossi hat trick. Defeats in knock-out stages from France and Argentina in the next two WCs. It's 1994 and the WC is being played in the USA. It's again Brazil and Italy. Roberto Baggio's penalty miss is one of the pictures that we all remember very well. Claudio Taffarel and his teammates celebrated another Brazil WC title. Four years later with Ronaldo Il Phenomeno. Now being their best player and not like in '94 on the bench in his still young ages. A Selecao played in another final but lost it to hosts France. Four years later, in Korea and Japan, again Ronaldo. But this time his resurrection. With eight goals, two in the final, he led Brazil to their 5th and last title. Squad from 2006 was full of superstars like Dida, Cafu, Lucio, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Adriano, Ronaldo... They were eliminated in the quarter-final. Four years later again in the quarter-final. Brazil were hosts in 2014. We all remember a big semi-final loss from Germany with seven goals in their net. Fourth place in the end. No better success in the last world cup.
We can't forget the World cup from 1950 where they were hosts. Title decisive match was played against Uruguay. Despite having a 1-0 lead, Uruguay turned over the match with Alcides Ghiggia scoring the winner. This loss is known under the term "Maracanazo". Back then this was like the end of the world for Brazilians. But they have risen and as we said won five titles.
And many many more...
FIFA WORLD CUP 1930: Historically the first WC and a group stage exit for Brazil.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1934: No group stages in 1934. Brazil lost in the first knock-out round from Spain.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1938: Same as four years before there weren't group stages. First match was played against Poland and Brazil beat them after extra time with Leonidas scoring the winner. Quarter-final match was played against Poland's neighbors Czechoslovakia. There wasn't a winner either after extra time so replay was played two days later in which Brazil won. Italy, a future winner, was better in the semi-final match while Brazil beat Sweden in the match for 3rd place.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1950: First world cup after the 2nd World war was played in Brazil. Four group winners advanced to the final group. Hosts qualified as their group winner along with Spain, Sweden and Uruguay. Brazil was first in the group before the final match against Uruguaians since they had both wins while Uruguay drew against Spain. Draw would be enough to become a world champion while Uruguay needed a win. Friaca gave Brazil the lead. Schiaffino and Ghiggia scored for Uruguay and they won their 2nd WC title. This match is known as "Maracanazo".
FIFA WORLD CUP 1954: Brazil easily passed the group stage after a win against Mexico and a draw against Yugoslavia. This WC had a different format of the competition. They lost in the quarter-final from Hungary, back then the best team in the world.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1958: The day had come. Brazil finally won their first WC title. They won first place in a group with the Soviet Union, England and Austria. Another European country, Wales, was Brazil's opponent in the quarter-final. Pele scored the only goal of the match and his first in the world cup history. He scored a hat trick in the semi-final against France as Brazil easily won. Sweden, hosts of this WC, were the other semi-final winners. Liedholm scored in the early minutes of the match. They were in the lead for several minutes before Vava scored an equalizer but also the next goal as Brazil took the lead. Everything was easy later as Brazil scored three more goals, Pele two and Zagallo. Simonsson scored another for Sweden.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1962: This WC was held in Chile. Brazil started it with a 2-0 win against Mexico. Then they drew with Czechoslovakia and won against Spain after being down 0-1. Enough for winning the group. First knock-out stage match was played against England and a 3-1 win for Brazilians. Hosts were the opponents in the semi-final match. Garrincha and Vava were goalscorers. Two goals from each of them in a 4-2 win. Czechoslovakia was better than Yugoslavia in the second semi-final match and were to face Brazil again in this tournament. The group match was a goalless draw. Ballon d'Or winner from the same year, Josef Masopust, gave the Europeans the lead. Just two minutes later Amarildo scored and it was 1-1. Brazil netted two more goals in the second half and won their back-to-back title. It was Brazil's second world cup title and only country with Italy ('34 and '38) to defend the title.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1966: An early exit for Brazil in 1966. 3rd place in a group with Bulgaria (2-0 win), Hungary and Portugal (both loses 1-3).
FIFA WORLD CUP 1970: The 1970 WC was played in Mexico. For this World cup Panini published the tournament's first sticker album. Brazil were in group 3 with title defender England, Romania and Czechoslovakia. 3 out of 3 for two times WC winners. Quarter-final and semi-final matches were played against their neighbours Peru and Uruguay. 4-2 and 3-1 wins. Brazilians were into their fourth WC final. After a great match against W. Germany, Italians also advanced into the final. Pele scored the opener of the match which would be his final WC goal. The Italians scored an equalizer in the first half with a Boninsegna goal. Three more goals from Brazil in the other 45 minutes and they were on the throne again. Third WC title.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1974: Tenth FIFA World Cup was held in West Germany. There were two rounds of group stages. In the first round Brazilians were with Yugoslavia, Scotland and Zaire. All of them beat Zaire while playing a draw against each other. Yugoslavia and Brazil had better goal difference then Scotland and proceeded to the next group. East Germany, Argentina and Netherlands were their next opponents. Brazil won the first two matches while they lost to Holland which meant they won second place and where to play a match for 3rd place. Poland were from the other side and won the match with Grzegorz Lato's goal.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1978: Argentina was host of the 1978 WC. We have the same format as in the last tournament. Brazil was in the group with three European nations: Sweden, Spain and Austria. Draws in first two matches and win versus Austria. As a second placed team progressed to the next group with Peru, Argentina and Poland. Wins against Peru and Poland plus a draw in a match v Argentina weren't enough. Brazil took second place because of a big Argentina win against Peru in the last match. They were again to play a match for third place. This time their opponent was Italy. Brazil won it 2-1 after Italians took the lead.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1982: First WC with 24 teams. Brazil had a strong team in Espana 1982. Brazilians were in a group with the Soviet Union, Scotland and New Zealand. All three wins with a goal difference of eight goals. Next group stage consisted of three teams. Argentina and Italy were Brazil's opponents. An easy win against South American neighbours. Draw would be enough in the last match because of a better goal difference than Italy. Brazil's two goals from Socrates and Falcao weren't enough. Paolo Rossi scored a hat trick and Italians were into the semi-final.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1986: Second WC played in Mexico. Another great group plays for Brazil just like four years ago. They beat, in order, Spain, Algeria and Northern Ireland. Great match for Brazilians in round of 16. Poland was defeated with a high score of 4-0. France was their next opponent. After an early lead by Careca goal, Platini scored an equalizer just before half-time. With no more goals it meant that the match would be decided by penalties. Socrates and Julio Cesar missed for Brazil while only Platini didn't score for the other side. Les Blues were into the semi-final.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1990: Second WC hosted by Italy, first one being in 1934.Same group performance from Brazil like in the last two world cup finals. Maximum points with all three wins against: Sweden, Costa Rica and Scotland. Their next opponent was Argentina, WC winner in Mexico 1986. A late Caniggia goal and Argentina progressed to the next round.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1994: One of the best world cups in history was in 1994 hosted by the United States. Brazil easily progressed to the knock-out stages with two wins (Russia and Cameroon) and one draw (Sweden). Bebeto was the only goalscorer in the round of 16 match versus USA. Netherlands and Brazil played a great match in the next round. After a goalless first half we saw five goals in the second. Brazil had a 2-0 lead but Holland managed to equalize it. Branco scored another one for Brazil and set the final score. We had a "replay" in the semi-final. Brazil versus Sweden just like in the group stage. Only one goal, Romario's one, near the end of the game and Brazil was a finalist. It was their "friends", Italy, who beat Bulgaria in the second match. Match was played in the Rose Bowl stadium with more than 90000 fans. No goals in 90th minutes, neither after extra time. The first WC final that was decided by penalties. Romario, Branco and captain Dunga were accurate for Brazil while only Albertini and Evani scored for Italy. Pagliuca saved Marcio Santos' shot, the same as Taffarel Massaro's one from the other side. Baresi and Roberto Baggio blazed their penalties over the bar. It was Brazil four world cup title.
FIFA WORLD CUP 1998: It's 1998 and France is a world cup host nation. Brazil, as a title defender, was in group A with Scotland, Morocco and Norway. First group place with two wins and a loss in the last match versus Norway. The knock-out stage started with a match against neighbours Chile. It was an easy 4-1 win. Sampaio and Ronaldo scored two goals, each. Next match was much heavier. It was Denmark who took the lead in an early phase of the match. Brazil managed to overturn it before half time with Bebeto and Rivaldo goals. Brian Laudrup's equalizer lasted for about 10 minutes because Rivaldo scored his second and the final goal of the match. Brazilians were into semi-final. The Netherlands was there who knocked out Argentina and had a chance to beat another South American giant. Ronaldo put Brazil in the lead with an early second half goal. Kluivert scored a late goal for 1-1. Penalties decided the winner since there were no goals in the extra time. Brazil scored all four of them with Holland missing two. It was the hosts who also qualified for the final by beating Croatia. Final match was a bad day for Brazil and their best player Ronaldo who had injury problems. Zidane scored twice in the first half and Petit added another one in the last seconds of the game. A great 3-0 victory for France.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2002: First world cup hosted by two nations, South Korea and Japan. An easy group for Brazil with Turkey, debutante China and Costa Rica. All three wins with +8 goal difference. The knock-out stages started with a 2-0 win over Belgium. Rivaldo and Ronaldo scored in the second half. England was waiting for Brazil in the quarter-final. Owen gave England the lead. Equalizing goal came just before half time. It was Rivaldo who scored it. The last but also the winning goal was a great free-kick by Ronaldinho. It was Brazil who progressed with a 2-1 win. Semi-final match was a group stage replay. Brazil versus Turkey. Winner of both matches was Brazil. First one 2-1 and this one by a Ronaldo goal in the second half. Same result was in the other semis match where Germany beat one of the hosts, Korea. After a goalless first half, Brazil took the lead through Ronaldo after a Khan mistake. Ronaldo also set the final score with his second goal and eight in total becoming top scorer of the tournament. A record, fifth, world cup title.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2006: Brazil had a very strong team, full of big names in this WC played in Germany. It all started with a tight win against Croatia with a late Kaka's first half goal. They then beat Australia and Japan to win a maximum of nine points. Brazil was better than Ghana in the next round with an easy 3-0 win. WC finalists from 1998 met again. Brazil versus France. Both Ronaldo and Zidane were still part of their national teams. We saw only one goal. It was Henry who scored after Zidane's free-kick assist. Brazil was going home while France were into the semi-final.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2010: First world cup held in Africa. It was South Africa who hosted the tournament. Brazil started it against weak North Korea with a 2-1 win. Winning against Ivory Coast in the second match Brazil secured the knock-out stage and with a draw versus Portugal a first group place. Chile, as a group H, runner-up was their next opponent. It was an easy 3-0 win. Juan, Luis Fabiano and Robinho were goalscorers. Netherlands v Brazil was the first quarter-final match. Robinho scored an early goal for Brazil's lead at the half time. Second half went to the Holland side with two Sneijder goals. 2-1 win for Netherlands and Brazil was out in the quarter-final just like four years before. Another disappointment for the Brazilian football team.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2014: Brazilians were hosts of the tournament, same like in 1950. But they will not remember WCs played on the home field. We had Maracanazo in 1950 and this one will be remembered by a big semi-final loss. But let's start from the beginning. It all started with a match against Croatia and Marcelo's own goal at the beginning of the match. In the end Brazil won it 3-1. Goalless draw in the next match vs Mexico and a big win vs Cameroon for the first place in the group. Round of 16 match was the same as in the last WC. Brazil vs Chile. The 1-1 match was decided by penalties. Brazil scored three, Chile two. Another South American opponent in the next round, Colombia. 2-1 with both goals scored by defenders, Thiago Silva and David Luiz. James Rodriguez reduced the lead by a penalty goal 10 minutes before the end. Semi-final match was the biggest Brazil defeat since 1920. It was Germany who humiliated them with a big 7-1 win. 5-0 was already at half-time. Oscar scored an honorary goal for Brazil in the last minutes.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2018: Russia hosted a world cup four years ago. It was Switzerland against whom Brazil started their WC 2018 campaign. Match finished in a draw with one goal from each side. Brazil scored two in the stoppage time against Costa Rica (2-0 win) and beat Serbia with the same result in the third match. As a group winner they faced Mexico in the first knock-out stage. Neymar and Firmino were goalscorers in 2-0 win. Next opponent was a very strong Belgium squad. Fernandinho scored an early own goal with de Bruyne scoring the second for a 2-0 Belgium lead at half time. It was Renato Augusto who scored for Brazil in the second half but it wasn't enough.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2022: Brazilians were the first favourites to lift the WC title in Qatar. Great squad with many big players in attack. They were in a group with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. Two wins in first matches against European opponents. Brazil lost in the last match versus Cameroon with a late Aboubakar goal. Round of 16 match was an easy win against South Korea 4-1. Their next opponent was Croatia. No goals in the first 90 minutes. Brazil took the lead at the end of the first extra. Croatia managed to equalize several minutes before the end. All of the four Croatians' takers were correct. Livaković saved Rodrygo's shoot while Marquinhos hit the post.
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