It is one of the best rivalries in world soccer.
When Brazil meets Uruguay in the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup on Wednesday in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, it will add another chapter to a legendary and historical rivalry that dates back close to 100 years.
Brazil and Uruguay, who have won seven World Cups between them, have played each other 70 times at senior level since meeting at the 1916 South American championship – now known as the Copa America.
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Brazil vs. Uruguay in the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup live on Sportsnet World. Coverage begins at 3pm ET/11am PT. You can also watch the match live on a Sportsnet World Online| TV schedule
In anticipation for Wednesday’s encounter, here’s a look at the five of the most memorable matches between the two South American powerhouses.
1950 World Cup
Buoyed by a sold-out crowd at Rio’s Maracana stadium, the invincible Brazilians were virtually assured of victory against Uruguay in the tournament finale – the World Cup final that year wasn’t a one-off game, but a four-team round-robin that also included Spain and Sweden. Uruguay tied Spain in its first game and then beat Sweden, and trailed Brazil by a point going into the showdown with the hosts. All Brazil had to do was earn a draw against Uruguay and it would be crowned world champions. But Uruguay pulled out a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in the 79th minute when Alcides Ghiggia beat the Brazilian goalkeeper at the near post. When the final whistle blew, the stunned and silent Maracana crowd broke into tears. To this day, Brazilians still talk about this as one of the darkest moments in the country’s history.
1970 World Cup
Twenty years after Uruguay’s “Maracana Miracle,” the two sides met in the World Cup semifinals in Mexico. Luis Cubilla’s early strike gave Uruguay a shock 1-0 lead in Guadalajara, and it looked as though Pele and his cohorts would bow out of the tournament. But Clodoaldo’s remarkable goal just before halftime levelled the score. Brazil, the overwhelming fan favourites at the competition, then booked its spot in the final with goals from Jairzinho and Rivelino late in the game, and then went on to trash Italy in the final, thus cementing its reputation as the greatest national team in the history of the game.
1989 Copa America
Like the 1950 World Cup, this tournament in Brazil featured a round-robin group final that saw the hosts, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay fight it out for South American supremacy. Brazil and Uruguay cruised to victories in their first two games, setting up an epic encounter in the round robin finale between the two sides at the Maracana. A tight, defensive affair was settled just after halftime when a sweeping move to the right side concluded with an unmarked Romario taking a cross played into the box and nodding it home. It took Brazil 39 years, but Brazil finally earned some revenge for the “Maracana Miracle.”
1995 Copa America
Montevideo was the site of another Copa America final showdown between the two sides in 1995. Brazil was coming off its record fourth World Cup title the year before, while Uruguay was still stinging from its Copa America final loss to Brazil in 1989 at the Maracana. The teams traded goals in regulation time, leading to a winner-take-all penalty shootout. Túlio missed his chance for Brazil, setting the stage for Sergio Daniel Martínez to become a national hero for Uruguay. With the title riding on the line, Martínez sent Brazilian goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel the wrong way, and scenes of bedlam and pandemonium ensued as the Estadio Centenario erupted.
2006 World Cup qualifier
There wasn’t much on the line in this World Cup qualifier on Nov. 19 in Curitiba, Brazil. It was only round four of the marathon South American qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup, so this wasn’t a decisive match by any stretch of the imagination. But the teams produced a six-goal thriller in a 3-3 draw that was high on entertainment value and dramatics. When Kaka and Ronaldo scored to give Brazil a 2-0 lead after 28 minutes, it looked as though the hosts would run away with it. Uruguay, however, battled back and netted three consecutive goals to open the second half – two classic poacher’s goals from Diego Forlan, and an own-goal by Brazil’s Gilberto Silva off a Uruguayan free kick. And then the final twist came with three minutes in regulation, with Ronaldo scoring the equalizer to prevent Brazil from suffering its first ever home loss in World Cup qualifying. Breathtaking stuff.