Taça das Nações
Encyclopedia
The Taça das Nações or "Little World Cup" was a football
tournament played in Brazil
in 1964 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Brazilian Football Confederation
. Three international teams were invited, Argentina
, Portugal
and England
, for the competition which was played in Rio de Janeiro
and São Paulo
during late May and early June.
The tournament was intended to showcase the favourites for the upcoming 1966 FIFA World Cup
hosted by England
, but in the match between England and Brazil, Pelé
devastated the England defence with skill and hard running, leaving England forward Jimmy Greaves
to remark "Pelé is on another bloody planet". The England vs. Portugal game was also notable for being marred by controversy when Portuguese player José Torres
attempted to punch the referee for disallowing an off-side Portuguese goal. The player was sent off, but was considered lucky not to face a lifetime ban from football. The Argentinian team eventually won the tournament after defeating Brazil in their game in São Paulo. Reportedly the Brazilian FA had already engraved the Brazilian player's names onto the watches intended as prizes for the winning team.
The points system gave 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
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Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament played in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1964 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Brazilian Football Confederation
Brazilian Football Confederation
The Brazilian Football Confederation is the governing body of football in Brazil. It was founded on June 8, 1914, as Confederação Brasileira de Desportos , meaning Brazilian Sports Confederation. Its first president was Álvaro Zamith. It organizes the Brazilian national competitions, like...
. Three international teams were invited, Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, for the competition which was played in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
during late May and early June.
The tournament was intended to showcase the favourites for the upcoming 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
hosted by England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but in the match between England and Brazil, Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
devastated the England defence with skill and hard running, leaving England forward Jimmy Greaves
Jimmy Greaves
James Peter 'Jimmy' Greaves is an English former football player, England's third highest international goalscorer, the highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur football club, the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight football and more recently a television pundit -...
to remark "Pelé is on another bloody planet". The England vs. Portugal game was also notable for being marred by controversy when Portuguese player José Torres
José Augusto Torres
José Augusto da Costa Séneca Torres was a Portuguese football centre forward and coach.Nicknamed O Bom Gigante , most of his 21-year senior career was spent at Benfica, with great individual and team success...
attempted to punch the referee for disallowing an off-side Portuguese goal. The player was sent off, but was considered lucky not to face a lifetime ban from football. The Argentinian team eventually won the tournament after defeating Brazil in their game in São Paulo. Reportedly the Brazilian FA had already engraved the Brazilian player's names onto the watches intended as prizes for the winning team.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | ||
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
The points system gave 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
Results
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