Vasco and Corinthians will decide this Sunday (21), at Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro, the title of the Copa do Brasil. It will be the third final in history between the clubs, and fans of the São Paulo team hope that the outcome will be similar to that recorded in the previous two.
The first occurred in 1930, still in the amateur era. Brazilian football was almost entirely concentrated in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and a duel was scheduled between the winner of each state in the 1929 season.
Created by Apea (Associação Paulista de Esportes Atléticos), the competition was held in a series of best of three matches, but two were enough. After a 4-2 victory at Parque São Jorge, in São Paulo, Corinthians went to the São Januário stadium, in Rio, on February 23, and achieved a great turnaround: 3-2, goals scored by De Maria, Peres and Gambinha.
“Corinthians, champions of Brazil!”, published A Gazeta. “Corinthians, in a ‘turnaround’ like São Paulo, with eighteen minutes left to end the game, and being 2-0 down, beat Vasco 3-2.”
Gazeta itself started to refer to the team as the “champion of champions”, a reference to the triumph in the clash between the state champions in the Apea Cup. And the expression was incorporated into the club’s official anthem, composed by Lauro D’Ávila in 1950.
Fifty years later, another anthem emerged from the stands. It was a song already rehearsed at the end of 1999, but it really exploded at Maracanã, on January 14, 2000, in the decision of the first Club World Cup organized by FIFA (International Football Federation).
For 120 minutes, a drawn 0-0 with Vasco was maintained until the end of extra time, the black and white masses made themselves at home in the great Rio stadium – something that recurs in their history – and shouted: “Oh, oh, oh, almighty Timão!”. On penalties, she was awarded 4-3 and the conquest of the world.
The chant has been repeated since then and was widely used last Wednesday (17), in the first game of the Copa do Brasil final, at the Itaquera stadium, in São Paulo. It was also a drawn-out 0-0, and the decision was left open for the second leg. As in 1930 and 2000, Corinthians and Vasco will fight for the title in Rio.
The Rio team arrives in the final clash with morale. In the capital of São Paulo, he knew how to neutralize his opponent and had the best opportunities – one of which was a header from Cauan Barros against Hugo Souza’s crossbar.
“Of course the draw was not a result of playing away, but we left the field with the feeling that it could have been better”, said goalkeeper Léo Jardim. “We deserved to win the game. It was perhaps, defensively, Vasco’s best match under my command,” added coach Fernando Diniz.
Corinthians coach Dorival Júnior said that his team’s performance was “difficult to explain”. “But it was the first half of a decision, and not everything is lost. Let’s be calm and balanced, because we will have 90 minutes at Maracanã”, he noted.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of their first World Cup, Corinthians will take to the field wearing a uniform alluding to the 2000 triumph. In the Maracanã stands, their crazy fans will shout “almighty Timão” and sing “hail Corinthians, the champion of champions”.
On the field, Hugo Souza, Garro, Memphis and Yuri Alberto will try to repeat the success of Tuffy, Filó, Rato, De Maria, Dida, Índio, Rincón and Marcelinho.
