The Brazil national team will play their first preparation match for the 2024 Copa América next Saturday. The opponent will be Mexico, a team they know very well, as they have faced them 41 times at the senior level in contexts such as World Cups, Confederations Cup and friendlies.
The Seleção has a favorable record of 24 victories, against 7 draws and 10 defeats against the Mexican team. They will try to maintain that streak when they face each other again this June 8 at 9:30 PM (Brasilia time) at the Kyle Field, a stadium located in the state of Texas (United States).
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Five clashes in World Cups
Brazil’s advantage in the head-to-head record is particularly strong in the World Cups. In 1950, they routed 4-0 in Rio de Janeiro, in what was the debut of the team that later fell in the final against Uruguay in the famous Maracanazo. Four years later, in Switzerland 1954, the victory was 5-0, while in Chile 1962 the triumph was 2-0 with goals from Mário Lobo Zagallo and Pelé.
In the 2014 World Cup, the Aztecs managed a goalless draw in the match played in Fortaleza, thanks to a memorable performance by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, while the last precedent was not such a pleasant memory for the Mexicans: elimination in the round of 16 of Russia 2018 in the 2-0 loss with goals from Neymar and Roberto Firmino.
Parity in the Confederations Cup
In the Confederations Cup, the record is even: they faced each other on four occasions, with two wins for each side. The first clash for this tournament was in 1997, in Saudi Arabia, with an exciting 3-2 victory for the Canarinha: Romário, Denilson and Junior Baiano scored for the five-time champions, while Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Ramón Ramírez did so for the Mexicans.
Another goal-filled duel was the 1999 final. At the Azteca stadium, the hosts won 4-3 to lift this tournament for the first and only time, which was organized by FIFA among the champions of each confederation, the current world champion and the host country’s national team.
In 2005, the Aztecs were again the ones who smiled, winning by the minimum with a goal from Jared Borgetti. While in 2013, once again in Fortaleza, it was Brazil who took the victory in a 2-0 with goals from Neymar and Jô.
Mexico had the gold medal in London 2012 as a prize
Although it was not a match between the senior national teams, Mexico’s victory over Brazil in the London 2012 Olympics final is worth mentioning for the context. The 2-1 victory, with Oribe Peralta’s brace, meant a gold medal, a prize that the Seleção would go on to win in the next two Olympic Games.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Watch the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
