This Sunday, June 16th, the Maracanã stadium completes 74 years since its inauguration, as on the same date in 1950, the stadium was opened.
The inaugural match of the venue, located in Rio de Janeiro, was a confrontation between the Rio de Janeiro state team and the São Paulo state team, which ended with a 3-1 victory for the São Paulo team.
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Goal history
- The first goal scored in the history of Maracanã was scored by midfielder Didi;
- He found the net at the stadium on June 16, 1950, for the Rio de Janeiro state team;
- The inauguration took place almost two years after the start of construction, on August 2, 1948.
Relationship with the Brazilian national team
Maracanã was opened in 1950 with the intention of being the home of the Brazilian national team in international matches, especially in the dispute for that year’s World Cup.
Brazil came close to becoming world champions for the first time at the stadium, but lost to Uruguay in a comeback, 2-1, in 1950, in the episode that became known as the “Maracanazo”.
49 years later, in 1989, Brazil again decided a major competition at Maracanã, this time the Copa América. Once again against the Uruguayans, the Brazilians changed the scoreline and won 1-0, with a goal by Romário, which secured the continental title.
More recently, in 2013, the Brazilian national team was the champion of the Confederations Cup at Maracanã, after a dominant 3-0 victory over Spain.
