USA 94: Brazil's Return to Glory (2026)

[bunniefuu]

[announcer] This is a chance

for Brazil to extend their lead.

The captain carefully places the ball.

[dramatic music playing]

Italy scored two

out of four penalty kicks.

Dunga steps up.

It's a decisive moment.

Of course I was nervous.

I thought, "If I fail,

I won't be allowed back in Brazil."

But at the same time,

it just dawned on me.

I'd asked for a chance.

[announcer] Dunga steps up to take it.

[melodic music playing]

SO PAULO

BRAZIL

[Rinaldi] I have eight hours

of material from back then.

Imagine how much is in there.

The entire story is in here, in detail.

It was a whole other time.

Nothing even plays this anymore.

There's so much in here.

I began recording,

and we were able to create

an amazing archive of all that happened.

I had an idea then.

What if we showed

what no one has ever seen?

But like an insider.

What happened in the locker room,

the pre-match talks,

the good and bad moments, all of it.

[man] This group came together and was

able to get through the worst of times,

when many people tried to bring us down.

We won't let that happen.

RIO DE JANEIRO

BRAZIL

[man] And where was that?

Oh, that was inside our bus.

Super comfy one too.

It was a regular bus.

Had a turnstile and all.

Everything we went through

during that period,

which was around two to three months

of us all being together,

needed to be recorded.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS,

NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE

FILMED BY THE PLAYERS THEMSELVES

[chanting]

- Let's f*cking do it!

- What's for lunch today?

- What?

- What's for lunch?

- Today.

- Macaroni!

[Jorginho] What's for lunch today?

We play Italy, so macaroni.

[laughter]

We were warming up here.

We were so nervous already.

BEBETO

FORWARD

I was almost six

when I watched the World Cup in 1970.

[announcer] Here comes Pel!

He scores a goal!

I was a kid, and I thought,

"I'm going to be there one day."

"I'll be champion with the national team."

[announcer] And Brazil is now

a three-time world soccer champion!

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] 24 years later,

Brazil and Italy

face each other again

in a World Cup final

at the1994 World Cup

in the United States

two decades later.

Only those of us who'd been through it

know how to describe what we felt.

It's not any game,

it's Brazil against Italy.

We're one step away

from the title everyone--

It's going to be ours! To those rooting

against us, we'll be four-time champions!

I wanted to win it,

to make history and become world champion.

When I put on that jersey,

I became someone else entirely.

Expectations are high.

If we weren't world champions,

we would have failed.

Pressure, demands

Those Italian f*ck aren't

playing well. Let's go, Parreira!

[man] Brazilian soccer

was shattered in 1994.

We hadn't won in 24 years. That's way

too long for the Brazilian team.

When people see me,

they remember me kissing the post.

They don't remember my mistake.

First ever World Cup

to be decided by penalties.

When I went up to take that penalty

I didn't think about it, I just did it.

Our people are so hard-working

and have gone through so much.

I thought, "I've got to bring

some joy back to my people."

The World Cup was supposed

to bring joy to my people.

So I'd do it all over again.

I have no regrets at all.

The fourth title

"Oh, I was in that specific place

at the time," "I was with my father"

Everyone has some kind of memory

attached to that game.

We were the team who was most determined

to become world champions.

[man] It requires a great deal

of emotional stability.

A penalty can truly change your life.

[announcer] If Taffarel saves this,

Brazil will take the win.

Baggio steps up to take it.

USA 94: BRAZIL'S RETURN TO GLORY

4 YEARS EARLIER

[announcer] The whole country gets ready

to cheer on as Argentina

and Brazil face off

in the Round of 16 of the 1990 World Cup.

Emotions are running high.

Brazil and Argentina,

a historic rivalry.

In a World Cup, you've got to know

that there's zero margin for error.

It has to be perfect.

Why? They have 11 quality players,

and two or three can decide a game.

If you make a mistake with a player,

there's no going back from there.

If we don't concede, we'll score one.

[whistle blows]

[announcer] And the game is underway

between Brazil and Argentina!

[Dunga] It was Brazil's best game,

and Argentina had an opportunity,

and who do you think took it?

[announcer] Here comes Maradona.

A genius. There's nothing you can do.

That's soccer for you.

[announcer] Maradona gets past Dunga.

Look at Maradona go!

Careful, he's dangerous.

He passes to Caniggia

who faces Taffarel.

It's a goal!

And Brazil bows out of the 1990 World Cup.

[man] Many quietly mourn the defeat.

Now it's time to wait

for the next World Cup in four years.

When Brazil lost,

they jumped at the chance

to attack both Lazaroni

and me for the loss.

Why call it the Dunga era?

Because it somewhat symbolizes that era,

when the national team was known

more for its defensive effort

than for the magic when creating plays.

They really should've changed the coach.

When the people choose the coach,

it's definitely much easier

for him to get his work done.

Listen, you don't choose to be the coach

for the national team, they choose you.

[man] Parreira spent the day

at the Hilton, here in Rome.

He talked a lot to Pel,

but gave no interviews.

When Parreira was appointed coach

of the national team, he said,

"I'll accept on one condition,

that Zagallo comes with me."

[Parreira] We knew each other

since the 1970 World Cup.

Every word he said carried immense wisdom.

The two of us liked

and understood each other.

And most importantly is that we gave

our best for the national team.

PARREIRA TO HEAD THE SELEO.

[upbeat music playing]

HEROES

ZINHO

Preparation began

after the 1990 World Cup.

That's when they start putting together

the team for the fourth title.

Back then, the qualifying matches

were quite different from today's.

Each single game was very important.

[man] Fans were waiting for the team

at the hotel when they arrived.

Ra even got kisses from some of them.

Well, there's always a four-year cycle

between one World Cup and the next.

In '91, things were going well for me,

so I took on that restructuring

to prepare for 1994.

[announcer] The game begins in La Paz.

Up to that point, Brazil had never lost

a single game in the qualifiers.

[announcer] Danger here.

Taffarel going back No, Taffarel!

Look at that strike. Goal for Bolivia!

BOLIVIA 2 - 0 BRAZIL

The first time ever that

the national team lost in a qualifier.

Brazil is heading home,

looking for reasons

and explanation for the shocking loss.

There was widespread skepticism

toward that generation.

[man] In almost 40 years

of qualifying rounds,

Brazil has suffered its first ever defeat.

When we got back home,

we played against Ecuador at Morumbi.

We were booed for the entire game.

I think all of this combined

made for a pretty hostile environment.

[man] Honestly,

the booing's understandable

because Parreira said

the two of them can't play together.

People started to question Parreira, his

coaching style, style of game we played.

I don't like Parreira's work.

I think we need a new coach.

I do not like this national team.

The media wanted

to get rid of Parreira and Zagallo.

But the thing was, we believed in both

of them. The entire team believed in them.

[crowd] Parreira out!

So at one point in the early hours

of the morning,

we called Parreira

for a meeting at Granja Comary,

which is the national team's

training headquarters.

"Parreira, listen,

what's this about,

you handing in your position?"

It was a way we found

to reinforce that commitment.

"We're going to keep going, Parreira.

We're going to be world champions."

It was a turning point.

PARREIRA ON HIGH ALERT.

Then, we went to play in Recife.

I called out to the fans in Pernambuco.

"We need you right now."

When we arrived in Recife,

we saw something extraordinary.

They were everywhere. It was packed.

People filled the airport to welcome us.

They were hugging us, celebrating us

and showering us with affection.

There were nearly five thousand people

waiting for us, and screaming our names.

Everything's set for Sunday's game

and we feel the love here in Recife.

"You're home here, we all love you."

Players need affection,

we all do, our families, our friends,

and our friends from Recife

came through to help us.

[cheering]

Brazil! Brazil! Brazil!

Sixty-nine thousand tickets were sold

for tomorrow's match.

From that point on,

something quite different began to happen.

Ricardo Rocha had the idea

for us to demonstrate

and express to the outside world,

the way we were feeling on the field

Holding hands.

[announcer] The Brazilian team

is walking onto the field

differently than they normally do.

Perhaps they're holding hands

Perhaps they're holding hands

as a way of reciprocating

the affection the people

of Pernambuco have for them.

So they're coming

onto the field holding hands,

showing us

that's how they'll play from now on.

We were aware of our potential.

We knew what we were capable of.

We really showed off that day.

[announcer 1] Come on! Come on! Goal!

[announcer 2] Look at 'em! Goal!

[announcer 1] Goal!

[announcer 2] There! Goal!

[announcer 1] That was

a perfect pass! Goal!

[announcer 2] Six for Brazil!

To those who said so much,

here's our reply.

But then came the decisive game.

It just so happened

that the last qualifying match

was against Uruguay at Maracan.

It all came back.

Maracanao.

"Oh no, not again!"

[dramatic music playing]

If we lost the game, we would be out.

The team may end up writing

an even sadder chapter,

leaving Brazil out of a World Cup

for the first time ever.

I'm sure we'll manage to win and qualify.

Let me tell you something.

If we don't qualify,

they'll have to shut down the country.

In every interview,

"Parreira, what about Romrio?"

"He'll be back at the perfect time."

Romrio! Romrio!

[man] The fans

are chanting Romrio's name.

And Romrio was playing

really well in Barcelona.

He was dominating in Europe.

Everyone knew just how crucial he was.

Honestly, when I got called up,

I was somewhat expecting it

'cause Brazil was already in a tough spot.

BRAZIL ASKS ROMRIO TO COME BACK.

Parreira and Zagallo

were being pressured to bring him back.

So when Zagallo and Parreira

called me, saying,

"Bebeto, we're thinking

of bringing Romrio in."

They asked him what he thought

about bringing me in.

And he was the first to say,

"Bring him on."

Bebeto's always been one

of the best friends I've ever made

through playing soccer.

And on the field,

he's the best partner I've ever had.

Only two duos have never lost when playing

together for the national team.

Know who?

Pel and Garrincha, Bebeto and Romrio.

If we didn't bring Romrio in,

lost the game against Uruguay,

and got eliminated,

for the first time ever in a World Cup,

that would be it.

I'm feeling important.

If at the end of the day,

we don't get the result we want,

then the blame is on me.

I'm gonna be ready for that.

I would answer on the field.

No need to talk.

- [announcer] The team is on the field.

- The moment came at the right time,

that decisive week against Uruguay.

I don't have to be important all the time.

I have to be important when it's needed.

And every time it mattered, I was there.

f*ck all else.

[announcer] The game begins. He does

a turn, and the Maracan erupts in joy!

And then, Romrio comes up to me and says,

"Ricardo, I'm going to play it

through his legs."

"Then, I'm going to loft it.

I'll loft it, and I'll score two goals."

I had to do all those things

to make it a real show, you know?

End of the first half.

We're going down the tunnel,

I look at him and say, "And the goals?"

"I'm scoring them in the second half."

[announcer] Bebeto crosses.

That was a perfect cross.

It felt more like a pass than a cross.

[announcer] Bebeto crosses the ball

and it finds Romrio.

Goal!

And all I managed to do is jump a little,

thrust my head forward

and send the ball down.

[announcer] Romrio puts it away

with a header.

It's one for Brazil.

Romrio got there first.

Yeah, the speed I had at the time

was quite impressive.

As I got closer to the goal,

I tapped the ball,

the goalkeeper went one way,

I went the other.

Then, he tried to punch me but he couldn't

do it 'cause I was going real fast.

[announcer] Romrio got there first.

There he goes. Come on!

There's the goal! Go! Go! Go!

Goal!

BRAZIL 2 - 0 URUGUAY

The match is over. Listen up!

Brazil's passport

has now been officially stamped!

This is it, Brazil.

We are in the World Cup!

For f*ck's sake. We're in, we made it.

You could really feel it in that group,

especially because

we had lost the '90 World Cup,

and we didn't want to lose again.

The most important thing is that

Brazil won and we're in the World Cup.

Brazil has qualified for the US World Cup.

Great news, but I think

it could've been a bit better,

but now it's time for us to party

and for everyone to have some beer!

[cheering]

And I owe everything

I have in life to soccer.

Soccer's been part of my life

since the day I was born.

Well, soccer is a big mirror

of a country's situation, right?

And it's society, you know?

Brazilian people

have been through a lot, you know?

And they're a hard-working,

determined people.

Everyday life here is not easy.

You know, it's a very large country.

And soccer is Brazil's pride and joy.

[Zinho] Brazil is known

as the country of soccer.

Everyone here eats, sleeps

and breathes soccer. We love it.

Everyone has this dream

of being a soccer player in Brazil.

We went to play in Paris,

against Paris Saint-Germain,

which was the team Ra played for.

And when I arrived at the training camp,

I could see that everyone there

was looking so sad.

That's when it finally hit me

that this horrible accident

had actually happened.

The passing of a really great athlete,

and friend of mine,

who at the time for sure had been

the best in the world, his name was Dener.

[announcer] There goes Dener

attacking Santos.

Watch him go with it!

A player like Dener doesn't show up

very often. He was phenomenal.

He challenged the laws of gravity

with the way he moved.

At 5:15 a.m. In about 10 or 15 minutes,

Dener would have been home.

[melancholic music playing]

My dad was being driven

from So Paulo to Rio de Janeiro.

And about 15 minutes away from home,

the driver dozes off, crashes into a tree,

and my father dies instantly.

Unfortunately, we lost

yet another friend in a car accident.

Back then, we got the news that morning

about what had happened on his way home.

I'm sure he would've been there with us.

He would have absolutely

been on that list.

He definitely would've been

one of the stars of the World Cup,

but fate didn't let him.

At that match, Ayrton Sennaj came out

to take the opening kick.

[announcer] And Ayrton Senna,

the great Formula 1 driver,

is on the field tonight

for the ceremonial kickoff.

Go Ayrton! He takes the kickoff

and waves to the stands.

Thank you for coming out

to support the team.

[Rocha] He was a three-time champion,

and so was Brazil.

He was aiming to be

a fourth-time champion, so were we.

It was difficult but we were going

to do our best, and we made a pact.

Honestly, at the moment, I think

they have a better chance than I do.

Just so you have an idea,

we would stop everything on Sundays

to watch Ayrton race.

[gentle upbeat music playing]

He was our greatest idol.

He was the joy

of the Brazilian people on Sundays.

Two weeks later, on May first,

the accident happens and he dies.

BRAZIL MOURNS SENNA. OVER A MILLION PEOPLE

SAY GOODBYE TO SENNA.

TO OUR HERO SENNA,

THREE-TIME CHAMPION, FAREWELL

Ayrton Senna loss

was absolutely devastating.

Brazil was going through a very sad time.

Very sad, indeed.

[Rinaldi] With Senna, with Dener, we

always tried to take the huge challenges,

the major losses, the deepest of pains,

and turn them into energy that would

allow us to be even more focused

and never ever give up.

Yes, we lost Ayrton,

but now it's us representing this country

in deep turmoil.

Brazil was really going through

a very difficult time,

and soccer and the national team

were the Brazilian people's hope

for a moment of happiness.

[Viola] So, when we were called

to join the team,

we all had one goal in mind,

to make sure we'd bring home the cup

so that we could all

see our people smile again.

THE WORLD TURNS TO THE USA.

BRAZIL TAKES OFF WITH ONE LAST HOPE

- [spirited music playing]

- [man] When was that? You weren't there.

I was the first one to get on that plane

with this camera.

BRAZIL RACES AFTER THE FOURTH TITLE

I captured everything on film

and there's some fantastic footage.

It was amazing.

It was my biggest dream,

since I was a child.

[Parreira] When working as a group,

the main thing is that everyone's aligned

in their approach.

What do we all want?

To be world champions.

UNITED STATES

[Rinaldi] Going to the US for a World Cup

is definitely a different experience.

Soccer isn't really

their strong suit, is it?

To quality for a World Cup and get

to play in it and be a part of that,

there's nothing like it at all.

We didn't allow any newspapers

or magazines in.

We didn't need the noise, you know?

We'd go practice and then from practice,

to the training camp.

We'd have lunch and dinner.

And the next day, back to practice again.

We were really locked in.

We knew we had to adapt,

and we were curious about

how the fans here would react.

Brazil is number one!

Brazil is number one!

[Ramos] In this country,

you could really walk the streets

and most people didn't know what it was.

You could ask someone,

"The World Cup is going on.

Do you know what that is?"

- Soccer fan?

- No, I'm not.

- Are you gonna see the matches?

- No, I'm not.

I'm not interested in the game.

Are you going to see any game?

In the World Cup?

Uh, no, I gotta work.

[Ramos] FIFA wants to make the game

bigger, develop the game bigger,

and I think, in the US, FIFA saw a market.

[Oprah] The United States of America

warmly welcomes you

to World Cup USA

1994!

[man] The drum-beating, samba-dancing

soccer fans from Brazil

have taken over the town of Los Gatos.

What have you learned from them?

"Eesee bossee busee bow" whatever that is.

[man laughs] What is that?

Up, down, pull and go!

Ay ay ay!

BRAZIL IS IN THE GROUP OF DEATH

Cameroon, Russia

and Sweden in the group stage.

In the first game, we played against

Russia. There was lots of anxiety.

We were really nervous.

It was my World Cup debut.

Just like it was for Cafu,

Leonardo, and Mrcio Santos.

We had a strong foundation

from the 1990 team.

This game is the start

of the World Cup for us, against Russia.

The first game in a World Cup

makes any team really nervous.

[Dunga] We knew the importance

of a first game.

Because winning the first game

basically qualifies you.

And there's all the anxiety

and nerves of the first game, it's tough.

BRAZIL VS RUSSIA

GROUP STAGE

I remember the first step I took

'cause I was the first to enter the field.

When I stepped out onto the field,

I suddenly felt,

like I blinked

and it all played out like a movie,

all that we'd been through

up to that point,

making it to a World Cup

and the whole stadium

dressed in yellow, with Brazil's colors.

[crowd shouts]

[whistle blows]

[announcer] He sends it right through

his legs! He holds it up brilliantly!

It was a tough game against Russia,

very disjointed.

[announcer] Center back

Ricardo Rocha can't keep playing.

He's holding the area near his groin.

My injury happens, I get hurt.

[announcer] It looks like

a muscular problem.

[Rocha] The World Cup's over for me.

OUT - 3 RICARDO ROCHA - BRA

My ultimate goal beyond being

the best in the world, was to score.

[announcer] Look at Brazil goal! Goal!

BRAZIL 1 - 0 RUSSIA

The team was strong, we defended well,

attacked and had plenty of opportunities.

[announcer] Penalty!

There goes Ra.

He kicks it and scores! Goal!

We were off to a great start,

which is crucial during a World Cup match.

Brazil! Brazil!

[man] With the three points at the start,

qualification is almost guaranteed.

We need another win

to secure our spot in the next stage.

[man] What about Ricardo Rocha?

Will he play?

I don't know.

The doctor hasn't seen him yet.

I thought, "Maybe I should just go.

I know I can't stay here."

Then Parreira and Zagallo

came to me and said, "No,

We talked to the players

and you're staying."

In that moment, Ricardo became a link

between the players,

the management and the coaching team.

I'm no longer playing in the World Cup,

but I've got to help these guys

in every way I can.

Well, what can I say?

Make sure to get the videos with Jorginho.

I said, "Make sure

you warn me. Turn here."

[Jorginho] He's telling us the story

of when he was learning to drive

and hit an incline, super steep.

Since he didn't really know

how to drive, he just stopped,

set up the warning triangle

and said, "We got a problem."

- Get that?

- [man] Yeah, I'm recording it all.

When I say, "And here it goes the"

you guys say, "Strike!"

[man] Okay, okay, let's do it.

CAMEROON

[Omam-Biyik] Brazil was the benchmark

for soccer around the world.

We always watched those players on TV,

but playing against them

was something else.

[man] June 24th.

Once again, Stanford Stadium

is filled with thousands of Brazilians.

Brazil's second game

comes with great expectations.

It's not easy to play against Cameroon.

They were a great African team.

BRAZIL VS CAMEROON

GROUP STAGE

[announcer] Pass to Romrio.

Come on, this one's yours!

The guys knew they could trust me.

"Give that son of a b*tch the ball

and he'll score."

[announcer] Go on, kid! Goal! Goal!

Look at those passes!

Jorginho does a great job

and Mrcio Santos finishes it. Goal!

BRAZIL 2 - 0 CAMEROON

[Santos] I scored the goal

and joined the list of defenders

who scored in World Cups.

There's very few of us.

Romrio went for it. He tried to pass,

he couldn't, and the ball was left to me.

I didn't have a good angle,

but I was able to hit it in the corner.

[announcer] Here comes Bebeto.

He shoots! Goal! It's a goal!

BRAZIL 3 - 0 CAMEROON

It's a goal!

I was so glad the game ended.

BRAZIL 3 - 0 CAMEROON

[humming]

Brazil!

Have you noticed

what a different player Dunga is today

compared to the Italy World Cup?

Brazil's first goal yesterday,

which paved the way to victory,

came from a pass by Dunga to Romrio.

[upbeat music playing]

Soccer is very much a utopia.

Within any group, there are people

you click with more,

people you relate to better.

That doesn't mean

you don't get along with others.

You respect them, you're part of a team.

Many people with different perspectives

but with one single goal.

[festive music playing]

[man] Romrio was never a guy

who drank or smoked.

His weaknesses were women and dancing.

He really loved to dance.

It was impressive.

[Romrio] Show them what I've got.

I really liked enjoying life,

and I still do.

Women have always been my strength.

Or my weakness. [chuckles]

[Jorginho] Baixinho would sneak out,

but he'd always be back on time.

He'd sleep well and stay focused.

It was never a problem.

- [man] Louder!

- Wrap it up now.

Play some Salgueiro.

[Zinho] Having won the first two games,

both we and Sweden were already

qualified before the last match.

We were just deciding

who would be the first in the group.

SWEDEN

[Andersson] Going into the World Cup '94,

we knew we had a strong team,

had achieved a lot.

Three-nil for Brazil!

BRAZIL VS SWEDEN

GROUP STAGE

We're aiming for to win the game.

[announcer] Got him in the chest,

kick toward the net and goal!

BRAZIL 0 - 1 SWEDEN

But they'd take an early lead.

In the second half,

with Mazinho caming in,

the team plays more defensively,

which gives me a bit more freedom.

That was the play.

I roll it to him, he's really fast.

[announcer] Romrio, he takes off,

gets there, kicks and scores!

It was very a tough game.

I ended up scoring with a sideways

toe-poke, and we managed to tied.

[announcer] Brazil one, Sweden one.

Brazil won the group.

This is when Parreira switches

the team to a more conservative formation.

He takes Ra off the field.

[Ra] I was sent to the bench,

but then I realized,

that the most important thing

was for the team to come first.

[Parreira] Ra was the captain

and we left the team.

It was clear to us.

He didn't have to think twice.

It was obvious.

"It's Dunga, it's got to be him."

[Dunga] I didn't change

because they made me captain.

I've always been like that.

My way of being, my behavior,

the way I was on the field,

my demands, my leadership style,

None of that depended

on a captain's armband.

[woman] The announcement was made

on Sunday by coach Parreira.

But it's still not what the fans want.

The thing is, we're 220 million coaches.

Everyone has their own opinion

for their own team,

for who their top player is going to be,

for who they believe stands out.

I thought the team played terribly.

I came here, painted my face, yelled

at the top of my lungs, but they sucked!

[man] I know what it's like for a fan

to follow a team, to cheer for that team.

It's really quite insane,

but it's driven by passion.

I'm very passionate about soccer.

We had only bought tickets

for the group stage.

You know, initially, I thought that

maybe we might not even qualify.

And I mean, spending a month in the US

watching other games we didn't really

care about was not what we wanted.

Brazil was gonna play the US

on the 4th of July in the Round of 16.

It was terrible because the US

were getting better at soccer

and had leveled up their game.

[man] For the United States,

it would be an immense joy.

They would join the world's best 16,

and capture the attention of their

fellow Americans on Independence Day.

A photographer who was on the field

before the game began,

said he heard Tab Ramos say

that the Brazilians would leave here

just like they left the Maracan in 1950.

Strike!

[man] Let's go, guys!

Let's play some samba now.

- Strike!

- [man] Yeah, I'm an official sponsor now!

Brought to you by Brought to you by

Things happen naturally as they come.

There are opportunities.

Branco's injured today,

and won't be able to play.

Tomorrow, it could be me.

["Star Spangled Banner"

played on electric guitar]

Those guys have always had patriotism

running deep in their veins.

Americans made up 80%

of the fans in the stadium.

USA! USA!

[Ramos] Everything is lining up.

Independence Day, at home,

against the best team in a World Cup

I think we have a chance.

[announcer] The game between Brazil

and the USA begins.

Their national team played well.

Tactically, they were perfect,

gave us no room.

They had good players.

And all of that mattered.

[announcer] What a ball from Tab Ramos

to Thomas Dooley. Danger here! Ooh!

It was a difficult game,

a little bit back and forth.

Obviously, Brazil had the ball more.

[Silva] We've got Bebeto and Romrio.

With those two up front, we'll score

a goal very soon and win the game.

So we were competitive, you know.

The game was The game was a good game.

[announcer] Tab Ramos

and Leonardo going for it.

Foul by Leonardo.

[quiet dramatic music playing]

Things are getting heated.

It's a red card! Leonardo's sent off!

So at that point, he's sent off.

And it's only the first half.

[Ribeiro] The stadium fell silent.

Brazilian fans just stopped

to see what was happening.

They couldn't believe

what they were seeing.

We had a player sent off, huh?

And at that point, everyone's thinking,

"Oh, God, what now?"

[announcer] Brazil has

completely lost control!

This will make things very difficult.

It's very disappointing

to see Leonardo act like that.

It was terrible, because that's when

we realized that we might be going home.

[announcer] It hits the post!

End of the first half.

Enough of this Parreira's style soccer.

This isn't the Brazil we know.

If Brazil's out after Leonardo is sent

off, he could never go back to Brazil.

So then, the first half ends,

I go to the locker room,

I look around, "Where's Leonardo?"

"Where's Leonardo?"

He's there sitting under the shower.

I looked at him and I said, "Hey! Psst!"

"Get up!"

He was bawling his eyes out.

I said, "Man, listen to me."

"I'm going to score the goal. Don't worry,

we're going to win this game."

We already knew we had to run more.

[announcer] The second half starts

and now it's for real.

At some point,

I understood that I'd reached a moment

where I wouldn't be able to score.

The ball just didn't want to go in.

[announcer] With ten attacking them. Whoo!

Hold on, because it's about to get wild.

I tried playing the right,

the left, the middle

I fought, I attacked, I defended.

Then the game turned dramatic.

[announcer] Romrio,

come on, you're our only hope.

Romrio left the middle and moved up.

And I opened up for him,

just so he could pass me the ball.

[announcer] Go, Romrio. Go!

I'd look at him, I'd look ahead.

I was looking for the last man

so I wouldn't be offside.

[announcer] Go, Romrio, you can do it!

"Go! Go!" And I'm waiting and waiting.

That's when he's getting close.

I'm thinking, "God! He's coming up."

"I'm going to be offside."

I'm looking at the last man, looking at

him, everything in a fraction of a second.

Since I couldn't score a goal,

I had to pass to someone

who could score a goal.

[announcer] Romrio passes to Bebeto

then he rolled it to me,

and when he did, I turned.

Then I looked at that massive goalkeeper.

"It's now or never."

[announcer] Go, Bebeto! Goal! Goal!

It's Brazil! Goal!

Accurate as ever,

he managed to put the ball in that corner.

No one else could've scored that goal.

Just him.

I I just put it right

in that small corner,

where the goalies

always keep their water bottles.

And then I just had to do it.

[announcer] Goal!

[Romrio] I said to him, "I love you."

It was mutual love.

And there are different ways to love.

[Bebeto] And it was genuine,

and he knows that.

From the bottom of my heart.

We have a lot of love for each other

and for everyone on the team.

[announcer] What a joy

it is to see Brazil playing like this.

The stadium fully erupts in celebration!

Let's go, Brazil!

That goal was absolutely crucial.

And then, I said to Jorginho,

"Man, no one's taking this title from us."

I walk into the locker room,

and Leonardo hugs me really tight.

We all cried together.

[sentimental music playing]

[whistle blows]

[announcer] And the referee

blows the final whistle,

Brazil defeats the United States.

Brazil is qualified!

Come on, Brazil.

Let's go to the quarterfinals.

BRAZIL 1 - 0 UNITED STATES

FIFA suspended sideback Leonardo

for four games

and fined him 10,000 Swiss Francs,

nearly 7,000 reais.

[Ramos] So when When he closes

his legs, I'm going around him,

because I was trying to get around him,

and I and I pull his shirt.

And when I pull his shirt,

he threw his elbow.

And I'm a smaller player,

and on top of it, I was lower,

so when he throws the elbow,

it hit me right on the top of the head,

and it cracked my skull.

So first, I remember being on the ground,

and feeling the, um,

like, the noise

of almost like a train going by.

Like, uh, you know, in my head.

Then there's the actual injury,

because then, you know,

I had I've had headaches

for years after that.

[Jorginho] Leonardo is such a loyal guy,

that he certainly would be

the last one of us

to do something like that.

[Ramos] You know players, you know.

There are players

that have bad intentions,

and Leonardo is not a player

with bad intentions.

I have the peace of mind

of knowing that it wasn't on purpose,

I had no intention

of purposefully hurting anyone.

The Brazilian press and the Brazilian

people are always wanting something more.

It's not just about winning.

In the end, we won.

But playing the way they did

against the US,

with fear, taking no risks,

is hard to swallow.

I think that victory was definitely

within our reach, but it was hard.

[tribal drumming]

[man] They have that coffee?

I don't think they do. It's very specific.

I thought they brought enough

for the whole state.

Mattheus was born July 7th, 1994,

and our next game was on the 9th.

Since I was far away, my sister-in-law

was in the delivery room,

and I spent almost an hour on the phone

just waiting to hear my son cry.

DENISE DE ANDRADE

BEBETO'S WIFE

Mattheus had the umbilical cord

wrapped around his neck,

so when he came out he was a little purple

and it took him a bit longer

to be able to cry.

When I finally heard him cry,

man, I was overwhelmed by emotion.

Then they turn on the TV,

and there was my wife with my son.

Oh, man, I just felt

my emotions taking over.

- [man] She can hear you, talk to her.

- [woman] Hello.

I'm just so happy now, I really am.

Let's see if I get to score for Mattheus

against the Netherlands.

[woman] Yeah, did you see how big he is?

He's great, he's beautiful.

He looks just like his dad.

[woman] No, he looks

like his mom as well.

You just want all your kids

to look like you.

"Man, just being here, seeing my son

"I would like to be there too,

but it's going to be worth it,"

I told her that. "It'll be worth it."

[man] Nadal, Ferrer,

Luis Enrique.

I had a really bad

sciatic nerve inflammation back then.

I didn't start

in the World Cup, Leonardo did.

He spent the entire World Cup in recovery.

Leonardo was playing

because Branco was injured.

LONELY AND DEPRESSED,

BRANCO PRAYS FOR STRENGTH.

[SantAnna] That's when I told them,

"I know he can't run on the field,

but he can in the pool."

"I'll be able to improve his physical

condition by training in the pool."

[Branco] They gave me

a vote of confidence.

Because I had to train separately

in a pool with a vest and elastic rope.

I couldn't be in direct contact

with the ground due to the inflammation.

I took a lot of heat

because I included Branco in the group.

We are well aware that Branco

is in terrible physical condition.

He hasn't played in over 50 days,

and the heat here is relentless.

And when the time came,

I didn't hesitate

for a single moment to put him in.

And I think he came through.

Very soon, we'll be facing the Netherlands

in a do-or-die game.

Branco returns to the team,

much to everyone's disappointment.

A little late but your time has come.

I'd like to repay the affection

and support I got

by playing well and maybe even scoring.

I was racing against time.

NETHERLANDS

Even when we didn't play all the games

in the group stage very good,

we were growing, uh, like a group.

And also, uh, our way

we want to play football,

we were growing together.

We knew if we played a little bit

of our normal game, we can beat them.

We're gonna see,

we're gonna give everything,

and hopefully we can surprise everybody.

Brazil needs to definitely watch out,

because Dutch soccer,

unlike ours, is growing

and seems to have found a good standard

of play and team cohesion.

We've always known the Netherlands

as a soccer powerhouse

and they came

to that World Cup with big names.

We had some great talent,

but we were ready.

We're gonna make a really, really

good game and go to the semifinal.

We lost in '74,

but we're here now for the fourth title.

BRAZIL VS NETHERLANDS

QUARTERFINALS

We had watched every game they played.

They barely moved

in the second half because of heat.

But then, on the day,

right before the game, it rained.

The temperature dropped

to 20 degrees Celsius,

and that evened things out.

A journalist came up to us

and handed us a note,

"Please, could you guys ask Parreira

not to put Branco in."

The group's answer,

"We are all vouching for Branco."

[announcer] The game between Brazil

and the Netherlands is about to begin.

The Netherlands and Argentina

are attacking teams,

and they play

on equal footing with Brazil.

Yeah, that game was really tense.

I got the ball and shot,

Bebeto touched it twice,

and then, Romrio just tapped it in.

[announcer] Aldair to Bebeto.

Bebeto finds Romrio,

Romrio shoots, goal!

[Romrio] Technically speaking,

it was Brazil's best game.

Brazil was crushing the Netherlands.

[announcer] Go, Bebeto, this is

your chance. Go, Bebeto! Go, Bebeto!

This is it, now is the time.

I really made sure I was going to score.

I dribbled past the defender,

then past the goalkeeper.

I almost went in with the ball

just to make sure I was going to make it.

[announcer] That's beautiful! Goal!

And I ran out to celebrate.

Mattheus was the only child

whose birth I missed.

I thought, "I'm going to pretend

I'm holding him in my arms."

[announcer] What a beautiful way

to celebrate.

Then Romrio came, Mazinho came.

I looked at both sides and I saw them.

The three of us were there

doing the same thing.

A guy who's your friend,

who you love, who cares about you,

he scores a goal

and does something like that for his son,

it couldn't be any other way.

[sentimental music playing]

I think his christening

was right then and there.

God, being a dad is really beautiful.

We understood, "Guys, listen."

"We have to do something differently."

Then we started playing football, and

[announcer] Wait,

this is getting dangerous. It's a goal!

Oh my God, what is going on?

And then, after the 2-1, you know,

the belief grows grows more in the team.

[announcer] Look at Aron Winter header.

It's a goal!

You know that feeling

when one team is on an upward trend

and the other is on a downward slope?

That gives you also the possibility

and belief that you can win also the game.

[announcer] Ra comes on for Mazinho.

Come on, Brazil!

Ra came in with a sliding tackle.

[announcer] Look at Ra's tackle!

Playing hard. "Calm down, man!"

"You'll be sent off!"

That was yet another sign

that made it clear how solid our team was.

Because Ra could've gotten really upset.

I mean, he was the team captain.

It wasn't Dunga.

[Dunga] I didn't think

about pressure of being captain.

The real pressure was having to go back

to Brazil and not being allowed in.

They'd actually k*ll us,

especially after 1990.

So, at that moment, all of us were

entirely focused on solving the problem.

We have to win this game.

From then on, it was life or death.

[Branco] I put my right leg

in his direction,

dove and got him to foul me.

He kicked me

while I was on the ground. It was a mess.

Then, he positioned a five-man wall.

[announcer] Branco steps up

for the free kick.

I chose to sh**t to the keeper's side.

Because his view was blocked.

He couldn't really see.

I looked and said to myself,

"Now is the time." It was my moment.

When I kicked the ball, I did it in a way

that I bent the ball

and it went around the wall.

[announcer] There he goes, he shoots!

Goal! Goal! Goal!

BRAZIL 3 - 2 NETHERLANDS

Goal!

And then, I ran off

and celebrated, pointed at the staff.

All of them, really, the doctor,

the physical therapists,

Moraci, all of them.

When they made the 3-2, we were broken.

[announcer] And there's final whistle.

Thanks to Branco's late free kick,

Brazil has gone through

and has reached the semifinals.

AYRTON SENNA:

THIS CUP IS FOR YOU

[man 1] After this stunning victory

against the Netherlands,

we can finally say it with all certainty,

that we're among

the four best teams in the world.

- [man 2] What's up, kid?

- All good here.

- [man 2] My man!

- We're all set now.

We've sealed the deal, debts were settled.

Romrio says ball deflected

off him so it's his goal.

Yeah, he does.

I just went like, "Oh, f*ck!"

That f*cking ball came straight at me.

If I say that, he'd get really pissed off.

Zagallo's going to say a few words.

Say something.

After this fantastic victory,

I'm absolutely sure

the fourth-title will be ours.

[man] Hey, Striker, let's get a beer.

That's soccer. One day you're up,

the next day you're down.

It's what people call

divine justice, isn't it?

[man] What would you call

the most important goal of your career?

Honestly, I'd call it the shut-up goal.

It shut a lot of people up.

Whenever you win,

it gives the fans an emotional boost.

For the first time in this World Cup,

I saw Brazil play. I liked it yesterday.

I really liked yesterday's game.

It was great.

[woman] An unexpected hero, Branco

made every fan admit they were wrong.

Branco's going to crush it.

That's when we started to change

the way many journalists saw us,

because they were all against us.

Let's just be honest.

[woman] Parreira's getting it right?

He's starting to.

Everyone recognizes that the victory over

the Netherlands had the coach's touch.

Carlos Alberto Parreira

went from hell to heaven overnight.

A lot of people at that moment,

myself included,

thought that when Branco scored Brazil's

third goal against the Netherlands,

"Wow, this time it's going to happen."

We're in the semifinals of the World Cup,

so close to the fourth title.

Come on, Brazil.

The children will thank you.

[cheering]

Everybody was happy

because that group really had something.

They became brothers through soccer,

and life, you know?

Parreira talked to us about this,

that a single player doesn't win.

One player might win a game,

but you need a team

to win the championship.

And for that,

you need to be friends, true friends.

GO, BRAZIL!

When did Brazil

last reach a World Cup semifinal?

Oh, I don't know. I really don't know.

No idea.

I don't have the numbers

in my head to do the math,

but I know we'll reach the final,

God willing.

And at that moment, none of us,

none of the players there

had ever reached a World Cup semifinal.

So you know, it was a huge moment for us.

- [man] Are you dreaming of the title?

- Not at all. We haven't reached the final.

That's when you can start

dreaming about it.

All of us really wanted to be

world champions once again.

The winners of Sweden and Saudi Arabia,

Romania and Argentina

will play in the quarterfinals.

Winner will face Brazil

in the World Cup semifinals.

We're aiming for going all the way,

but unfortunately, we met Brazil twice.

[Dunga] Parreira and the defenders

were studying our opponent,

but there was no internet back then.

It was all based on photographs

and some reports.

So he showed us

that Sweden played in two lines of four.

It would be really hard

to get through those lines.

We were trying to figure it out.

We had to be patient.

Mazinho had to come in,

and Zinho, as well,

so we could try to break those lines.

Romrio and Bebeto

had to stretch their lines.

One would come short

and the other running behind,

and we had to keep

on getting to the byline.

And if we crossed the ball,

eventually, we'd have a chance.

[man] Always remember

that the difficult moments were overcome

because all of us stayed here united.

So that's very important.

Come on, guys, let's f*cking do it!

The Brazilian fans are gathering,

they're all holding hands

like us, all of them!

Come on, let's f*cking do it!

Who's with me?

Strike!

[man] Just look at what

they've done on this street.

Drawings and paintings everywhere.

It's a victory walkway with free passage

for the fans to show their joy,

love and creativity.

I believe we need it, I really do.

Our country needs a boost like this.

And we'll be able to get there.

[announcer] The Brazilian national team

walking hand-in-hand as always.

We've kicked off and the game begins.

It's good to play Sweden,

'cause they play, they really play.

And they let you play.

I felt, from the first start,

that we were under attack.

[announcer] Romrio, that's it.

He got it up front. Look at Romrio!

No, Romrio! Mazinho, he lost it!

The goal wouldn't come.

Then, near the end, Jorginho crosses it,

and Romrio is there

in the middle of the defense.

[Jorginho] It was a cross

that for me, was emblematic of my life.

It was at that moment

I had a clear picture.

I saw, Ra, had just come into the game,

attached the near post

and draw the defenders.

[announcer] There's the goal! Go! There's

the goal! Go! There's the goal! Go!

BRAZIL 1 - 0 SWEDEN

I managed to find Baixinho.

He was perfect.

He drove the header down,

and then Ravelli had no chance.

I deliberately never stay close

to a player who's taller than me.

And it so happened

that I was able to easy jump and score.

[announcer] Brazil scores!

And then, there was an expl*si*n of joy

because we were in the World Cup final.

[announcer] The game is finally over.

Brazil is in the grand final

after 24 years!

The better team created more chances,

so they deserved it.

Yep, great.

[announcer] It's impossible

to hold back these emotions.

No one has even left the stadium.

Look at that! It's really exciting.

Come on, Brazil, we can do it!

There's just one more game to go!

Brazil is in the final against Italy,

reliving the story of 1970.

[all singing]

[man] Oh, damn! Woo!

Today is the 13th, for f*ck's sake!

Check this out, Jorginho,

our number 2, got to the goal line,

He crossed to number 11, that's Romrio.

Eleven plus two is 13!

[cheering]

[angelic music playing]

ITALY

Yes, we felt we could be world champions,

but we knew we were playing Brazil,

which traditionally has been

a really hard team to beat.

That World Cup for me

was absolutely incredible,

because I went through

so many ups and downs.

ITALY'S JOURNEY IN THE '94 WORLD CUP

[Albertini] When expectations are high,

preparation comes with a lot of pressure.

We didn't play well in the first game

for many reasons.

[announcer] He kicks it hard and scores!

ITALY 0 - 1 IRELAND

GROUP STAGE

And in the second game, after some time,

we were 10 against 11

and we had to win it.

I was the first goalkeeper in history

to be sent off.

[solemn music playing]

[announcer] He crosses it!

And Dino Baggio scores!

Italy playing with ten men against 11

pulls off a miracle!

The game against Mexico was really hard.

We just couldn't win it so we

we ended up in best third-placed.

Luckily, we were able to qualify.

[announcer] There was a chance and a goal!

ITALY 0 - 1 NIGERIA

ROUND OF 16

I was already thinking

where I'd spend my vacation

because we were, frankly, almost out.

And rightly so, when they said that

Roberto Baggio pulled us off the plane.

It's true, that's exactly what happened.

[announcer] Roberto Baggio ties the game.

ITALY 1 - 1 NIGERIA

ROUND OF 16

Baggio delivers!

ITALY 2 - 1 NIGERIA

ROUND OF 16

Spain's style of play

has always been very difficult for us,

always throughout history.

But thanks to our Italian fighting spirit,

we always manage to find a way

to come through the tough moments.

That's part of who we are

as Italians, not just in soccer.

Italy, by nature, has a tendency

to get stronger with time.

A horse coming from behind

is hard to stop.

[man] It was an immense joy,

after everything we had gone through

in the last month.

We now had the chance

to play a game of such importance

and magnitude, like a World Cup final.

[car horns honking]

Then Baggio suffered a minor injury.

We didn't know

if he'd be able to play the final or not.

[man] Today, Italy without Baggio

is the same as Brazil without Romrio.

The two of them are responsible

for getting their teams to the final.

Brazil and Italy bring face-to-face

two giants of world soccer.

Both countries have mystique,

symbolic jerseys

famous players,

and deeply passionate fans.

The games in the US were all around

four or five in the afternoon

and people were out in the streets.

The streets were all painted.

There were flags everywhere.

And with everything that was happening,

Ayrton Senna's death,

Brazil going through a crisis,

the Brazilian national team

was the people's joy.

Even if Brazil loses,

we're going to throw a party for the kids.

[man] What do you think?

Are we going to win?

- Yeah!

- We will!

[boy] Four-time champions.

[boys] Brazil!

How long exactly

have we been waiting for this day?

Yeah, it's been 24 years.

Come on, Brazil, you can do it.

We are on the edge of our seats.

[man] The crowd here is cheering

and chanting for the team.

Today, more than 25,000 people

have gathered on Avenida Paulista.

[Rinaldi] The atmosphere on the Brazil bus

is unlike that of any other team

heading into a final.

We saw images of the Italian team bus.

They were all dressed in suits,

very serious and stiff.

Our bus was total chaos. Everyone was

sweating even before the game.

[loud commotion]

Strike!

[Rinaldi] It's our way of getting ready

before a big game.

It's a natural adrenaline rush

that gets rid of the anxiety.

And in that chaos,

a kind of brotherhood forms between us.

It's something really special.

Kind of feels like magic.

It's a Brazilian thing. Don't try

to understand it because you won't.

[Bebeto] Ricardo was the guy

who always talked to us.

He really boosted our morale, you know?

And we really trusted him, completely.

He joked around, but he also knew

what to say when it mattered.

The group solved it.

It was not solved individually,

but collectively.

Therefore, that is our mindset.

Let's make sure we carry

that brotherhood onto the field,

hand-in-hand with that winning spirit,

because we are the best!

You don't win with quality alone.

You win with balance,

emotional intelligence,

with everyone wanting

to get it working together.

I remember some of the meetings

we had at the time.

"We're here to win this f*cking World Cup.

We're here to be champions."

"Everyone has to give

everything they've got."

"It's not about one person,

it's about the group."

[dramatic music playing]

[Romrio] It was like this in '94

and still is today.

The time had come.

Our stomachs were stirring a little.

Then the nerves and anxiety kicked in.

[crowd cheering]

I gathered the group. "First, let's

thank God we're in the final."

"I'd like to say a few words,

starting with family."

"Thank your families,

thank the Brazilian people."

"They deserve this title."

Then I said, "Guys, let's do the same

as those Japanese men

who would fight for their homeland."

"They would fly

with a certain amount fuel."

"Once they got to where they needed,

they knew they would die."

"Fuel was gone, what did they do?"

"They flew straight toward the enemy

and died for their country."

"Great story.

That's what we're going to do today."

"We'll leave here dead but champions."

Damn.

They started crying

and saying, "Let's go, guys."

"Let's become champions!

Who were these Japanese guys?"

I had a name.

The thing is,

another name popped into my head.

What are you doing?

Kawasaki, we're the guys from Japan.

[indistinct chatter]

I said, "Kawasaki!" super loud.

They went quiet.

Romrio was like

It's Kamikaze, man!

It's kamikaze, man! Kamak

"You're talking sh*t."

"Kawasaki is a motorcycle, man.

What are you saying?"

[overlapping chatter]

He messed it all up and couldn't stop

laughing. We couldn't stop either.

He was so easygoing.

He was always talking

and cracking jokes, he was so funny.

But when it was time to get serious,

it was, "Man, you're the best!

Go and crush the game!"

We've waited 24 years

hearing all the criticism.

- Let's win today, let's win!

- Stay calm and take it seriously.

Come on, guys, give it all

you've got. We'll never forget this.

- Let's go. Stay calm, take it serious.

- Come on, guys, let's do it.

- Come on, guys!

- Let's go.

Come on, guys!

And that's how it was.

From there, we went straight

to the game, ready to play.

[dramatic music playing]

I think this is where that moment was.

The famous one of me standing up front

and Baggio's behind, looking at me.

I saw it as a sign of respect.

Well, if I had been in his place,

I would see it that way.

To him, I remember the It was

completely packed.

I think it was at full capacity.

It was crazy.

[crowd shouting]

Brazil!

BRAZIL VS ITALY

FINAL

[Romrio] What we had there

was positive energy between all players.

We brought the hand-holding

from the Recife game.

We held hands in every game, all of them.

50 degrees Celsius, scorching hot.

But that's how we felt.

"We'll be together till the end."

[announcer] Brazil has been

the more consistent team,

and we're underway at the Rose Bowl.

The decisive final

between Brazil and Italy begins.

These are two historic teams.

[announcer] Dunga with the cross.

Romrio with the header!

Any mistake at this point is fatal.

You can't lose or you'll lose the Cup.

[announcer] Mauro Silva messed up.

Look at the chance. Amazing! Taffarel.

If Italy scored a goal,

we can try and tie the game,

but we really have to work our asses off.

I believe that in the final

all of us were really tired

because our path to that stage

had been grueling.

By holding position and organized,

Brazil dominates the game.

[announcer] Bebeto takes the shot!

Our midfield was extremely consistent,

technically very good.

Man, that's a once-in-a-lifetime moment

for a soccer player.

[Albertini] By the time

we reached the final,

our team was completely exhausted,

especially the players on the field,

so our pace was much lower

than in the previous games.

[announcer] And that's halftime,

Brazil zero, Italy zero.

It was a game with very few opportunities.

[announcer] The referee signals the start

of the second half. Let's go, Brazil!

[Santos] Pagliuca hadn't done well

in the last Italian championship,

especially in his right side.

He made huge mistakes

throughout the whole thing.

He's almost considered

the worst howler in history.

[announcer] Mauro Silva with a long

distance shot. Pagliuca blocks it!

It hits the post!

It truly saved my reputation in soccer,

because if that had gone in

and we had lost 1-0,

maybe it wouldn't have ended my career,

but would've left a mark.

When people see me,

they remember me kissing the post,

nobody remembers my mistake.

We knew both teams

would be on equal footing

because of their experience

and the quality of their players.

[announcer] Italy's getting closer.

Baggio kicks it. It's out.

Extra time, 90 minutes,

36 degrees Celsius.

[announcer] The referee made it simple.

Zero-zero against Italy,

a team that was totally

discredited at the time.

And they kept going

and getting closer and closer.

Baggio was injured,

and they kept getting closer

and Baggio's procrastinating.

But it was a final. You don't get to play

a World Cup final every day.

[announcer] The temperature is rising

at the Rose Bowl.

[Ribeiro] The first half ended zero-zero.

It was still zero-zero after full-time.

Extra time,

and Brazil sh**ting and missing.

[announcer] Here comes Brazil.

Cross, here it goes! Still a chance.

Saved by the goalkeeper!

Romrio waited! He took a direct shot!

He should've crossed!

Man, Romrio missed a goal

that he couldn't have missed.

[announcer] Romrio is in the middle,

crosses, look at the goal! And he misses!

I had one of the worst misses

in World Cup history.

But we'd already missed

two others by then.

When I got onto the field,

I made sure to check.

I have the last 15 minutes of the game.

to be able to score a goal.

I was able to bring the ball forward,

cutting through,

and when I was basically facing the goal

[announcer] He keeps at it, gets it

out front, there goes Viola, left leg.

I just thought Romrio.

[announcer] He's still going,

he rolls it to Romrio.

I hear to this very day,

"Why did you not take that shot yourself?"

No, he did what he had to do.

He had to give me the ball.

I was top dog, I was the one

scoring the goals, it had to be me.

But unfortunately, I just couldn't do it.

We didn't manage to win in extra time,

so it went to penalties.

[announcer] It's the end of the game.

It's a truly historic moment.

BRAZIL 0 - 0 ITALY

It's the first time that a World Cup

is decided by a penalty shootout.

The first time in history.

And on top of that,

the heat intensified everything.

We were all clenching our fist.

I started feeling queasy.

It was just so stressful, it really was.

In the last few minutes,

we could barely put our feet down.

We had to stand on our heels

because it hurt.

The front of our feet were burning.

I remember that moment in detail.

When extra time ended,

Parreira came onto the field

and beelined straight to me.

"Mrcio, you take the first one?"

I said, "Sure."

When Parreira started walking towards me,

I said, "God, I know he's going pick me."

It's a lot of responsibility.

There was a player

who was supposed to take a penalty,

and at the time, he said,

"Parreira, I can't do it."

"Because after running 120 minutes,

my legs feel like they weigh a ton."

Know what actually matters

at that moment?

Who's got heart and wants to do it?

Romrio hadn't practiced penalties at all,

but he said, "I want to take one."

"Okay, then, go for it."

I wasn't used to taking penalties.

I'd taken maybe four at most.

[Bebeto] "Are you up for it, Bebeto?"

One by one.

He came right up to me.

I said, "I'll take one.

I want to go first."

I said that to him.

Then he said,

"No, you take the last one."

[announcer] Come on, Taffarel.

Go for it, Taffarel, and save them all.

[Pagliuca] There's more pressure

on the one taking the penalty

than on the goalkeeper.

The keeper has much more to gain.

I think that players

taking the penalties think differently

from the ones trying to save them.

[Parreira] You might not be the one

taking the penalty,

but it's like your heart just stops

and you can't feel anything.

[dramatic music playing]

[announcer] Baresi is wide!

Way off target!

Come on, Brazil!

Imagine the people at home.

Just picture how stressful it is.

Because there's obviously

enormous tension.

For the goalkeeper,

though, it's a bit different.

[announcer] Mrcio Santos will be up next.

Italy started the penalties

with Baresi and he missed.

They still haven't found that ball.

He kicked it out of the stadium.

Still missing.

[announcer] Everyone's holding hands.

The players embrace it.

All of Brazil is with you.

Mrcio Santos.

He kicks it and Pagliuca saves it.

From then on,

we were in a state of desperation.

[all shouting]

At least I aimed

toward the goal, you know?

I hit the corner.

At that moment, I thought

I had made a great save.

But what I was especially happy

about was having helped the team

move closer to victory.

Mrcio Santos, who was

our best penalty taker, in training,

was the first to step up and missed.

And that made for an even more difficult,

intense environment for everybody.

I shot and missed. It evened things out.

We were starting from scratch.

in that moment, anything can happen.

You have to be prepared.

Until all five penalties are taken,

you can't assume you've won

or even that you've lost.

Anything can happen.

I was 22, and it was the first penalty

I'd ever taken as a professional player.

[announcer] Albertini gets ready.

I was not calm.

It might've just looked that way

from the outside.

[announcer] He stays close, he shoots.

It's a goal for Italy.

And in fact when it was over and I scored,

I did celebrate a little,

and because it felt like a release.

[man] Watch the post! Come on,

Taffarel's going to save the penalty!

For f*ck's sake!

[Jorginho] Romrio said,

"I'm a very fearless guy,

but at that moment, I went in afraid."

[announcer] Romrio will take

the penalty for Brazil.

It was difficult, really tough.

The responsibility

was all on my shoulders.

The fact that Brazil

hadn't won a title in 24 years.

[announcer] It's him and Pagliuca.

[Romrio] You have to really zone in.

You've got to leave everything behind.

It's like you've got to be

with yourself and zone out.

That's what happened to me there.

[announcer] Here goes Romrio

with a right foot kick! It's a goal!

Go, Brazil!

He told me that when his ball hit

the post, he had goosebumps all over.

But thank God the ball actually went in.

I felt relaxed and felt relieve,

but I know very well it wasn't over yet.

I heard it hit the post

and thought immediately it had gone out,

but no, it went in.

I took the ball

and headed toward the goal.

As I faced the goal, I was thinking,

"I've got to decide,

do I go right or left, right or left?"

And when I finally placed it,

I made the call.

[announcer] Evani takes a few steps back.

And then, as I was starting my run-up,

I knew that the best thing to do

was to strike it hard toward the goal.

[announcer] Evani blasts it

straight down the middle!

[Evani] So I put the ball

right down the middle,

and the goalkeeper dove to the side,

and I scored.

[announcer] Two for Italy,

one for Brazil. Ooh!

I was the third.

[announcer] Branco steps up

for the penalty.

1994 World Cup final,

24 years without a title.

The whole country watching.

All that expectation,

all the responsibility

that I carried on my shoulders.

After all I'd been through.

It's like the movie of your life

flashes right before your eyes.

Everything that helped you

get to that exact moment,

family, friends, the country, everything.

[announcer] Branco to take the shot.

He's taking a long run up here.

I went further back, and he thought

I was taking a power shot.

That told him that to save the shot,

he'd have to move early."

I switched it. I decided to place the ball

and wait for him to move.

It was a crazy decision.

So I'm going, I'm moving closer,

I'm getting closer and closer to the ball,

and he's not moving at all, he's there.

And then, in the last three steps,

he moves very slightly to one side,

and he frees up the left side.

[announcer] Branco goes for it,

he shoots and scores!

It's a goal for Brazil. Branco scores!

At that point,

I was just purely going on instinct,

so I dove and he caught me off guard.

[Branco] Had I missed it, I might

be living on a Caribbean island today.

I might never have come back to Brazil.

[chuckles]

Go, Massaro!

[Rinaldi] I've known Taffarel

from the start.

Later on, he told me

that on the first two penalties

he wanted to save them so badly.

that he ended up moving too early,

and wasn't able to do it.

He went, "Hold on, I need to concentrate

and wait for the right moment to move."

[announcer] Two penalties left

for each team.

Massaro goes for it. Taffarel!

Nice save by Taffarel!

Dunga was coming up next.

"Oh no, it's the captain."

And I said, "Oh, man, he's so stiff."

Do you have any idea

of the pressure Dunga felt

walking from midfield to the penalty spot?

In his head, he must've felt

like he walked a thousand kilometers,

as if he'd never get to the goal.

[announcer] The captain

carefully places the ball.

To rewrite my story, be part

of a team, become world champion,

make history for my country,

bring joy to my people,

and help decide the game.

I had a penalty to kick.

[announcer] Dunga goes for it,

right foot, shoots,

It's a goal! It's a goal!

I had to make it. I practiced that shot.

There's no other way.

I have to kick it in the side netting

where he can't reach it.

Dunga took a straight shot.

I thought maybe he'd send it across.

Back then, I didn't know

the shooters that well.

Unlike today, when you can study

every penalty they've taken.

Back then, I had to rely on instinct

and luck, but unfortunately,

my gut told me to go to the wrong side.

[Dunga] It was a World Cup

where we complemented each other

and had great respect for one another.

Everyone thought about

how to do their very best

and to add to the team.

[announcer 1 in Spanish]

Baggio steps up to take it.

[announcer 2 in English]

Everyone waves to Taffarel.

It's Baggio against Taffarel.

If Taffarel saves it, it's over!

Because Baggio

was a really good penalty kicker,

but the truth is,

in that moment, it was rough.

It was a tense moment for everyone there.

Come on, we can do it, man! Let's go!

[dramatic music playing]

[tense music playing]

And Roberto Baggio,

who only took low shots,

and was an amazing scorer,

I mean, can you imagine how hard it is

having to score a penalty kick?

[announcer] Brazil has three,

Italy has two.

If Taffarel saves it,

Brazil's the champion.

Penalty can truly change your life.

[announcer] He takes the shot. It's over!

It's over!

It's over! Brazil!

Brazil is four time champion!

We did it, Brazil!

We're four-time champion!

"We're the champions!"

It was definitely one

of the happiest moments of my life.

[announcer] It's the fourth title!

It's the fourth title!

It was a dream true come true.

My dream came true.

[announcer] An exorcism

of all the ghosts of the past!

This is the happiest moment

of my life to this day.

[announcer] Who's the boss

of world soccer?

It's Brazil!

If someone had scored a goal in the game,

they would've been labeled

as the sole hero of fourth title.

Even Baggio kicking it high made our title

become more of a collective effort.

The title of work, of unity

and overcoming adversities, of the people.

[announcer] We often criticized you,

but you showed inner strength rarely seen.

You are worthy of the position you hold.

Thank you, Parreira!

No one believed in that team,

but we did it because we believed.

[announcer] Courage, strength, bravery

and love for that yellow jersey.

And then, to add to all the emotion,

the players come in

with Ayrton Senna's banner.

You know,

Brazil really needed that title to heal.

And in comes, "Ayrton Senna,

we race with you."

[announcer] Ayrton Senna is the eternal

championin the hearts of all Brazilians.

The players pay tribute to him.

"Senna, we race together."

"The fourth-title is ours."

It's too much for me.

[inspirational music playing]

When we won, we walked up there.

All the way.

We went to get the cup and celebrate.

[Zinho] Captain Dunga

had turned things around.

Back then, they butchered him.

"The Dunga era."

In '94, he lifts the World Cup trophy.

[inspirational music playing]

Lifting the trophy

doesn't make you a champion.

It's all the preparation

and organization behind it.

[announcer] Brazil wants

to see this trophy up high!

Brazil wants to shout it out loud!

Four-time World Cup champions!

I never imagined that I'd leave Bag,

on the Uruguayan border,

60 kilometers from Uruguay,

far down in the south of Brazil.

To think I'd leave that very small town

and conquer the world,

it's quite something, isn't it?

[announcer] Romrio's in tears.

Who said he was undisciplined

and didn't take things seriously?

Look at him proving everyone wrong.

[heartfelt music playing]

[Romrio] It was a victory for my parents,

and for my teammates' parents too.

A victory for that generation

that had gone through so much in 1990,

something that would last forever.

Yeah, it's the reason

I'm here today, talking to you.

I went down those huge stairs,

that trophy in my hand.

People were reaching, and I said,

"You can hold it. It's ours, touch it."

That was seen all over the world.

It was a moment I'll never forget.

[announcer] Our World Cup!

Our national team!

What a fighting spirit, what excitement!

What joy for Brazil!

[man] Congratulations, champions!

- There's a huge party waiting for us.

- [man] Ah, yeah!

That's what I heard.

- [Jorginho] Congrats! You're the best!

- Thanks Jorginho.

- [Jorginho] You crushed it!

- Debts are settled. Let's close the books.

[Jorginho] Leo, congratulations, man!

Congrats, kid!

Ronaldinho! 17 years old

and already four-time world champion!

Mrcio, you're the best, kid!

This is a king!

We are four-time champions!

We are awesome!

They were talking trash about us,

but God is fair.

- [Jorginho] Congrats, Mora!

- Thanks for everything, Jorginho.

I really mean it.

There are only two four-time champions

in the world, Brazil and Zagallo, damn it!

Let's go!

Thanks!

We did it!

Four-time champions! Four-time champions!

FOUR-TIME FOOTBALL WORLD CHAMPIONS

[man] Check out the fourth star

there, you guys!

BRAZIL

[spirited folksy music playing]

"Friends forever."

That's our motto to this day.

We got to Brazil,

we're in Brazilian airspace.

We look out, two jets.

Two fighter jets

from the Air Force

were escorting us back home.

We were greeted like w*r heroes, for real.

[Silva] The first city we went to

after the World Cup was Recife,

so we could thank the people there

for all the love they showed us.

Because that's where it started.

The pilot said, "There's a crowd

of a million people down there

waiting for you."

When the plane was landing and we saw it,

that's when I shed

my first tear. I was moved.

When we came back to Brazil

and saw the country going crazy,

those images will never leave my mind.

Not only in mine, but of all the guys

who where there too.

It was just out of this world.

I was next to the president,

the guy from customs and everyone else.

And suddenly, one of the security guard

came running up to us, sweating,

and said, "Hey, the crowds

tearing down the airport fences."

"They're going to break in any time now."

[festive Brazilian music playing]

[crowd cheering]

We would looked up at the buildings

and they were all

doing the baby rocking gesture together.

It was such an amazing feeling]

And for those who were ten

or 15 at the time,

it's the first time

they saw Brazil win a World Cup.

It's the first thing they said.

So what's the impact it has

on a child from that country?

It means hope for them.

When we saw all that joy,

we all felt a little like,

"Damn, we went through

a lot in four years."

"We trained, we sacrificed.

It was really hard, but totally worth it."

"We're bringing joy.

Look at how happy everyone is."

"No one's thinking about anything

but celebrating. That's what we want."

"No one's wondering about the person

next to them, if they're rich or poor,

what religion they are,

what team they like."

"No. Joy is bringing

the country together."

No one can achieve such an important

victory without a strong group.

It's about the collective, society,

a group of people,

an entire country, you know?

It's really nice to revisit everything.

We turned on a street, and I remember

the image of a boy up in a tree,

and he cried and cried.

They were all

It was a really tough time in the country.

And the people got it.

Brazil!

[Bebeto] Nothing compares to it.

I get emotional just talking about it,

because it was really powerful.

It was something so

I believe it was all worth it,

the struggle, all of it.

I get choked up talking about it.

[all shouting]

[festive music continues]

Honestly, I'm still celebrating

to this day.

After everything we had gone through,

the team just needed to believe.

That's what happened. We believed.

We need to believe again.

Not just in soccer, but in our country.

[crowd cheering]

[lively pop music playing]

[music ends]