brazil

1973 nd and the Brazillians are in town.
Three years earlier Brazil had won the Worl Cup with a side that was generally regarded as the best team of all time.
By 1973 Pele had retired but Brazil still brough the likes of Jairzinho, Rivelino and Clodoaldo to Dublin.
Opposing them was the team that dare not speak its name.
For the only time in the modern era, an All Ireland team took the field, but due to opposition from the IFA in the north, they were billed as the Shamrock Rovers All Ireland XI.
Johnny Giles and Derek Dougan were the men charged with getting the team on the field. Giles sounded out Derek Dougan then the Northern Ireland captain.
"I put the idea of north and south coming together to play Brazil at a meeting in London with the two senior officials of the IFA - Harry Cavan, the president and Billy Drennan the secretary" recalls Dougan.
"My hands were wet with the sweat of nervous tension.Here I thought. we were talking about history in the making - talking and building bridges"
"Then came the moment I will remember for the rest of my life.Mr Cavan received the news as if a bomb has hit him.I was confronted by a stony silence"
"Cavan informed me tersely that he would put the matter to the IFA"
"Drennan was entusiastic, but I never heard from either again"
"I had been captain of Northern Ireland for the previous four years, but after the meeting I never played again"
"Cavan told the manager not to pick me. That didint stop me and we gave the world champions one hell of a game"
Giles and Dougan picked six players from the Republic of Ireland and five from Northern Ireland including current Celtic manager Martin O Neill .
Brazil won a thrilling game 4-3 at Lansdowne Road with goals from Cesar (2), Jairzinho and Valderimo.
Mick Martin,Terry Conroy and Dougan scored for Ireland.
The official attendance was 35000 but Dougan reckons that figure has grown with the years.
"There are five million people on the island of Ireland and I think about four million of them claim to have been at that game" he laughed.
"It rained all day but the attendance was 35K. That is how it captured the imagination at the time, and even now, I meet people and they want to talk about the time the two Irelands combined"
"You have to understand that half of this Brazil team had been part of the greatest side to play the game in 1970"
"What made it special for me is that I personally know fans from both sides of the community in the north who travelled down to get a glimpse of the best of Irish taking them on"
Liam Touhy managed the Irish and Dougan for one was well impressed with the Dubliner.
"My instructions were pretty simple really" recalled Touhy.
"I though John Giles was one of the best passers of the ball in the world and I would have been anxious for him to get enough possession to run the game"
Giles made a special effort to be in peak condition for the match.
"The game came in the middle of the close season so I had to train right through my summer holidays" said Giles
"I was staying down in Wexford and I was running on the beach to stay fit. The last thing I wanted was to be out of condition taking on Brazil"
The game created a huge buzz in Dublin and lived up to its billing.
A Paulo Cesar penalty after 12 minutes gave Brazil the lead but Mick Martin soon equalised.
Jairzinho restored Brazils lead just before the break and Caesar made it 3-1 soon after.
Then Valdomiro got Brazils fourth and the Samba kings were in cruise mode.
But an inspired double substitution by Touhy changed the game.
Bryan Hamilton and Liam O Kane came on for Don Givens and Tommy Carroll and quickly made an impact.
A one-two between Hamilton and Conroy ended with Dougan heading past Leao.
The with 11 minutes to go, another Dougan header was bundled over the line by Conroy to set up a grandstand finish.
Irealnd had most of the pressure from there on but Pat Jennings- Englands Footballer of the Year at the time had to save a second penalty from Cesar late on.
Brazil held on for their $500 a man win bonus.
"I really think we could have won if there had been another five or ten minutes to play" said Dougan.
"The crowd were roaring us on and the Brazillians were definitely rattled".
"They hadent conceeded three goals in any game during their tour and that included wins over the likes of West Germany"