June 6th and I'm going back 26 years to 1995 and another match from the pre-Euro96 tournament known as the Umbro Cup. This time is was the match at Goodison Park, Liverpool between Japan and Brazil.
Before a rain soaked but expectant crowd of 29,327 on Merseyside, Brazil took an early lead on seven minutes through their world class left back Roberto Carlos. At the time he was still playing his club football for Palmeiras in Brazil but he was soon to join Real Madrid where he would play for eleven seasons making 527 appearances and scoring 69 goals on his way to winning three Champions Leagues and four Spanish League titles. Overall he appeared 125 times for Brazil scoring 11 goals.
We had to wait until seven minutes into the second half for Brazil's second to come along but when it did it was a thing of beauty. The ball dropped to Zinho just outside the Japanese penalty area and he hit it on the volley back past the keeper and into the net. Perhaps Zinho knew a thing or two about the opposition as he was playing his club football for Yokohama Flugels in Japan. In fact, somewhat unusually for an International side these days, every Japanese player on show (including the substitutes) that day played in the Japan's domestic league, known as the J-League.
12 minutes later and that man Zinho scored again, notching Brazil's third to conclude the scoring for the evening. In total Zinho appeared 57 times for Brazil scoring seven goals and was a member of the triumphant Brazil squad at the World Cup of 1994. Unusually for a top Brazilian player he never played for a European club, making most of his appearances in Brazilian football with short spells in Japan and the USA.
Little did I know it at the time but this wasn't to be the last time that I would attend a Japan v Brazil match. My next one would come in 2006. But that's another story....
CRB Match No. 974
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