Brazil v Exeter City F.C. (1914)

Brazil vs. Exeter City F.C. is the first match ever involving the Brazil national football team.[1]

Brazil vs. Exeter City
The first Brazil national football team's match ever, played vs. English team Exeter City in 1914
EventFriendly match
Brazil Exeter City F.C.
2 0
Date21 July 1914 (1914-07-21)
VenueEstádio das Laranjeiras, Rio de Janeiro
RefereeHarry Robinson (ENG)
Attendance5,000

History

The day was July 21, 1914. The setting was the field of Fluminense FC, located at Rua das Laranjeiras, in a high class area of ​​the south side of the city of Rio de Janeiro. The opponents were the English from Exeter City F.C., a third division club in England that toured South America.

To face the foreign team, the newly formed Brazilian Sports Federation (Portuguese: Federação Brazileira de Sports), FBS, brought together the best players in activity in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Among those called up were the main names of the great centers of football in Brazil: Marcos de Mendonça, Friedenreich, Abelardo De Lamare, Rubens Salles and Sílvio Lagreca.[2] There, the first squad of Brazil football team was born.

Exeter arrived for the match after winning two friendlies on Rio de Janeiro soil: first, they defeated a combined 3–0 of English players who competed in the sport's championships in Rio de Janeiro. Then they overcame the Rio de Janeiro by 5–3. The favoritism was all directed towards the Britons.

On the one hand, inexperience and Brazilian amateurism. On the other, the professionalism and curriculum of the English. The result couldn't be more like the Brazil team: in a display of skill and technique that surprised the Exeter City players, Brazil beat their opponents 2-0, with goals from Oswaldo Gomes – the first in the team's brilliant history. Brasileira – and Osman, both in the first half of the match. Astonished and powerless to react, the English resorted to violence.[3] Despite the appetite of foreign rivals, light and leisurely football by Brazilians prevailed. On that July 21, 1914, the football who becomes Five Times World Champions was born.[4]

More than a hundred years later, Exeter City F.C. is proud to have participated in the birth of the Brazil National Team. Despite having lost the match, the English club has among its greatest glories being in the pages of the most victorious football history on the planet. At its headquarters, the St. James Park, in the city of Exeter, the Britons have hoisted the flags of Brazil. From the stands, one of the main battle cries of The Grecians (The Greeks) alludes to the historic clash with Brazil:[5]

1914 Exeter City FC squad

Have you ever, have you ever

Have you ever played Brazil?

Have you ever played Brazil?

— Exeter City F.C. supporters chorus

Match details
Brazil 2–0 Exeter City
Oswaldo Gomes 28'
Osman 36'		 Report
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Harry Robinson (ENG)

See also

References
  1. Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (29 October 2012). "2 a 0, no primeiro jogo da história" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  2. "Quem foram os primeiros jogadores a defender a centenária Seleção Brasileira" (in Portuguese). O Guia dos Curiosos. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  3. Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (21 July 2015). "Primeiro jogo da Seleção Brasileira completa 101 anos" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  4. "The English connection: how Exeter City led to the creation of the Brazil national team". thesefootballtimes.co. 21 January 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  5. Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (21 July 2018). "Há 104 anos, Seleção Brasileira vencia primeira partida profissional" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 March 2022.
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