SWEDEN 2-5 BRAZIL

The 1958 World Cup was one of the most exciting major tournaments of all time, and the final turned out to be a classic match up of the host nation Sweden and the overwhelming favourites Brazil. Brazil had failed to win the World Cup on home soil eight years earlier, and were widely considered the strongest nation never to have taken the title. To do so in Sweden they would have to make history by becoming the first team to win the tournament in a continent other than their own.

Sweden, in their first final, had knocked out defending champions West Germany in the semi-final and immediately set about creating another shock. Less than four minutes had been played when Nils Liedholm beat two men on the edge of the Brazilian penalty area and drove his shot into the corner of the net. To the delight of the home crowd, Sweden led 1-0, but their joy would not last. Five minutes later, Garrincha crossed from near the goal line and Vavá was on hand to tap home from close range and level the scores.

Sweden did not learn from the goal that they had conceded, and shortly after the half-hour mark were undone again with an almost identical move. Another Garrincha cross gave Vavá another tap-in and Brazil had the lead. The hosts still trailed at half time, and ten minutes after the restart a piece of genius from teenage star Pelé swung the match even further in Brazil's favour. Controlling the ball on his chest, Pelé then flicked it up over a defender and volleyed low into the net to increase the lead to 3-1.

Sweden tried to fight back, but Brazil were too strong. With 22 minutes remaining, a corner from Mario Zagallo was only half-cleared and the ball found its was back to Zagallo, who beat one man and shot home from close range. With ten minutes remaining, a Swedish attack ended up with the ball at the feet of Agne Simonsson in space in the Brazilian penalty area, and he beat goalkeeper Gylmar to give the home fans a glimmer of hope, but it would prove to be no more than that.

Sweden could not find the third goal that would have given them a chance of a miraculous fightback, and in the final minute of the match Brazil scored again. Zagallo floated in a looping cross from the left, and Pelé looped his header over Karl Svensson in the Swedish goal. For the first time in their history, Brazil were world champions, and in 17-year old Pelé had a new hero who would go on to become the finest player of all time.