Bolivia vs. Brazil: From Brazil in La Paz to Brazil in La Paz

All of Bolivia’s major moments have occurred against Brazil; be it winning the 1963 Copa America title against them 5-4, a 1979 Copa America 2-1 win that statistically was the greatest upset of all time, the match against Brazil in 1993 that began it all, or the terrible injustice of a match in 1997 that ended it. Unlike previous walks back in time, I’ll tell this one in forward motion, because these matches are the very history of Bolivian soccer.

1993: I’ve written about this match at length, but I’ll do so again. A best-ever generation of Bolivians had reached two World Youth Cups in the 80s and had won three of four Italia 90 qualifiers (eliminated on goal difference).

They began the 1994 campaign in hope in La Paz and did what no team had ever done before: they beat Brazil in a World Cup qualifier, 2-0. Brazil had been able to preserve an incredible record over the years but it ended here, as in the second-last minute Marco Etcheverry ran the length of the field and did well to squeeze out a shot from the goal line despite rigid marking. Keeper Taffarel spilled it behind him and immediately went from hero to villain after having saved a penalty. A minute later Alvaro Peña smartly finished a one-on-one break.

Bolivia would go on to U.S. 1994, and this match more than any other (except perhaps the WC 1994 game against Germany) has been a symbol of that team and those times for the Bolivian nation ever since.

1997: The tragedy. The 1997 Copa America was staged in Bolivia and a declining Bolivian team had one last hurrah, unexpectedly squeezing out five consecutive wins to reach the final of their own tournament against Ronaldo and Romario’s World Champion Brazil.

After Brazil scored an offside goal in the 41st minute, Erwin Sanchez scored a miracle goal from 40 metres on halftime, and Bolivia took the game by the balls in the second half, hitting the goalframe THREE times with a free kick and two diving headers. Meanwhile Edmundo elbowed his marker in the face but was not sent off, and the all-stars held on grimly. Then, completely against the play, Brazil did a Brazil, setting up an isolated half-chance for Ronaldo in the 79th minute and the greatest pure goalscorer of all time buried it from the edge of the penalty area. Brazil finished it at the end, 3-1. Justice is a fallacy.

Since then:

2001: A small measure of revenge, as 1993 veteran Julio Cesar Baldivieso nailed a free kick from far on the touchline and Brazil’s A-team, still chasing a World Cup spot after three teams had already qualified for Korea/Japan before them, sunk yet again that year, 3-1. There is a better description of that match here.

In the corresponding match four years later, at which I was present in 2005, a creaking Baldivieso again received the ball on the boundary line far out in the exact position in the second half, and the crowd suddenly buzzed in memory. He heard it, so he tried the same arc towards the far post, but this time the Brazilian keeper was wise, and Bolivia drew Brazil-lite 1-1.

The last match between these two in late 2008 is already a relic, in which a faltering Brazil were astonishingly held 0-0 at home by Bolivia’s worker ants. Since then Brazil have picked up the pieces and kicked on, Bolivia beat Argentina 6-1, Joaquin Botero retired, and Bolivia sank again.