Guadalajara, 7 June 1970. Brazil against England, the soon-to-be champions against the defending champions.
Jairzinho whipped in a cross from the right. Pelé rose, met it perfectly and headed the ball down hard towards the bottom corner. It looked like a certain goal, and Pelé thought so too. He shouted "goal" as the ball left his head.
Gordon Banks had other ideas. He dived across his goal and scooped the ball up and over the crossbar with his right hand.
The save of the century.
What did Pelé say about Banks's save?
Pelé had already started celebrating, so he was well placed to judge how good the save was. His later verdict was memorable: "At that moment I hated Gordon Banks more than any man in soccer." He also called it the greatest save he ever saw.
That is not a bad review from the man whose goal was stolen.
The details
- The header: downward, powerful, heading for the bottom corner
- The save: a dive across goal and a right hand to push it over
- The reaction: Pelé already shouting "goal"
- The standing: widely considered the greatest goalkeeping moment in World Cup history
The best forward in the world produced a perfect header, the goal was certain, and the best goalkeeper in the world refused to accept it. The reflexes, the technique and the angle he had to cover all make it hard to see how he got there. People have watched the replay for decades and still are not sure.
Tomorrow: number 3.
