 Match programme cover, depicting Kenny Dalglish and Zico | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 13 December 1981 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | National Stadium, Tokyo | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Zico (Flamengo)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Rubio Vázquez (Mexico)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 62,000 | ||||||
The 1981 Intercontinental Cup was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Flamengo of Brazil on 13 December 1981 at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. The annual Intercontinental Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup and Copa Libertadores. Flamengo qualified for the Intercontinental Cup for the first time following their Copa Libertadores Cup success. Liverpool were also appearing in their first Intercontinental Cup. They had declined to take part in 1977 and 1978 after they won the European Cup. On 27 October 2017, following a meeting held in Kolkata, India, the FIFA Council recognised the winners of Intercontinental Cup as world champions.[3]
Liverpool qualified for the Intercontinental Cup by winning the primary European cup competition, the European Cup. They won the 1980–81 European Cup defeating Spanish team Real Madrid 1–0 in the final. Flamengo qualified by winning the primary South American cup competition, the Copa Libertadores. They beat Chilean team Cobreloa 2–0 in a playoff after the previous ties finished 2–2 on points to win the 1981 Copa Libertadores.
Watched by a crowd of 62,000, Flamengo took the lead in the 12th minute when João Batista Nunes scored. They extended their lead in the 34th minute when Adílio added a second. A further goal was scored in the 41st minute by Nunes to give Flamengo a 3–0 lead at half-time. Liverpool were unable to respond in the second half and with no further goals scored, Flamengo won the match to secure their first victory in the Intercontinental Cup. It was the fourth successive victory by a South American team.
- ^ Leme de Arruda, Marcelo (30 December 2019). "Toyota Cup – Most Valuable Player of the Match Award". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ "Liverpool 0–3 Flamengo". LFC History. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ "FIFA Council approves key organisational elements of the FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2021.