The largest attendance in the Brazilian Championship history. One hundred and fifty-five thousand, five hundred and twenty-three fans. That alone would be enough to make May 29, 1983, a day in history. But there was a special game on the field. A game that cemented the Flamengo's supremacy in national football, with the third Brazilian championship title in four years. The game that demonstrated that Maracanã and Flamengo truly possessed a unique symbiosis. Whatever the disadvantage, at home, the problem would be solved. 

Flamengo, three-time Brazilian champion. Raul, Leandro, Marinho, Mozer, Junior, the defense that had indoctrinated Liverpool's attack in 1981. Adílio and Zico, the maestros in the middle. Bigu, Elder, Baltazar, and Julio Cesar, the special supporting players in the conquest. Bebeto, still a young and ambitious striker from Bahia who would go on to achieve worldwide success 10 years later, and Robertinho, the mastermind behind the fatal cross that Adílio completed in the 44th minute to seal the victory. A great team that will never be forgotten by Flamengo fans, who still sing at the top of their lungs in the stadium when enumerating the titles: "Mengo thrashed them in 83." Yes, they thrashed them. Three to zero. The biggest margin in a Brazilian Championship final to date. Undisputed. 

The 1983 Brazilian Championship

The '83 Nacional was one of those. Back in the days of strange regulations that changed every year, that edition featured 40 teams in eight groups of five clubs each. Each group had a home and away leg, with the top three qualifying, with the fourth advancing to the playoffs. You have to play, right? Flamengo went out there and played. In Group A, with Rio Negro, Paysandu, Moto Club, and Santos itself, Mengão emerged undefeated with 12 points, in second place. In the second phase, another group, now with four teams: Palmeiras, Americano, and Tiradentes, plus Flamengo. Three wins, one draw, and one loss, securing a spot in second place for the third phase. Another group, again with four teams, with Goiás, Corinthians, and Guarani in the bracket. The same campaign, eight points, top, and qualified. 

Finally, the group stage gave way to the knockout stages. And right off the bat, a classic. Flamengo and Vasco decided who would be in the semifinals in two matches. In the first, Adílio and Julio Cesar scored in a 2-1 victory. 

In the second leg, everything was tied. Flamengo could have drawn to secure the spot. Vasco took the lead, but Zico equalized in the second half, giving the match its final score and advancing to the next round. 

In the semifinal, the opponent was Atlético Paranaense. It was a very tough match. The Paraná team had a great team, highlighted by the famous Casal 20, formed by Washington and Assis. In Rio, Mengão crushed them. In front of 100 fans, the Mais Querido overwhelmed Atlético. There were countless missed goals, a massacre. In the first half, Zico made it 45-XNUMX, but it could have been much, much more. In the final XNUMX minutes, Vítor extended the lead after another barrage of missed chances. With the advantage, Flamengo still wanted more goals, they wanted to go to Curitiba with a big advantage. And Zico did, from the penalty spot. Three-XNUMX. The lead was great, but as it proved in the second leg, it was still dangerous. 

Atlético Paranaense had performed very well in the previous stages and were counting on their home fans to reverse the deficit. On a punishing Couto Pereira pitch, Atlético was a valiant team and nearly closed the gap in the first half. Washington scored twice, from two crosses by Capitão, leaving the lead at just one for the remainder of the match. It was up to Flamengo to use their best weapon: passing. Instead of attacking and creating space, which Atlético most wanted, the Rubro-Negro played the ball. They played, turned, turned, passed, and rotated. Forty-five minutes of back and forth, irritating Atlético fans and letting the clock tick, taking advantage of the fact that their rival had burned a lot of fuel in the first half. The tactic worked, and qualification for the final came in the end. 

In the end

Flamengo vs. Santos. Previously, Santos vs. Flamengo. Morumbi Stadium, May 22, 115 fans. Despite Santos's better performance in the first stage, the rules stipulated that the team with the most points in the third stage would host the final. In this case, Maracanã Stadium would host the grand final and the playoff, if necessary. 

Santos didn't care and worked to open up a lead in the final. In the first half, Pita made it one-nil with a beautiful shot from outside the box. Serginho Chulapa doubled the lead in the 18th minute, galvanizing the black-and-white fans who packed the São Paulo stadium. But the celebration was short-lived. Five minutes later, Baltazar pulled one back. The goal was crucial to the final score. Flamengo needed to win by two goals to retain the trophy, a considerably easier task than scoring twice just to level the score. 

Zico, right at the beginning. 

That May 29th had it all. Besides the sea of ​​people at Maracanã, there was a Flamengo team that fought from the first second to score the goal that would pave the way for the title. And it came, of course, at the feet of Zico. Fifty seconds in, Julio César ran down the wing, made a mad dash for Toninho, and crossed. Baltazar shot, the defense cleared, Junior grabbed the rebound, Marolla saved, and the ball fell to someone's feet. Zico scored and quickly returned to midfield. The score was open at the Biggest Stadium in the World.

Flamengo attacked, Santos responded. The São Paulo team fought for a draw, ball after ball. And when they launched into the attack with more pressure, Flamengo found their goal. In the 39th minute, Zico curled a perfect free kick into the path of Leandro, who headed in a second goal at the near post. A real drenching of the Santos team. 

The second half was tense. For Flamengo, one goal was enough to win the trophy. Santos needed a goal to force a third leg. A goal in the net would have changed the entire course of the championship at that point. And it stubbornly refused to go in, until, in the 43rd minute, Robertinho made a beautiful play and crossed perfectly for Adílio. The "Good Little Black Guy" rose, headed the ball, and ended the competition. Three-nil. End of story. Three-time Brazilian champion with honor, merit, and goals.