It was August 25, 1979. Exactly 30 years ago, Flamengo defeated Barcelona, ​​already one of the biggest clubs in the world at the time, and secured their place in the final of the Ramón de Carranza Tournament in Cádiz, Spain. Flamengo would later win the competition with a 2-0 victory (two goals from Zico) over Ujpest of Hungary.

With Cantarele in goal; Toninho at full-back; Manguito and Nelson in defense; Júnior at left-back; a midfield of Andrade, Carpegiani (later replaced by Adílio), and Zico; and an attack featuring Tita, Cláudio Adão (later Beijoca), and Júlio Cesar (later Reinaldo), the red-and-blacks defeated the then-champions of the now-defunct European Cup Winners' Cup. At the time, the Cup Winners' Cup was the second-most important tournament in Europe, contested between the champions of each country's national cups. The Catalan team boasted prestigious players of the era, such as Juan Manuel Asensi and the Austrian Hans Krankl—both still remembered as two of the greatest names to ever wear Barça's colors.

Flamengo's goals were scored by Zico and Júlio Cesar, also known as Uri Geller. "It was a very important victory that gave us confidence to play the final against the Hungarian team, Ujpest Dozsa, who were also very good. But then, after beating Barcelona, ​​we played a great game and won the title 2-0, with two goals from me. It was our first Ramon de Carranza Cup, which was always an imposing trophy and even difficult to carry," Zico recalled in an exclusive statement to Flamengo's official website.

The opponent - The current generation, captivated by the flashy football of Messi and Iniesta, the 2008/09 Champions League champions, might not even have been born when Asensi, Krankl, and company defeated Fortuna Dusseldorf 4-3 at the Saint Jakob Stadium in Basel, Switzerland, and secured Barcelona's first European title. "That team had Austrian striker Hans Krankl, who had been Europe's top scorer the previous year. And also the very good Dane, Allan Simonsen, who had won the France Football Ballon d'Or two years earlier. Two players who are in the Catalan team's gallery," recalls Zico.

The victory over German side Fortuna Dusseldorf marked the beginning of an era of achievements at Camp Nou. A year earlier, the club had finally held an open election for its presidency, won by Josep Luiz Nunes, who gave Barça significant financial stability and placed the Catalans among the biggest clubs in Europe in 1992, when Barcelona finally won the most important continental competition.

The team that faced Flamengo on August 25, 199, was a little different from the European champions. It didn't have Dutchman Neskeens, one of the club's key players. But it did have captain Asensi, one of the club's most iconic players in its history (and scorer of the Catalans' third goal in the Winners' Cup final), as well as Austrian striker Hans Krankl, who had scored 29 goals in 30 official matches that season.

Flamengo - Although Flamengo had not yet begun its brilliant run of national and international success, it had achieved the longest unbeaten streak in Brazilian football, alongside Botafogo, with 52 games (43 wins and nine draws). In that period, between October 1978 and May 1979, the team scored 137 goals and conceded only 27. Months later, Flamengo would win its third three-time state championship in its history.

That team already formed the basis of Flamengo's "Golden Generation," which would go on to win the 1980, 1982, and 1983 Brazilian Championships, as well as the Copa Libertadores and the 1981 Interclub World Championship. "It was interesting that the Spanish placed a lot of importance on the tournament, which was played in Cádiz, but they didn't know Flamengo, which was normal at the time, and so they didn't believe we could complicate things for them in that game," Zico told Flamengo's official website.

The game - Flamengo went on the offensive against Barcelona. Just two minutes into the game, Júlio Cesar opened the scoring, taking advantage of a superb pass from Carpegiani. Uri Geller burst into the box unmarked and showed class, tapping the ball into the right corner of goalkeeper Amigo's net with his left foot: 1-0 Flamengo, much to the surprise of the home fans. The advantage led the red-and-blacks to play even more freely. Passing the ball around and imposing their own rhythm, the team kept Barcelona in check and continued the match until scoring the second. In the 38th minute, Toninho dribbled past the goalkeeper and was about to tap the ball into the back of the net, but was brought down by Amigo: a penalty, however, which the referee opted to award outside the box. Little did the Catalans know that, with Zico on the field, a foul was almost as dangerous. Galinho carefully adjusted the ball and, with perfection, placed it in the right corner, defining the first half score: Flamengo 2-0.

The second half saw even greater dominance from the Brazilians. Playing at their leisure, the team wowed the Spanish side. As the end of the match approached, Flamengo also slowed down and attempted counterattacks, exploiting Cláudio Adão's speed. But the team was unable to extend their lead and ended up conceding a goal. In the 34th minute, Esteban, who had replaced Rexach, capitalized on a loose ball to finish off Cantarele: 2-1. The goal roused Flamengo, who returned to the attack and would miss at least four clear scoring chances in the final minutes. The victory was already sealed, and Mengão left the field to a standing ovation from the Spanish fans. The source for the match report is the contemporary edition of Jornal dos Sports.

In four clashes between the clubs, Flamengo won three matches and Barça only one.

MATCH SHEET - Barcelona 1 x 2 Flamengo

Ramón de Carranza Tournament

Barcelona – Amigo; Zumbiria, Migueli, Olmo and Stela; Canotio, Landaburu and Asensi; Simonsen, Krankl and Rexach.

Flamengo – Cantarele; Toninho, Manguito, Nelson and Junior; Andrade, Carpegiani (Adilio) and Zico; Tita, Claudio Adão (Beijoca) and Julio Cesar (Reinaldo).

Date: August 25, 1979

Location: Ramón de Carranza Stadium, in Cádiz (Spain)

Arbitration: Perez

Goals: Júlio Cesar (Flamengo) in the 2nd minute of the first half, and Zico (Flamengo) in the 38th minute of the first half; and Esteban (Barcelona) in the 34th minute of the second half.

From the Flamengo official website team (TB/JSA)