OTD E0071 — 10 Jan 1981: Mundialito — Uruguay 2, Brazil 1, and the Night the Centenario Replayed History

10 Jan 1981: The Mundialito — Uruguay’s Copa de Oro, a “Tournament of World Champions” staged at the Centenario 50 years after 1930. Born as an AUF “Diamond” anniversary idea, it becomes a FIFA-backed mini-World Cup: Uruguay, Italy, West Germany, Argentina, Brazil — plus the Netherlands replacing England. Uruguay reach the final via a 2–0 win over Italy with three red cards, then beat Brazil 2–1 — again. Weeks later Nacional win the Intercontinental Cup… before Uruguay’s 1982 WCQ collapses vs Peru. Tips/corrections: [email protected]