Ian Hargraves, writing in the Liverpool Daily Post stated that the first goal "was a shattering blow and one from which Liverpool never recovered. Watched by a crowd of 62,000, Flamengo took the lead in the 12th minute when João Batista Nunes scored. Zico's pass put Nunes past the Liverpool defence and his precise shot from the right-hand side of the Liverpool penalty area went past Grobbelaar to give Flamengo a 3–0 lead. Liverpool captain Thompson was equally unsure about why they had failed to match Flamengo: “We let them dictate the pace of the game. 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. It was a doddle in the first half. [9] Before the match, Liverpool manager Bob Paisley was informed of the death of goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar's father. They won 3–0 in extra time courtesy of goals from Craig Johnston, Terry McDermott and Kenny Dalglish. [20] The two teams met each other again in the final of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup. 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. [7], Liverpool's last match before the Intercontinental Cup was against Arsenal in the fourth round of the 1981–82 Football League Cup. [15] They also won the 1981–82 Football League Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 in the final. They were eliminated in the quarter-finals after Bulgarian team CSKA Sofia won 2–1 over two-legs. It was the fourth successive victory by a South American team. [11] Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness praised the performance of Zico: “I wanted to see how he would react to a physical challenge, but I couldn’t get close enough to him to find out. [8] The last match Flamengo played before the Intercontinental Cup was against Vasco de Gama in the final match of the 1981 Campeonato Carioca. The pass went over Thompson's head and Nunes placed the ball beyond Grobbelaar with his first touch to give Flamengo the lead. [18] However, they were unable to retain the Copa Libertadores in 1982. [5] The second leg and replay were marred by brutality. They extended their lead in the 34th minute when Adílio added a second. The annual Intercontinental Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup and Copa Libertadores. It was decided to keep the news of the death from him to maintain his focus on the match. They had been scheduled to take place in 1977 and 1978 but did not compete. [16] Despite their domestic success, Liverpool were unable to retain the European Cup. [11] A third goal followed seven minutes later. [13], Liverpool manager Paisley was at a loss to describe his team's performance: "I have never seen our team so dull, so lacking in ideas and aggression. [6], The first chance fell to Flamengo in the 12th minute, which they scored from. [19], A decision by the FIFA Council in 2017, considered all previous winners of the Intercontinental Cup to be world champions, on the same level as the FIFA Club World Cup. Liverpool qualified for the Intercontinental Cup as the reigning European Cup winners. Zico was sensational.”[14], Liverpool finished the 1981–82 Football League First Division in first place, four points clear of Ipswich Town in second place. I simply cannot understand it". They had declined to take par… [12], Flamengo manager Carpegiani was delighted with his team's performance: "We were magnificent in the first half when I thought Liverpool were very disappointing. Flamengo qualified for the Intercontinental Cup for the first time following their Copa Libertadores Cup success. They beat Chilean team Cobreloa 2–0 in a playoff after the previous two-legs had resulted in a 2–2 draw on points. This left a gap through which Zico's shot went, although Grobbelaar was able to stop the shot, the rebound fell to Adílio, who scored to give Flamengo a 2–0 lead. [10] In the second half, Flamengo were content to protect the lead and played possession football for the most part. "[10] He also noted that "The Brazilians, playing their 77th game of the season, stroked the ball around with loving care and always had time to spare. 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. [11], Flamengo nearly added a fourth goal before half time, but Andrade's shot was saved by Grobbelaar. [6] It was Flamengo's first appearance in the Intercontinental Cup after winning the Copa Libertadores for the first time. [10] Soon after, Flamengo were awarded a free-kick when Liverpool midfielder Terry McDermott brought down Tita. Flamengo won 2–1 with goals from Adílio and João Batista Nunes to win the competition. The first mention of the creation of the Intercontinental and LibertadoresCups was published by Brazilian and Spanish newspapers on 9 October 1958, referring to Havelange's announcement of the project to create such competitions, which he uttered during a UEFA meeting he a… They declined to play in 1977 and were replaced by runners-up Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Liverpool decided against playing Boca Juniors in 1978 due to the brutality of previous Intercontinental Cup matches. They had declined to take part in 1977 and 1978 after they won the European Cup. We never played as we can do, and everyone knows we can do". Flamengo players Adílio and Lico were cut by a rock brought onto the pitch by Cobreloa defender Mario Soto during the second leg. 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. "[10] The next chance of the match fell to Flamengo defender Júnior. [11] Reflecting on the match in a later interview, Andrade acknowledged the importance of playmaker Zico: “Zico was the great player in that team, but alongside him there was a lot of quality. Flamengo qualified by winning the primary South American cup competition, the Copa Libertadores. They won the 1980–81 European Cup defeating Spanish team Real Madrid 1–0 in the final. In the second half we managed the game.”[6] Zico felt the Liverpool players had underestimated the ability of Flamengo: “Liverpool were the best team in Europe and they continued being so, they had high-quality players, great technical ability, but Flamengo played much better football and maybe they didn’t expect we would be so strong.” Zico was awarded a Toyota Celica as a result of him being named man of the match.