The Santos side that silenced La Bombonera

On the night of September 11 , 1963, a Wednesday, Santos walked into La Bombonera in front of 85,000 Boca Juniors supporters. It was a fanatical crowd, pushing the Argentine side in search of an unprecedented title. The match also set a new revenue record for football games in the Americas: 120,000 dollars.

There were plenty of reasons for the Argentinians to believe in the title. In the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final, at the Maracanã, Santos went 3–0 up, with two goals from Coutinho and one from Lima. In the closing minutes, however, Sanfilippo scored twice and cut the lead to 3–2. The result kept Boca alive and turned La Bombonera into a boiling cauldron.

As the 1962 Libertadores champion, Santos entered directly into the semifinal. Their opponent was Botafogo, clear leader of a group that included Alianza Lima of Peru and Millonarios of Colombia . Santos and Botafogo formed the backbone of the Brazilian National Team at that year's World Cup, and the Rio club had finished as Brazilian runner-up, behind Peixe.

In the first meeting, at Pacaembu, Santos struggled to secure a 1–1 draw, with Pelé scoring in the 45th minute of the second half. At the Maracanã, however, in front of more than 44,000 spectators, the team from Vila Belmiro gave their opponents no chance: 4–0, with three goals from Pelé and one from Lima.

On the other side was Boca Juniors, Argentine champions and Libertadores debutants. In the group stage, the Argentinians got past Olimpia of Paraguay and Universidad de Chile. In the semifinal, they defeated the mighty Peñarol, Uruguayan champions, with two wins.

The 3–2 defeat at the Maracanã made the tension for the decisive match even greater. The pressure was enormous, the pitch was in terrible condition, and Santos would need to withstand a hostile atmosphere to conquer the continent once again.

Without Mengálvio, coach Lula made changes to the team. Lima was moved into midfield, Dalmo took the right-back spot, and Geraldino came in on the left. Santos started with Gylmar, Dalmo, Mauro, Calvet and Geraldino; Lima and Zito; Dorval, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe.

Boca, coached by Aristóbolo Deambrosi, lined up with Errea, Magdalena, Orlando Peçanha and Simeone; Rattin and Silveira; Grillo, Menéndez, Rojas, Sanfilippo and González. The match was refereed by Frenchman Marcel Albert Bois.

Needing to win, Boca went on the attack from the opening minutes. Gylmar, in great form, was forced to work hard and made a series of important saves. Santos also found space, and Pelé came close to scoring, but was stopped violently. The referee kept control of the situation and booked the offender.

The first half ended goalless. Santos controlled the game, while Boca tried to turn the pressure from the stands into an advantage on the pitch.

Right in the first minute of the second half, Grillo crossed into the area. Gylmar and Mauro got in each other's way trying to intercept the ball, which fell to Sanfilippo. The Argentine forward controlled it and struck with his right foot into the net.

La Bombonera erupted. At 1–0, the final would go to a third match. Santos only needed a draw. And the response came immediately. Three minutes later, Dorval intercepted a poorly taken goal kick by Errea and played it to Pelé. The King looked up and spotted Coutinho breaking between the center-backs. The striker received it and hit a low, firm shot into the corner. Santos goal.

The Argentine celebration lasted only three minutes. The equalizer restored control of the match to Peixe and changed the atmosphere inside La Bombonera. Mauro marshaled the defense with assurance. Lima delivered a brilliant performance in support, while Dalmo and Geraldino were helped by Dorval and Pepe in containing the runs of Grillo and González. Up front, Coutinho and Pelé began to find spaces to torment the Argentine defense.

Then, in the 37th minute, came the decisive blow. Coutinho received the ball on the left wing, moved forward, cut inside and found Pelé at the edge of the box. Surrounded by three opponents, the King slipped the ball through Orlando Peçanha's legs and, as Errea came out, poked it into the back of the net. It was Santos's second goal. For a moment, La Bombonera fell silent. Pelé was immediately surrounded by his teammates. And something rare happened that night: the greatest player in the world was applauded by the entire stadium, including part of the relentless home crowd, won over by the genius of the King of Football.

Santos beat Boca Juniors 2–1, conquered the continent once again, and secured the right to play for the world title against Milan , the European champions. Another historic battle would follow. Against the Italians, Santos would produce one of the most spectacular comebacks in its history. But that is another story. One among so many unforgettable dates in the unmatched history of Santos Futebol Clube.