With the 2010 World Cup at the quarter final stage, as expected Brazil are still going strong. Meanwhile, their South American neighbours, Uruguay have been one of the dark horses of the tournament reaching the last eight with relative ease.

Should they both win their respective quarter finals, then they would meet in a repeat of the 1970 World Cup Semi Final to battle in out for a place in the final in Johannesburg.

The Brazil team of the World Cup in 1970 has long been hailed as the greatest footballing side ever. Coach Mario Zagallo had assembled a team of players at their peak, which apart from including the greatest player in the world, Pele, also boasted the likes Gerson, Rivelino, Tostao and Jairzinho.

One of their tougher matches was an extremely physical encounter against Uruguay at the semi final stage. The Brazilian players may well have been the most skillful players in the tournament, but they were also extremely well prepared physically. Following their early exit from the 1966 World Cup, where they were quite literally kicked out of the tournament by Portugal, they were weary of being out muscled again.

However, in this game the Uruguayans were not merely physical, but also resorted to some extremely cynical foul play, which Pele et al had to counter if they were to reach the final. As well as some fantastic attacking play in the face of some full on challenges, the game is also famous for Pele’s goal that never was.

The following highlights are in Spanish and Portuguese language, but they are well worth a watch as the clip captures perfectly the intensity of the match.

Highlights – Brazil v Uruguay