A window on the past: sixty years have passed since the 1962 World Cup final. The Brazilians were afraid of us, says veteran Václav Mašek

Czechoslovak footballers flew to the 1962 World Cup in Chile almost as outcasts, almost nobody believed they could compete in the strong competition. They returned as heroes, making it all the way to the final. There they lost to defending champions Brazil after a great drama, two minutes after Josef Masopust’s leading goal, they even thought they had triumphed.

On Friday, 17 June, it was exactly 60 years (it was a Saturday then) since the 1962 World Cup final in Chile, in which the Czechoslovak team lost to the defending champions Brazil 1:3.

An achievement that should not be forgotten even after many years. A success that only five participants – Jan Lála, Václav Mašek, Josef Jelínek, Adolf Scherer and Jozef Štibrányi – remember.

At the World Championships their followers did not even come close to such a result. The last joint federal selection reached the quarter-finals at the championship in Italy in 1990, other attempts to become more visible were made in the preliminary group – 1970 Mexico, 1982 Spain and the only participation of the independent Czech selection in 2006 in Germany.

Fans have become more accustomed to Czech footballers being absent from the world banquet, as in Qatar in Asia this year.

“I have always wondered if someone will follow us and achieve such success at the World Cup,” reflects Václav Mašek. “I’ve been waiting for it all my life. And I don’t know if I’ll see my successors,” he begins to doubt that Czech football will win another medal at the World Cup.

The goal scorer at the Chilean tournament against Mexico, however, has not stopped looking for success. “I always noticed when the barrage was played, because we played it too, and I’m exploring whether there could be a symbolism in it, that it could work,” he points out that coach Rudolf Vytlacil’s team only advanced to Chile after winning an additional clash with Scotland in Brussels, Belgium.

Even that did not bring a result. “We lost in the 2002 championship barrage against Belgium, succeeded in the 2006 championship against Norway, but then finished in the regular group,” Mašek analyses. And this year it didn’t work out again, the Czech team’s path to Qatar was cut short by the Swedes.

All that remains are memories of a final participation that is 60 years old. Yet it was quite close to a great triumph. “We had a chance in Chile, but the circumstances were not favourable to us,” Mašek points out. ” If we had been even more lucky, we could have won,” he points out. “All my life I’ve been convinced that the Brazilians were afraid of us,” he says.