Hill Dickinson Stadium will host Ivory Coast and Scotland on Tuesday over 30 years on from Everton's last international at Goodison Park between Brazil and Japan in 1995
World champions Brazil brought a star-studded line-up to Everton's last international at Goodison Park in 1995
World champions Brazil brought a star-studded line-up to Everton's last international at Goodison Park in 1995
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More history will be made at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday when Everton’s new home hosts Ivory Coast and Scotland for its first international game.
The 52,769 capacity venue will also stage a Women’s World Cup qualifier between England and Ukraine on June 9 and has been earmarked for five matches at the men’s 2028 European Championshis.
As well as five games at the 1966 World Cup – including the semi-final, ensuring it was the only British club ground to be ever bestowed the honour – the Blues’ previous home Goodison Park hosted 10 internationals in the British Home Championship between 1895-1973 plus three England friendlies, including their first home defeat to opponents from outside the UK when Ireland beat them 2-0 in 1949.
However, reflecting the diminishing status of ‘The Grand Old Lady’ in recent decades, it’s been over 30 years since she welcomed her last full international. What was on June 6, 1995, when world champions Brazil faced Japan in an Umbro Cup game.
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Given that the ECHO understands over 30,000 tickets have already been sold for the Ivory Coast game against Scotland, Hill Dickinson Stadium’s first international should have a bigger crowd than Goodison’s last one, but back then the attendance could have been even more as thousands of potential spectators missed out because of ticketing problems.
Joe Royle’s ‘Dogs of War’ had beaten Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United to lift the FA Cup just two-and-a-half weeks earlier and the mood going into the fixture on a balmy early summer’s evening in Merseyside was a bright one. With Goodison having hosted reigning champions Brazil’s group games in the 1966 World Cup finals, Scouse fans were looking forward to seeing some of the global game’s brightest talents once again.
The Samba stars were facing Japan in the Umbro Cup. A four-nation tournament, which also involved hosts England and Sweden, it acted as a precursor of sorts for the European Championship finals to be held in this country the following summer.
The competition provided the platform for Everton’s David Unsworth to win his solitary cap for The Three Lions, also against the Japanese at Wembley, three days before they ventured up to Merseyside.
‘Rhino’ as he was known to the Gwladys Street faithful, recalled the details behind his Three Lions call-up in 2020.
Unsworth said: “I was in Magaluf with the Everton squad. Joe had taken us away to celebrate the FA Cup win and I got a call on the Wednesday to say I’d been selected and that I needed to get the next available flight home.
“I trained on the Thursday and Friday at Bisham Abbey and then Terry Venables, who I loved working with, told me that I would be starting on the Saturday against Japan. There was me, Gary Neville, John Scales and Stan Collymore all making our England debuts.”
Unsworth also treasures meeting the biggest Brazilian star of them all when the Three Lions took on the South Americans, adding: “I remember walking up that long tunnel at the old Wembley before the Brazil game and meeting Pele. He shook my hand and we had a very quick conversation although I have to say I was overawed and didn’t know what to say!”
It was an opportunity to see Brazil’s contemporary stars – who the previous summer had ended their 24-year drought to lift their fourth World Cup – that excited Goodison spectators though.
Unlike today’s cosmopolitan Premier League with the likes of Richarlison, Bernand, Allan, Jo, Rodrigo and Anderson Silva all having represented Everton, at the time the Blues had never possessed a player from international football’s most-successful nation having missed out on the signature of Muller the year before when the striker made it as far as Goodison before his transfer collapsed because his representatives demanded a tax-free salary.
It was another one of the fringe members of the triumphant USA ’94 boys who was the big attraction here, though. Just 17 when Brazil lifted the trophy at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, Ronaldo had been part of Carlos Alberto Parreira’s squad but did not play during the tournament.
Ronaldo of Brazil in the Umbro Cup game against Japan at Goodison Park on June 6, 1995
Ronaldo of Brazil in the Umbro Cup game against Japan at Goodison Park on June 6, 1995(Image: Chris Cole/ALLSPORT)
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However, having secured his big move to Europe, following in the footsteps of compatriot Romario by plumping for PSV Eindhoven, he had plundered 35 goals in 36 games for the Dutch outfit. The ‘original’ Ronaldo duly led the line in a star-studded line-up alongside the likes of Dunga, Aldair, Edmundo, Leonardo, Rivaldo and Juninho, who would join Middlesbrough later that year.
Thunder-thighed full-back Roberto Carlos opened the scoring just six minutes in while a 3-0 stroll was completed with a second-half brace from Zinho (51, 63).
The ECHO’s Hyder Jawad wrote: “There were thousands of Brazilian soccer fans at Everton last night, though you could have listed on a peanut those of them who were actually from Brazil.
“The Brazilian flags that dominated the Goodison Park scene were not being waved by South Americans but by Europeans, people whose trip to the match was more likely to be by car than by airline. But taking on the identity of another nation for 90 minutes is all good and proper, especially where Brazil are concerned.
“The second favourite team of just about every soccer-loving individual, Brazil have become our ready symbol of a nation that has mastered the game of football better than the rest of us.”
Juninho of Brazil is pursued by Motohiro Yamaguchi of Japan in the Umbro Cup game at Goodison Park on June 6, 1995
Juninho of Brazil is pursued by Motohiro Yamaguchi of Japan in the Umbro Cup game at Goodison Park on June 6, 1995(Image: Anton Want/ALLSPORT)
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However, while those inside Goodison marvelled at the football spectacle in front of them, it was those locked outside unable to take in the action that hit the headlines.
On the day of the game, Everton secretary Michael Dunford had told the ECHO that he expected a crowd of around 20,000.
With plenty of interest courtesy of late walk-ups to the ground, the official attendance 29,237 – still a figure over 10,000 short of Goodison’s capacity. An estimated 3,000 unfortunate fans were left milling around in the streets outside the ground.
The day after the game, the ECHO reported: “An inquiry is to be held into why thousands of fans were locked outside Goodison Park last night. World champions Brazil attracted a huge surge of late support for their game against Japan.
“That left match organisers at the Everton ground unable to cope. Police decided that no more tickets should be sold on safety grounds.”
Mr Dunford admitted: “I am not happy with how things turned out. There is no reason the arrangements should not have worked.”
West Kirby solicitor Noel Fagan said: “Whatever the excuses, it just isn’t good enough. Here we have an international match in Liverpool involving the World Champions and the organisers can’t foresee the interest that was generated.”
Ian Parkinson from Walton said: “I couldn’t believe what was going on. When I got there, I was told a section of the stand was closed and I would have to get another ticket.
“The stewards had a piece of paper with a list of names but mine wasn’t on it so I was pushed from pillar to post.”
Tuesday night should be a very different experience for all concerned.
Scotland face Ivory Coast at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday, March 31 in a FIFA World Cup warm-up match. It will be the first senior men’s international fixture to be staged at Everton’s new waterfront home, and the first time the club has hosted the Scots since 1911.
Tickets are now available for this latest fixture on general sale online via theEverton website,by phone on 0151 556 1878, or in person at Hill Dickinson Stadium’s Box Office during opening hours, with prices starting from £27 for Adults and £16 for Under-16s.