After having won the 1962 edition of the Copa Libertadores da América, Santos F.C., according to the old tournament system, qualified directly for the semi-final. Led by Pelé, Santos' first matches would be against Botafogo, who had qualified very well in the group stage. Although Botafogo was not the great team of the past few years, it would not be an easy task — to eliminate Botafogo.

In the middle of Pacaembu, even though the match was not pleasant and Santos, in general, did not play well, Pelé was the only one who stood out fully. Botafogo was doing very well in defense, but Pelé, with all his football knowledge, was enough to break the opponent's defensive system. Santos, shortly after conceding the goal, went after Botafogo in search of the equalizing goal. At the end of the game, Pelé and Coutinho combined very well, and, face to face, with Manga, Pelé chipped the Botafogo goalkeeper. Pelé was considered the best player of the match. Even if Pelé had been completely ruled out, the extraordinary goal he scored in the 90th minute was enough to be worth the price to see the match.


MATCH REPORT: Pelé, the extraordinary Brazilian forward of Santos, ended up showing last night, in Pacaembu, all his exuberance of his football art, when he wonderfully scored the equalizing goal for his team, in the game against Botafogo. By the chip he gave Manga in the last minute of the game, and by other moves he made during the 90 minutes of the game, Pelé was the greatest figure on the field.


By the second match, played at Maracanã, Pelé simply, in an incredibly dominant way, ended the game. It was a magnificent performance by the entire Santista team, especially Pelé, who was a force capable of deciding the fate of the match at any time. In addition to an exceptional performance, especially in the first half, Pelé scored a hat-trick against Botafogo, even scoring a goal from the penalty spot. Santos, led by the genius, would play in the 1963 Copa Libertadores finals against Boca Juniors.


MATCH REPORT: Full marks for genius. He made a first half to watch standing or on your knees.


The first match of the final was an arduous one; with two opponents constantly guarding Pelé. This time, Pelé was not responsible for putting the ball in the back of the net, but for moving opponents, thus serving balls in excellent condition to teammates. Pelé played smartly, strategically. The team, in general, looked a little tired, as they were unable to maintain the same physical pace in the second half. However, the score of 3:2 was a good start to the final. Pelé did not perform in the same way as in the two matches against Botafogo, but he was still mentioned as one of the highlights of the Brazilian team.

La Bombonera, stage of the second match between Boca Juniors and Santos, a very difficult stadium to play as a visitor — and it has always been like that. The match promised to be an exceptional battle, with several physical duels and constant individual clashes. As much as Sanfilippo, in the first minute of the second half, balanced the aggregate score, after a bad replacement by goalkeeper Errea, Dorval kept the ball, passed it to Pelé and the main Brazilian player passed the ball to Coutinho, who tied the score.

Throughout the match, Pelé was the constant target of aggression and very harsh fouls from the Argentine players. He, however, with his resistance and immense skill, managed to get rid of the markers on most occasions. Pelé had a lot of psychology not to fall for Argentine provocations, too.

At the end of the match, Coutinho passes the ball to Pelé, who is face to face with the Boca Juniors marker. In an individual move, he, Pelé, nutmegs the opponent and shoots with his right foot, thus scoring Santos' second goal. 1:2.


José Castelo: Pelé, once again, was the decisive factor in yet another consecration for Santos, who repeated his feat last year, defeating Boca Juniors, Argentine champions, in their own domains.

» For his spectacular performance in the final minutes of the game, when Santos consolidated the victory — the tie already gave them the ranking and the title of two-time South American champion — Pelé was the best figure on the pitch and, for that very reason, was hunted by the defense of Boca.


With another exceptional performance by Pelé, Santos wins its second Copa Libertadores. Pelé played exceptionally well and was decisive when Santos needed him most. Even though he was constantly being chased, attacked, kicked, he, then considered the best player on the field, showed his high football knowledge.

CONSLUSION

It was a very short tournament, but Santos faced two teams at the highest level in world football, even though Botafogo was no longer as threatening as in previous years. Pelé was always decisive, even when he didn't put the ball in the back of the net, and was always considered Santos' best player. In total, Pelé scored 5 goals in just 4 matches, in addition to being considered the best player in the 4 matches played.