Just over 58 years ago in San José the home side got the better of the World Cup holders, still the only time they have avoided defeat in 10 meetings

The Panamerican Championship is one of those international tournaments that time forgot. It ran every four years from 1952-60, with emerging teams from North America joining the big hitters from the South. And though the competition is unlikely to be a Mastermind specialist subject any time soon, it had its moments. In 1952 Uruguay and Brazil met for the first time since the immortal Maracanazo of 1950, when Alcides Ghiggia’s late goal stole the World Cup from the host, Brazil. A virile rematch ended 4-2 to Brazil in goals and 1-1 on sendings off.

Eight years later Brazil were the subject of one of international football’s more incongruous scorelines when they lost 3-0 to the host, Costa Rica. The result stood out then; it stands out even more now. Costa Rica’s record against Brazil going into Friday’s match in St Petersburg is dismal: P10 W1 L9. That includes two World Cup defeats, 1-0 in a low-key game at Italia 90 and 5-2 in a wildly open match 12 years later, and assorted pastings elsewhere.

Brazil were the world champions when they lost to Costa Rica – they won the tournament for the first time in 1958 and would retain it in 1962. But it was not David v Goliath so much as David v Goliath’s clumsier younger sibling.

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The Brazil team were unrecognisable from the one that won those World Cups. The Panamerican Championship was scheduled at the same time as the prestigious Rio-São Paulo Tournament, which back then was the closest Brazil had to a national championship, so Pelé, Garrincha and the rest took part in that instead.

Brazil picked a team entirely of Gaúchos – the name given to those who played in Rio Grande do Sul, the southern state known for its cowboys. Brazil’s captain, Énio Rodrigues, had five caps going into the Costa Rica match, their second of the tournament. The rest of the team had eight between them.

It’s a truism that there is no such thing as a bad Brazil team, and the squad for the competition was still full of fine players. Most of them came from Grêmio, who were in the middle of a run of 12 state championships in 13 years; the rest were from Internacional, Cruzeiro and Aimoré.

When they played Costa Rica in San José, they were caught cold by early goals from Guillermo “Memo” Valenciano and Édgar Quesada. An affronted Brazil bombarded the Costa Rica goal thereafter but the goalkeeper Hernán Alvarado produced the kind of performance that is still being talked about in a foreign newspaper 58 years later. Rigoberto Rojas’s late goal added an extra sheen of disbelief but a crowd of 25,000 happily gawped at the evidence on the primitive electronic scoreboard, sitting right below a huge Esso slogan: Costa Rica 3-0 Brasil.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The electronic scoreboard at San José’s former national stadium records the final score back in March 1960 Photograph: Rodrigo Calvo collection

After the match there was giddy talk that Costa Rica might win the tournament. With all four teams – Argentina and Mexico were the others – playing each other twice, Brazil had the chance for revenge a week later. The element of surprise, and perhaps complacency, was gone. Costa Rica lost 4-0.

The Brazil game was Costa Rica’s only win out of six in the tournament. It was the biggest result in their history until 1990, when they beat Scotland in their first ever World Cup match.

As with England’s famous win at the Maracanã in 1984, few Costa Ricans felt the need to kill their own joy by highlighting the fact that most of Brazil’s best players were missing. A win over Brazil is a win over Brazil is a win over Brazil.

Besides, Costa Rica had more than enough reason to think they could hold their own in more elite company. A couple of months before that match, they drew 2-2 with a full-strength Botafogo – the same “Esquadrão Imortal” who are indelibly associated with Brazil’s first two World Cup wins. The team included Garrincha, the greatest winger of all time; Nílton Santos, Brazil’s best ever left-back; the futuristic left-winger Mário Zagallo; and the goal machine Quarentinha.

Costa Rica’s draw was arguably a worthier result, though it is not the one people remember. You never forget the first time you beat Brazil – especially when it’s the only time.