Milan, who had just won their first European Cup the previous May, hosted the first leg of the Intercontinental Cup at the San Siro on 16 October and won 4-2. But the second leg, played at the Maracaña on 14 November, ended 4-2 to the defending champions, despite the fact that their star and captain Pelé, who had scored both of their goals in the earlier game, was out due to injury.
The result forced a deciding playoff, so the teams returned to the Maracaña two days later. With Pelé still missing, the match came down to the slimmest of margins. In the 31st minute, Milan captain Cesare Maldini fouled Santos forward Almir, resulting in his own ejection and a penalty kick for Santos, which was converted by defender Dalmo Gaspar.
Santos held on to the 1-0 lead despite a second-half ejection of their own and claimed their second straight trophy. It remains their last, however, while Milan went on to win it three times (and also won the successor tournament, the Club World Cup, in 2007).
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