Ten great centenary audiences

Football without fans is no fun. Fact. Therefore, we rescued ten historic matches from the Athletico with large audiences, taking into account the capacity of each stadium and, mainly, the weight of each duel. Check below much more than a simple list of the biggest audiences involving Hurricane.

Athletico 2 x 1 Coritiba – Pinheirão – 06/11/1998

Athletico Games holds all the records of the four largest stadiums in Curitiba. There is no collective confirmation, visit from the Pope or Santa Claus that will change this. The third game of the 1998 Paranaense final was the day when, finally, something I spent my childhood rooting for, happened: all roads led to Pinheirão.

That Sunday afternoon, 44,475 people they saw the epic victory and the historic title last year while sleeping away from home.

Athletico 2 x 0 Flamengo – Couto Pereira – 05/15/1983

The photo of the many dozens of athletes hanging from the lighting tower on Rua Mauá is the true border of the game with the biggest audience in the history of football in Paraná.

It was the Brazilian’s semi-final return duel from 1983. In all, 67,391 people followed Furacão’s 2-0 victory at Alto da Glória. The paying public was 65,491 fans. Just under 7% of the city’s population at the time. An unparalleled record.

Athletico 1 x 1 Junior Barranquilla – Arena da Baixada – 12/12/2018

The first continental title came on a record attendance night for the current incarnation of the Arena. They were 39,618 payerswith 40,263 gifts in our first Copa Sudamericana decision.

In the biggest collective coup in history, 98% of those present helped to spot the penalty for the Colombians in extra time. In the end, the cup deservedly remained in the red and black house. To date, it is the biggest audience for the FIFA version of the Arena.

Coritiba 0 x 0 Athletico – Couto Pereira – 12/17/1978

Couto Pereira also received the largest audience in the history of the match: 55,164 paying fans they saw the very final of the 1978 Paraná team, which went to penalties after an unbelievable 270 goalless minutes.

Only my fellow countryman Rotta got his shot right in the penalty shootout and so the title slipped away in that strange week with few goals and a lot of attendance in three Atletibas.

Flamengo 3 x 0 Athletico – Maracanã – 05/12/1983

With a minimal and calculated risk of being wrong – and please deny me if I am – the semi-final match at Maracanã was Athletico’s biggest attendance game in its entire history.

They were 109 thousand people in the old Maracanã dos Arquibaldos and Geraldinos. There was almost a tragedy, as a fire broke out in a warehouse below the stands as soon as the game started, but firefighters acted in time. The complete tragedy was on the field, made worse by the penalty mandrake that decided the confrontation.

Athetico 3 x 2 Santos Vila – Capanema – 09/08/1968

Even my grandfather, who would give a pig from his slaughterhouse so he wouldn’t have to leave the house, left Porto Vitória to watch the super game between CAP and Santos at Robertão in 1968. One of the three biggest prizes ever to take place on Curitiba soil.

In all, 24,303 lucky ones saw the squad led by Djalma Santos, Madureira and Zé Roberto score 3-2 against the future champion of the tournament, which had four players called up for the 70’s World Cup on the field. The only thing missing was Pelé. The King had the flu and didn’t come to Curitiba, but there was no room for anyone else in the stands.

Athletico 4 x 2 São Caetano – Arena da Baixada – 12/16/2001

Exactly 31,700 payers it was the largest audience for the first version of the Arena da Baixada, opened in 1999. It was also the size of the audience for the biggest game in the club’s history and the only Brazilian Championship final played in Curitiba.

On the day everything happened, Alex Mineiro scored three goals and declared that the following Sunday we would wear the champion’s banner on our chests. Here’s everything.

Athletico 3 x 0 Londrina – Joaquim Américo – 11/10/1985

One of the most beautiful memories of my childhood is having invaded Joaquim Américo’s field and touched the cup inside the locker room that afternoon when 17,122 athletes filled the brick bleachers.

After the game, 10 thousand liters of beer quenched people’s thirst in Afonso Botelho square. It wasn’t old Joaquim Américo’s last game, but it was his biggest and marked the end of a magical era. A spectacularly photographed sunny afternoon that deserves to be made into a documentary. After that, a big game in Baixada would only happen in nine years.

Athletico 1 x 1 Paraná – Janguito Malucelli Stadium – 11/24/2012

The friendly and already missed Ecoestádio was the red-and-black home in the 2012 Segundona, expanded by the proverbial tubular stands from where you could almost see Guarapuava.

The biggest crowd at Janguitão – a crowd of 6,609 people – saw a very tense game with a missed penalty and a saved ball over the line in the last minute, but it was worth progressing to Serie A.

Athletico 1 x 0 Atlético-MG – Joaquim Américo – 01/12/1996

There was a time when tubular stands were part of the lives of Atlético fans. In 1996, a possible way to enlarge the stadium began in order to make it proportional to the size of the super team that was progressing in a rapid career towards the national title until the Laranjeiras episode.

The majority of 28,039 fanatics was thrilled with Clóvis’ goal in the first half, but the second ball still hasn’t entered Taffarel’s goal. It was the end of the Farinhacão era. The next big game in Baixada would be the inauguration of the Arena, in 1999.

Read too

+ The ten most incredible comebacks in Hurricane history

+ Libertadores, Caju and Sicupira… Ten notable debuts

+ The ten biggest confusions, dramas and tragedies

+ The 10 biggest (or most notable) goals

+ The greatest goals in Athletico’s history; see the bids

+ Ten unforgettable trips in 100 years of Athletico