The match was played on July 21, 1914, on the field of
Fluminense FC, located at Rua das Laranjeiras, in a high class area on the south side of
Rio de Janeiro. Brazil played
Exeter City, then a
third-tier club in England, who were touring South America. The newly formed Brazilian Sports Federation (), FBS, brought together the best players in
Rio de Janeiro and
São Paulo. Among those called up were great early names of Brazilian football:
Marcos de Mendonça,
Friedenreich, Abelardo De Lamare, Rubens Salles and
Sílvio Lagreca. Exeter had previously won two friendlies in Rio de Janeiro - first, they won 3–0 against English players who competed in the sport's championships in Rio de Janeiro, and then overcame
Rio de Janeiro 5–3 - and were favourites to win. However, in a display of skill and technique that surprised the Exeter City players, Brazil beat their opponents 2–0, with goals from
Oswaldo Gomes – the first in the team's history – and Osman, both in the first half of the match. Astonished and powerless to react, the English resorted to violence. Despite the appetite of their foreign rivals, light and leisurely football by Brazilians prevailed. More than a hundred years later, Exeter City is proud to have participated in the birth of the Brazil national team. At its home stadium,
St James Park in
Exeter, the Britons have hoisted the flags of Brazil. From the stands, one of
The Grecians (The Greeks) fans' songs alludes to the historic clash with Brazil: {{cquote|Have you ever, have you ever Have you ever played Brazil? Have you ever played Brazil? == Match details ==