Wales call on spirit of 91

Brazil on the way to defeat in Cardiff

The last time Wales and Brazil met, the men in red defied the odds and ran out winners.

Welsh football fans will be dreaming of a similarly glorious outcome when the two sides meet again on Tuesday at the Millennium Stadium.

Wales' top scorers

1. Ian Rush, 28

2. Ivor Allchurch, 23

3. Trevor Ford, 23

The odds - and sheer common sense - suggest that Brazil's golden boys will not slip up again.

Exactly 100 Fifa ranking places separate the two sides, with Brazil permanent residents in the top spot and the motley crew of Wales languishing at 101st, below the likes of Congo.

Nonetheless, Wales have shown more than once in the past that they are capable of giant upsets.

Without doubt, 1991 stands as the landmark year in Welsh football when two world champions were beaten in four months.

Ian Rush: Winner against Germany

In June, Ian Rush's goal secured a 1-0 victory over Germany in a European Championship qualifier.

The Germans had their revenge a month later when they handed out a 4-1 drubbing in the return leg.

But more glory was in store in September when Dean Saunders thumped in that improbable winner against a Brazil side that would go on to claim the World Cup in 1994.

The veteran striker is almost certain to take the field again on Tuesday.

"Long-suffering" is a term well applied to Welsh fans. They had waited six years for their double-whammy, having last excelled against a major nation when they thrashed Spain 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier in 1985.

Most caps for Wales

1. Neville Southall, 93

2. Peter Nicholas, 73

3. Ian Rush, 73

Mark Hughes' stunning bicycle strike brought a rapturous response from the 23,000 fans packed into the Racecourse, and secured his place in the pantheon of great Welsh footballers.

Hughes had already endeared himself to fans in 1984 when he scored on his debut to defeat England in the last British Championship.

In 1976, Wales produced their best ever performance in the European Championships, reaching the quarter-finals where they lost to Yugoslavia.

On the way, they beat Hungary, who had been undefeated on home turf for 60 years.

The 1960s were an awful trough for Wales, who comprehensively failed to live up to the expectations raised by qualification for their one and only World Cup in 1958.

A 2-0 victory over Israel confirmed their place in Sweden, where they beat Hungary again, drew with Mexico and lost 1-0 to the mighty men they face on Tuesday - Brazil.