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Watch Palmeiras' main games in the 1972 Brazilian Championship The 1972 Brazilian Championship was played between September 9 and December 23 and had the participation of 26 clubs. It was the first major change in the competition's format, which had been similar since 1967, when it began as the Roberto Gomes Pedrosa Tournament. Politics increasingly had a presence in football, and the military government had a major role in the increase in the number of teams to six, with the inclusion of five more states: Amazonas (Nacional), Pará (Remo), Alagoas (CRB), Sergipe (Sergipe) and Rio Grande do Norte (ABC), in addition to another representative from Bahia. The 26 clubs were divided into four groups, two of six teams and two of seven teams, with the top four from each group qualifying for the second phase. Remo, with 25 points, was left out of the second stage, as it finished in fifth place in its group, even with more points than Santa Cruz, which was fourth in its group with 23. In this stage, the 16 teams were again divided into four groups and the first teams from each group went to the semifinals, in a single game, and the winners to the final, also in a single game. In one of the semifinals, Palmeiras, at Pacaembu, qualified with a 1-1 draw with Internacional, taking the advantage of having the best campaign in the competition. In the other, Botafogo beat Corinthians, in a comeback, 2-1, at Maracanã, and also secured its place. The final game took place at Morumbi, on December 23, 1972, and Palmeiras won the title, with a 0-0 draw and benefiting again from the better campaign, having achieved 42 points against 33 of the Rio de Janeiro team throughout the championship. The top scorers were Dario, from Atlético Mineiro, and Pedro Rocha, from São Paulo, both with 17 goals, followed by Zé Roberto, from Coritiba, with 16 goals, Leivinha, from Palmeiras, with 15, and Campos, from Nacional de Manaus, with 14. One of the highlights of this edition was the 6-0 rout that Botafogo gave Flamengo on November 15, the anniversary of the red-and-black team. The goals were scored by Jairzinho, who scored three, one of them with a backheel, Fischer, who scored two, and Ferreti.