What is the context?
From May 30 to June 17 1962the seventh Championship was held in Chile Soccer World Cupwhich called for the participation of teams from West Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Colombia, Spain, Hungary, England, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Soviet Union, Uruguay and Yugoslavia, in addition to the home team.
What happened?
On June 16, Chile and Yugoslavia competed for third position. In a packed National Stadium and with a solitary goal from Eladio Rojas, in the 90th minute, the national team led by Fernando Rieratook the win and third place. The next day, Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 and won the champion title.
What is the importance of the achievement?
It is the best position achieved by Chile in a soccer World Cup. The Chilean selections were Misael Escuti, Luis Eyzaguirre, Raúl Sánchez, Sergio Navarro, Carlos Contreras, Eladio Rojas, Jaime Ramírez, Jorge Toro, Honorino Landa, Alberto Fouilloux, Leonel Sánchez, Adán Godoy, Sergio Valdés, Hugo Lepe, Manuel Rodríguez, Humberto Cruz, Mario Ortiz , Mario Moreno, Braulio Musso, Carlos Campos, Armando Tobar and Manuel Astorga.
In other editions, Chile has managed to advance to the round of 16.
How was the ’62 World Cup created?
After the 1954 and 1958 World Cups were organized in European countries – Switzerland and Sweden, respectively – the 1962 tournament corresponded to a South American country. Argentina and Chile presented their candidacies at the FIFA congress held in Portugal in 1956. It is recalled that on the occasion, the Chilean leader Carlos Dittborn He closed his presentation with a phrase that went down in history, despite the fact that today its authenticity is disputed: “Because we have nothing, we want to do everything.” In the vote, Chile obtained 32 adhesions, Argentina 10 and 14 countries voted blank.
Not even the worst earthquake in the history of humanity – the one in Valdivia, in 1960 – ruined the World Cup plans and that is how the championship was managed to take place in the venues of Santiago, Arica, Viña del Mar and Rancagua.
(Photographs: memoriachilena.cl)
