Uruguay - A Forgotten Football Nation
Uruguay a South American nation of 3.5 million inhabitants was one of the best football playing nations in the World. Uruguay is the smallest member of CONMEBOL (the South American Football Association) yet it has won 2 World Cups, 2 Olympic gold medals and 14 Copa America Cups, a record it shares with Argentina only. Uruguay is the smallest nation to have won the World Cup and Olympics. Uruguay is also the sixth smallest nation after Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Wales, Kuwait, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago to ever participate in final round of the World Cup.
Uruguay a South American nation came into being as a result of Treaty of Montevideo, supported by the United Kingdom, in 1828. However by 1916 it was only playing against Argentina and in 1916 it participated in the inaugural Copa America Cup, then known as the South American Championship, played in Argentina. Victories against Brazil and Chile and a draw against Argentina allowed them to win the first championship. In 1917 they won the championship on their own soil. Bad fate had to wait till 1919 when the defending champions experienced their first defeat against Brazil (1-0) in 2 extra times during the final; the longest ever played match in Copa America cup.
In 1924 Uruguay team travelled to Paris and became the first South American team to play in the Olympics game. Uruguay was unbeatable here and won the gold medal match by defeating Sweden 3-0. Uruguay again participated in the 1928 Summer Olympics played in Amsterdam, Netherlands and won the Gold medal by beating Argentina 2-1.
In recognition of Uruguay’s wonderful football triumphs in Olympics, the first ever football World Cup was played in Uruguay. Uruguay won all the matches of World Cup and won it by defeating Argentina 4-2 at Estadio Centenario stadium in Montevideo. Due to some European nations who refused to participate in first World Cup played in Uruguay , Football Association of Uruguay, decided to Boycott the 2nd World Cup played in Italy during 1934. Uruguay also did not participate in the 1938 World Cup played in France. As the host was again a European nation, it was decided that the World Cup hosting will be rotated between European and South American nations.
Due to the World War II, World Cups in 1942 and 1946 could not be played and in 1950 the fourth World Cup hosting rights were given to the South American Football nation, Brazil. Brazil were favourites to win the World Cup and rightly so it was in the final group of 4. Unlike today there were no semi-finals and finals but a round robin format for the top 4 to win a title. Coincidentally the last 2 matches became a final and playoff for third and fourth position. Brazil was beaten by Uruguay 2-1 in front of a 0.17 million home crowd and Uruguay won consecutive two World Cups it participated in.
This World Cup victory is the last victory by the South America side in World Cups and Olympic Games. Uruguay won 6 Copa America cups since 1950 and the latest victory came in 1995 when Uruguay hosted the Championship. The South American Nation holds the unique record of winning 7 Copa America Cups out of 14. All the 7 were played in Uruguay and it has not lost a single South American Championship on home soil.
Uruguay qualified for the 2010 World Cup finals by the winning the playoff between 5th CONMEBOL team and 4th CONCACAF team. Uruguay played this playoff against Costa Rica and beat them by 2-1 on aggregate score. In Group A of the 2010 World Cup, Uruguay won 2 matches against South Africa and Mexico and drew against last time runners up France on the opening day of World Cup 2010. In the second round Uruguay outplayed Asian champions South Korea by 2-1 and reached the semi-finals by defeating Ghana 4-2 on penalty shoot outs.
Now the question is can the hero’s of past win the World Cup by winning against Netherlands in the semi-final of World Cup 2010.
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