1953 South American Championship play-off

Estadio Nacional de Lima, venue
Event	1953 South American Championship
Paraguay Brazil 3 2
Date	April 1, 1953
Venue	Estadio Nacional, Lima
Referee	Charles Dean ( England)
Attendance	35,000

The 1953 South American Championship play-off was a match held to determine the winner of the 1953 South American Championship, as Paraguay and Brazil were tied for the first place after the regular competition. The match took place on April 1, 1953, at Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru.

Paraguay won the match 3–2, winning its first continental title. ^[1]

Overview

Some journalists stated that Paraguay's best moments in football were during those years. ^[2] In fact, the Paraguayan side achieved some notable results such as the 5–1 win over Argentina (then South American champion) in July 1945.

Other good performances by the Paraguayan team had been the 3rd place in 1946 –with goalkeeper Sinforiano García (considered one of the greatest in Paraguayan football) being the most notable player–, the 2nd place in 1947 and the win over Brazil on group stage in 1949 (although the host country would thrash Paraguay 7–0 in the play-off). ^[3]

After former player Manuel Fleitas Solich was appointed coach, Paraguay started a hard training routine with the purpose of being in the best shape for the 1953 South American tournament. Results were highly satisfactory so Paraguay were crowned champion unbeaten (except for a walkover), beating Brazil in the play-off and taking revenge after losing to them in the 1949 play-off. ^[3]

Background

Paraguay		Round	Brazil
Opponent	Result	Group stage	Opponent	Result
Chile	3–0	Match 1	Bolivia	8–1
Ecuador	0–0	Match 2	Ecuador	2–0
Peru	2–2	Match 3	Uruguay	1–0
Uruguay	2–2	Match 4	Peru	0–1
Bolivia	2–1	Match 5	Chile	3–2
Brazil	2–1	Match 6	Paraguay	1–2
Final standings Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts   Brazil 6 4 0 2 15 6 +9 8   Paraguay 6 3 2 1 11 6 +5 8   Uruguay 6 3 1 2 15 6 +9 7   Chile 6 3 1 2 10 10 0 7   Peru 6 3 1 2 4 6 −2 7   Bolivia 6 1 1 4 6 15 −9 3   Ecuador 6 0 2 4 1 13 −12 2

Note

Brazil and Paraguay finished tied on points so a playoff match had to be played to decide the champion.

Match details

April 1, 1953 ^[4]

Paraguay	3–2	Brazil
Atilio López 14' Gavilán 17' Fernández 41'	Report	Baltazar 56', 65'

Estadio Nacional, Lima

Attendance: 35,000

Referee: Charles Dean ( England)

Paraguay

Brazil

GK Adolfo Riquelme RB Heriberto Herrera LB Melanio Olmedo RH Manuel Gavilán CH Victoriano Leguizamón LH Ireneo Hermosilla OR Ángel Berni IR Atilio López CF Rubén Fernández IL Juan A. Romero OL Antonio R. Gómez Substitutions: MF Silvio Parodi MF Luis Lacasa MF Inocencio González Manager: Manuel Fleitas Solich

GK Castilho RB Djalma Santos CB Haroldo LB Nílton Santos RH Bauer LH Brandãozinho OR Didi IR Julinho CF Baltazar IL Pinga OL Cláudio Substitutions: FW Alfredo FW Ipojucã Manager: Zezé Moreira

References