This Day in History: 2023-01-06

Nr. 377

CHILE KICK OFF THEIR WORLD CUP (1962)

The 1962 World Cup hosts Chile proved they were going to enjoy their own party by opening the tournament with an impressive 3-1 win over Switzerland. At the national stadium in the capitl Santiago, in front of 65,000 fans, Chile were initially shocked by the Swiss and went behind to a Rolf Wuthrich goal after only six minutes. They took some time to regroup, but eventually equalized with a deflected shot from Leonel Sanchez a minute before half-time. In the second half the Chileans really put on a show, with a strike Jaime Ramirez prompting a joyous pitch invasion. Sanchez then made it 3-1 with his second of the game.

The Chilean team line up before they begin their campaign. Spurred on by fanatical home support they started the tournament brightly.