Battle of SantiagoThe Battle of Santiago is the name given to a particularly unsavoury and infamous football match during the 1962 World Cup Finals. It was a game played between hosts Chile and Italy on June 2, 1962 in Santiago . The referee was Ken Aston.
In this Group 2 clash, already heightened tensions between the two football teams were exacerbated by the description of Santiago in crude terms but not entirely derogatory fashion by two Italian journalists Chile's organization and preparation of the tournament had suffered through poor infrastructure, a problem made worse by the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960. Italian articles were edited and distorted by local newspapers to inflame the Chilean population. The distorted versions are still quoted on the . The journalists, Antonio Ghirelli and Corrado Pizzinelli, had to leave the country before the World Cup fearing for their own safety: a few days before the match an Argentinian journalist, mistaken for an Italian, was beaten up in a bar in Santiago
The first foul occurred within 12 seconds of the kick-off Italy's Giorgio Ferrini was sent off in the twelfth minute after a foul on Honorino Landa, but refused to leave the pitch and had to be dragged off by policemen. Landa retaliated with another foul few minutes later, but he was not sent off.
English referee Ken Aston overlooked a punch by Chilean Leonel Sanchez to Italian Mario David. When David kicked Sanchez few minutes later, he was sent off.
In the violence that continued, Sanchez then broke Italian captain Humberto Maschio's nose with a left hook by accident. The two teams engaged in scuffles and spitting, and police had to intervene three more times.
Chile won the match 2-0 (74' Ramírez; 88' Toro), eleven men against nine.
Beat that
Ik noem een Tony van Heemschut,een Loeki Knol,een Brammetje Biesterveld en natuurlijk een Japie Stobbe !