The Story of Uruguay’s Olympic Triumphs: Amsterdam 1928

In the second part of his look at Uruguay’s two Olympic triumphs of the 1920s, Vadim Furmanov looks at how La Celeste defended its title in 1928 in Amsterdam. Catch up on Part 1, Uruguay win gold in Paris 1924, here.

Part 2: Amsterdam

After winning gold in Colombes in 1924, the Uruguay heroes spent a month of revelry in Paris. They were the toast of the town, basking in their newfound celebrity, enjoying free food and drink wherever they went. Hundreds of telegrams of congratulations arrived from back home, including from President José Serrato. When the squad finally returned to Montevideo, they were greeted as heroes. But across the Río de la Plata, their neighbours looked upon with a mix of admiration and jealousy. 

The Rivalry Ramps Up

The Latin American press celebrated Uruguay’s Olympic triumph as a victory for the entire New World over the Old. In Argentina, Uruguay’s success was framed in terms of the superiority of rioplatense football. Boca Juniors goalkeeper Américo Tesoriere said, “the Olympic matches that they’ve won in Paris have brought joy to the Argentinians because the impression is that their victories are also ours.” 

Uruguay, to an extent, shared the sentiment. An editorial written by an Uruguayan in La Nación ornately read “the Argentine soul and the Uruguayan soul have vibrated in unison in these times of clamorous jubilation… the two countries on the shores of La Plata are brothers, not in a trivialized externalization of a merely courteous formula, but in the profound and cordial fullness of unmatched affection.”

These expressions of fraternal unity could not conceal the growing bitterness and animosity between the sides. Many Argentines were convinced that they could have easily taken gold at the Olympics, and thus challenged Uruguay to a two-legged ‘final’ to determine the real champions. 

The first leg in Montevideo was a 1-1 draw. In the return leg in Buenos Aires, 52,000 supporters crowded into the Estádio Sportivo Barracas, which had a capacity of just 40,000. Within five minutes the match was postponed – too many fans had strayed onto the pitch. 

A thirteen-foot-high fence was built around the field for the replay one week later. Argentinian winger Cesáreo Onzari opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a goal directly from a corner, and the gol olímpico was born. Outside that historic moment, the match was dominated by violence. Argentina’s right back Adolfo Celli suffered a double fracture of his leg, and as Uruguay became more physical and aggressive, the crowd responded with a barrage of stones aimed at the away side. 

The Uruguayans responded in kind, and when the police intervened Héctor Scarone responded by kicking an officer, getting himself arrested. Uruguay walked off the pitch with five minutes to go, with Argentina up 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. They were unofficial world champions, but Argentina’s premier sports magazine El Gráfico lamented the violence: “How can this happen? How did both sides and fans manage to create this?”

Months later, at the conclusion of the South American Championship in Montevideo which Uruguay again won, a supporter of the home side was shot dead after an altercation with a group of Argentina fans. 

La Celeste and la Albi-celeste continued to dominate the continent. Argentina reclaimed the South American title the following year, but Uruguay were absent due to internal issues within the federation. The 1926 edition was won by Uruguay before Argentina again emerged triumphant in 1927. On the eve of the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, neither rioplatense side could claim clear superiority.

Road to Amsterdam

Uruguay’s gold medal in 1924 put rioplatense football on the map, and the region’s clubs sought to capitalize on this momentum. Nacional and Boca Juniors embarked on successful European tours in 1925, and both teams were strengthened by top players from other clubs. The tours were designed not just to make money, but to continue to raise the prestige and profile of Uruguayan and Argentine football in Europe.

Uruguay set sail to defend their gold medals on 30 March, aboard the Eubée. Andrade was not on board. He decided against travelling to the Netherlands following a dispute over pay, but after the ship left Montevideo’s harbour he had a change of heart. Andrade caught the next steamer to Rio de Janeiro, where Uruguay were to play a friendly, and rejoined the team.  

As they had four years ago, the Uruguayans trained on the ship’s deck. They disembarked in Lisbon and travelled to the French port of Le Havre by train, where they played several friendlies against the local side, winning them handily. The last leg of the journey, to Amsterdam, was again by sea. 

When they got to the Netherlands, they again eschewed the poor conditions of the Olympic village and chose to stay in a comfortable hotel in Velsen, outside Amsterdam. Uruguay had even brought their own chef to ward off the possibility of homesickness. 

Argentina’s journey was more tumultuous. The necessary funds to stay in Amsterdam were secured in the week before the tournament, and their brief tour of Spain and Portugal did not inspire confidence, with one win, one draw, and one defeat. Argentina also decided against staying in Amsterdam and took residence in the tranquil town of Bloemendaal. 

There were 17 participants at the 1928 Olympics, down from 22 in Paris four years prior. The British nations left FIFA altogether in protest over the amateurism issue in February. By now, it was clear that international football could not exist within the confines of the Olympics. On the eve of the opening match, it was announced that the first World Cup would take place in 1930. 

Even though there were fewer teams, the quality was thought to be higher. The likes of Italy, Germany, and Spain were expected to challenge the two South American favourites for the gold medal. 

Towards the Final

Uruguay were drawn to play the Netherlands. The hosts were the only side to give La Celeste any trouble in 1924. The Oranje, a strong, physical side, again put up stubborn resistance, aided by the support of the 40,000-strong home crowd. Héctor Scarone opened the scoring in the 20th minute after a well-worked team goal, one that El País correspondent Carlos Lerene wrote “Amsterdam had never seen.” Santos Urdinarán sealed the victory five minutes from full time. 

Harry Dénis, the Dutch captain, was gracious in defeat:

“I accept defeat, plain and simple. The only satisfaction we Dutch players have is that, as at the 1924 Olympics, we have put up stubborn resistance to the Uruguayans, whose fame is worldwide and who had to use all their skills to win.”

Victory came at a cost, as Scarone and Andrade were both injured for the quarter-final. Up next were the Germans, who had easily defeated 1924 finalists Switzerland 4-0 in the opening round. Another physical and formidable opponent, led by their captain, the imposing centre-half Hans Kalb, said to be two metres tall and weighing 100 kilograms. 

Uruguay frustrated the Germans with their intricate play, and they soon resorted to violent fouls. A match report from the Barcelona newspaper La Noche reads “little by little, the Uruguayans imposed their best tactics on the game, despite the destructive work of the German team.”

Pedro Petrone scored Uruguay’s first goal in the 35th minute. Kalb, who had been praised for his performance against the Swiss, lashed out against Petrone and was sent off. The foul was so violent that he received a one-year suspension from the German FA, effectively ending his international career.

Petrone was not deterred, and scored two more goals in the game as Uruguay comfortably ran out 4-1 winners. A Mundo Deportivo journalist wrote that the result was “the defeat of slowness and violence.”

There was another casualty for Uruguay. Captain José Nasazzi, the only right full-back in the squad, picked up an injury and was out for the semi-final against Italy, Uruguay’s toughest test yet.

Just as in Colombes in 1924, Uruguay went behind in the semi-final in just nine minutes, and only a desperate goal line clearance from Andrade prevented the Italians from doubling their advantage two minutes later. Eventually Uruguay did find their rhythm and were up 3-1 by halftime. A mistake from the goalkeeper Andrés Mazali in the second half allowed the Italians back into the match, but it ended 3-2.

The Dream Final

Before the tournament, Nazazzi told the press:

“I believe in the triumph of the South Americans and my most ardent desire would be to be able to reach the final with our brothers the Argentines and to be able to demonstrate to the Europeans that, in faraway America, an intelligent and honest sport is being played.”

The final that Nasazzi and so many others had dreamed of materialized – Argentina had also made it. 

Uruguay’s rivals had a much easier route to the final. An 11-2 opening round demolition of the United States was followed with a straightforward 6-3 victory over Belgium in the quarterfinals. Surprise semi-finalists Egypt were then swept aside, 6-0, to set up the rioplatense classic in the final.

Over 250,000 people applied for tickets in Amsterdam. In Buenos Aires and Montevideo, tens of thousands packed the central squares, eagerly awaiting updates sent across the ocean by telegram. The match, however, was a disappointingly dull 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. El Mundo Deportivo stated it “was not the brilliant match that was expected due to the teams’ excessive knowledge of each other’s game.” 

The replay, however, was an all-time classic. Scarone, who was surprisingly dropped for the final, was back for the replay. With the two sides even at one goal apiece 28 minutes into the second half, René Borjas, with his back to goal, headed down a cross into the path of Scarone. Borjas’ shout is immortalized in Uruguayan football lore: “¡Tuya, Hector!” – “Yours, Hector!”

By the time Argentina’s goalkeeper dived, Scarone’s volley had already hit the back of the net. In Montevideo, the sound of the horn that announced the goal was obscured by thunder. It took a few seconds for the news to register. Once it did, the crowd erupted. 

Uruguay held off the Argentine pressure, and were again crowned world champions. They had demonstrated their brilliance yet again. The two eternal rivals would meet again two years later in the final of the first World Cup.