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That goal by Grillo against the English that marked an era

That goal by Grillo against the English that marked an era

That goal by Ernesto Grillo against the English from a skewed angle, which will be 70 years old tomorrow, represented for many soccer fans the first great success of an Argentine team full of glory, throughout history.

It is true that the albiceleste team had already been runner-up in the Amsterdam Olympic Games (1928) and in the FIFA World Cup in Montevideo (1930), but the fact of beating “the inventors of football” at home, on a packed pitch of River Plate, allowed to live “a big and brilliant party”, as defined by the magazine El Gráfico in those days.

That Thursday, May 14, 1953, the team led by Guillermo Stábile beat their British counterpart 3-1, before almost 85,000 spectators in the stands and the presence of the then President, General Juan Domingo Perón, in the authorities’ box.

Those were times in which Television, as an audiovisual medium, took its first steps in Argentina (in fact, the first football match broadcast live was a San Lorenzo-River Plate, in November 1951) and globalization as a worldwide phenomenon It was far from happening yet.

“The crowd, impressive in its quantity, overflowed with enthusiasm at first and with jubilation at the end of the match, maintaining that warmth and joy within an exemplary level of correction,” said the chronicle of the journalist Félix Daniel Frascara for the aforementioned edition of El Gráfico that covered the alternatives of the international comparison.

“It is fair to point out that much of the brilliance of this party was due to the perfect organization, thanks to which there was no obstacle to accessing the stadium, to finding a comfortable location even in the popular sectors, because with good judgment they were not sold more tickets than those corresponding to the stadium’s capacity,” the text added.

“On Thursday the 14th we attended, well, one of those events that leave a very pleasant impression in the memory,” the chronicle continued.

“The behavior of the players responded to this framework in terms of the exemplary correction that they showed. An all the more valuable correction if one takes into account that there was a strong game, despite which there was not the slightest incidence. The referee, Mr. Ellis, who is undoubtedly an excellent judge, was able to fulfill his mission with complete peace of mind because he had very valuable collaborators in the footballers,” he continued.

For that match, Stábile selected players from Boca Juniors, Racing Club and Independiente, with the curiosity that the front line was made up entirely of ‘Red’ footballers who left their mark on the supporter’s memory.

The formation of Argentina contemplated Julio Mussimessi; Francisco Lombardo and Eliseo Mouriño (captain); Pedro Dellacha, José García Pérez and Ernesto Gutiérrez; Rodolfo Micheli, Carlos Cecconato, Carlos Lacasia, Grillo and Osvaldo Cruz.

“The performance of the Argentine team was far superior to that of their adversary. Our Selection presented a simply magnificent defense, in which not a single weak point was noticed, in which there was serenity, energy and skill, making a collaborative game that raised the individual performance of its members” summed up El Gráfico.

“And an attack, well known to all, which displayed its best virtues in the first period: capacity for creative ingenuity, admirable handling of the ball, dominance in the pass and great skill in eluding the rival” he completed.

The visiting team took the lead with a score by George Taylor, 40 minutes into the game. But then the goal that went down in history was given, the goal that amazed the audience for “his paragon of skill and vision.”

Lacasia took the ball on the edge of the penalty area and gave it to Grillo, who in his position as “left insider” designed a maneuver that left Wright, Garrett and Barlow on the road. The former Independiente player, who died in June 1998, finished off “from an extremely difficult angle to beat (John) Ditchburn with a shot from mid-height,” the publication said.

“Grillo’s maneuver was skilfully completed, because he first faked a shot, making the goalkeeper lose his position, and then he kicked,” he added.

As a result of this conquest obtained almost from the bottom line, May 14 was declared as “Soccer Player’s Day” by Law 27,460, something that was already celebrated in an inorganic way in the country, based on the impulse issued by the leadership Association of Argentine Soccer Players (FAA).

But years later, the same management of the guild changed to June 22 (the day in which another famous goal is celebrated against a British team; Diego Maradona’s in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico) the date to remember the Argentine soccer player.

A goal from the right winger Micheli (12m.) and another scored by Grillo (35m.) gave an Argentine national team the definitive advantage in the second half, which crowned a formidable performance in the first victory over an English team in this type of confrontation. .

Source: Ambito

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