ARGENTINA 2-1 MEXICO, 4 July 1993
Copa America final, Monumental, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Scorers: Batistuta (2) (Argentina); Galindo (pen) (Mexico)

UFWC champs Argentina played out the 1993 Copa America tournament without one Diego Armando Maradona, who had recently controversially walked out on his club side Sevilla after a disappointing season. Maradona had been dropped from the national side after being handed a 15-month ban for failing a drugs test in 1991. He would return to fail another drugs test at the 1994 World Cup, but in the meantime Argentina could rely upon other star names.

Sergio Goycochea was a formidable goalkeeper, Oscar Ruggeri kept things together at the back, Fernando Redondo and Diego Simone ran the midfield, and Gabriel Batistuta was a bona fide goal machine.

Mexico also had a celebrated goalkeeper in flamboyant free kick expert Jorge Campos. A fan of gaudy luminous kits, Campos managed to score more than 30 goals during his career as a net-minder. Ramon Ramirez was Mexico’s key defender, and Alberto Garcia Aspe was the star in midfield. Up front was a man widely regarded as the best Mexican footballer of all time, the great Hugo Sanchez, famous almost as much for his back-flipping celebrations as for his many goals.

Argentina had held the UFWC title for 12 straight games, having taken it from Australia. Mexico, with a poor UFWC record for such a famous footballing nation, had held the title only once, in 1962 – and then lost it to the Dutch Antilles.

Argentina reached the Copa America final by beating Brazil and Colombia in penalty shoot-outs in the quarter and semi-finals. Mexico, playing their first Copa America tournament, saw off Peru and hosts Ecuador.

The game was a tight one, and it only really came to life midway through the second half. Fiorentina striker Batistuta gave Argentina the lead in the 63rd minute. ‘Batigol’ finished the previous Copa America as top scorer, but this was only his second strike of this tournament.

Four minutes later Mexico were level, with Benjamin Galindo slotting a penalty past renowned spot kick-stopper Goycochea. But Batistuta restored Argentina’s advantage in the 74th minute, and his goal proved to be decisive. Argentina won the Copa America and retained the UFWC title.

Classic Matches Argentina, Mexico

Mexico 1-2 Dutch Antilles 24 March 1963
CONCACAF Cup, Estadio Flor Blanca, Santa Ana, El Salvador
Scorers: Ortíz (Mexico) Ronald Delanoy, Jesús del Muro (o.g.) (Antilles)

So it was Mexico, one of the biggest countries in the world with a population of over 100 million, versus the Antilles, a small Dutch-claimed group of islands in the Caribbean Sea with a population of around 200,000. (The Dutch Antilles, also known as the Netherlands Antilles, previously known as the Netherlands West Indies, played as Curacao until 1948 when that island became part of the Antilles. The side’s national anthem is the humbly named Anthem Without A Title.)

Let’s not underestimate the shock value of this result. FIFA rankings didn’t start for another 30 years, but since they did the Antilles have never got within 100 places of Mexico. That’s Mexico, established as World Cup regulars and reigning UFWC champions, versus the Antilles, who had failed to qualify for any World Cup and were UFWC virgins. This was giant killing of the very tallest order indeed. Mighty Mexico – the Tricolores – took the UFWC title during the 1962 World Cup finals from eventual finalists Czechoslovakia. The lowly Antilles, managed by Brazilian Pedro da Cunha, beat Haiti over two legs to qualify for this inaugural CONCACAF Cup tournament in El Salvador. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football formed at the beginning of the year. (The CONCACAF Cup only existed in this format for five years. It has since been re-jigged and is known as the CONCACAF Gold Cup.)

It was the Dutch Antilles, or Antillas Holandesas as the Mexicans would have it, who scored first, netting through Ronald Delanoy on 12 minutes. Mexico equalised through Guillermo Ortíz 12 minutes later, and it was 1-1 at half-time. The second half was an even match-up, but there was to be an almighty sting in the tail for Mexico. With 10 minutes left to play, Mexican defender Jesús del Muro put through his own net to give the Antilles a 2-1 lead. Could the little islanders hold on? Yes they could. And the fact that Mexico gave them something of a helping hand shouldn’t detract from the huge achievement of the minnows. The victorious Antilles qualified for the final round, while Mexico went out. The Antilles subsequently lost 1-0 to eventual winners Costa Rica and finished the tournament in third place.

10 years later Mexico gained some sort of revenge against the Antilles by cuffing them 8-0 in a World Cup qualifier. But giant-killers the Antilles retained their place in the record books as by far the smallest nation ever to win the UFWC. Indeed, the Antilles are the only UFWC winners with a population of under 1 million. They are also by far the lowest FIFA-ranked UFWC champs, having been ranked by FIFA as low as 188 out of 205 registered footballing nations. A true David among Goliaths.

This is an edited extract from the official UFWC book The Unofficial Football World Championships by Paul Brown.

Classic Matches Dutch Antilles, Mexico