Of the three World Cups they had entered – Uruguay didn’t participate in the 1934 and ’۳۸ qualifiers – La Celeste had astonishingly won two and taken Puskas, Kocsis and the Magical Magyars to extra-time in the semi-finals in the other. They had won the previous year’s Copa America and were global goliaths. When the draw pitted them with Colombia and Paraguay, it was all but a given that Uruguay would cruise to a Scandinavian adventure.

Brazil 1950 winners William Martinez and Oscar Miguez travelled to Asuncion needing a point to leave themselves in pole position to punch Group 3’s ticket to Sweden 1958. Instead, they were knocked out by a 22-year-old winger. Florencio Amarilla, the owner of a ferocious shot, hit a hat-trick en route to a sensational 5-0 victory. Paraguay had qualified. Uruguay were out.