24 July 2011 - Two Guays Walk Into A Final ...

On 24 July 2011, Uruguay won a record 15th Copa América, beating Paraguay in the final, 3-0.

Uruguay won their fourteenth title in 1995, tying them with Argentina as the competition's most successful team. Paraguay, meanwhile, had won it twice before, but made it to the 2011 final under unusual circumstances.

They drew all three of their group stage matches, but took the last spot in the knockout rounds with the second-best record of the tournament's three third-place teams. They then reached the final after beating Brazil and Venezuela in penalty shootouts, which were officially recorded as draws, meaning that they made it to the title game without winning (or losing) a single match.

Their unusual run ended in the final, however, as goals from Luis Suárez (11') and Diego Forlán (41', 89') lifted Uruguay to a convincing win.

9 January 1930 - Putting The Sportsmanship In Sports

On 9 January 1930, Igor Netto, renowned for one of the most memorable displays of sportsmanship in football, was born in Moscow.

One of the Soviet Union's greatest players, Netto, who played at left back and in central midfield, spent his entire club career at Spartak Moscow, where he made 368 appearances from 1949 to 1966. Along the way, he won five league titles (1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1962) and three Soviet Cups (1950, 1958, 1963).

In 1952, he earned his first cap for the Soviet national team and eventually claimed the captain's armband. During his time with the team, they won the gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics, then lifted the trophy at the 1960 European Championship.

But his most famous moment came during the 1962 World Cup in Chile. On 6 June, the Soviets were playing against Uruguay in the group stage with both teams needing a win to guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds. In the 75th minute, with the score level at 1-1, the referee awarded a go-ahead goal to Soviet striker Igor Chislenko, but Netto explained that the ball had entered the goal through a hole in the side netting and convinced the referee to reverse his opinion and disallow the goal (the USSR went on to win anyway with an 89th-minute goal from Valentin Ivanov and advanced, but lost to hosts Chile in the quarterfinals).

After his retirement as a player, Netto managed several teams, including brief spells in charge of Spartak Moscow and the Iranian national team. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 69.

1 November 1927 - Peru Starts Down The Path

On 1 November 1927, Peru played their first official international, losing 0-4 to Uruguay in the South American Championship.

The history of Peruvian football dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century, when it was introduced by English sailors in the port of Callao. Its popularity quickly spread, with clubs sprouting up all across the country. That, in turn, led to the creation of the Peruvian Football Federation in 1922.

An unofficial national team played an exhibition against Uruguay that year, but it took another five years to form an official team sanctioned by FIFA. The catalyst was Peru's role as host of the 1927 South American Championship (the tournament now known as the Copa América).

They played their first match of the tournament against Uruguay at the Estadio Nacional in Lima and lost, 0-4 (the first goal was an own goal scored by Peru's Daniel Ulloa). They followed it with a 3-2 win over Bolivia and a 5-1 loss to Argentina to finish third out of four teams.

Since then, Peru has twice won the South American Championship (1939, 1975) and twice reached the World Cup quarterfinals (1970, 1978).

20 July 2011 - There's Something To Be Said For Consistency

On 20 July 2011, Paraguay advanced to the Copa América Final despite not winning any of their previous matches in the tournament. They didn't win the Final either, losing to Uruguay 3-0.

Paraguay, who won the tournament in 1953 and 1979, opened their 2011 campaign by drawing 0-0 with Ecuador. They followed that with draws with Brazil (2-2) and Venezuela (3-3) to finish third in their group. But they advanced to the knockout rounds as their three points made them the second-best third-place finisher from the group stage.

In the quarterfinals, they faced Brazil again and held them to a scoreless draw through extra-time. They won the ensuing penalty shootout 2-0, but under FIFA rules, the shootout is not part of the match, which is officially considered a draw. They advanced to a semifinal rematch with Venezuela on 20 July where they again played to a scoreless draw through extra-time and advanced on penalties.

The pattern failed to hold in the Final, however, played at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on 24 July. There, a goal from Luis Suárez (11') and a brace from Diego Forlán (41', 89') ensured Uruguay's victory at the end of 90 minutes.