Havana, June 12 (RHC) – Seeing Cuba win something important in football is like the artistic and fruitful reunion between Bjork and Lars Von Trier; that is, practically impossible.
That’s why today it’s worth remembering the Cuba-Sweden match that took place in the third edition of the FIFA World Cup, in France in 1938, the only time the largest of the Antilles has participated in a global football tournament.
The Cuban team attended as a guest and debuted with a 3-3 draw against Romania, whom they then defeated 2-1 in a replay, before falling in the quarterfinals to Sweden by a resounding 8-0 defeat.
Cuba didn’t qualify directly because the North, Central American, and Caribbean region had only one spot, which had been won by Mexico, but due to financial difficulties, the Mexican team didn’t participate.
The Cubans arrived in France on the transatlantic liner Reina Isabel, chartered with the support of the Spanish Football Federation and private clubs, from whose clubs the players came, since the government had little interest in football.
The islanders debuted against Romania on June 5th, and after a 3-3 draw, they changed goalkeepers for their next match, using backup Juan Ayra instead of Benito Carvajal.
However, despite Ayra’s outstanding performance, which earned him praise even from legendary Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora, coach José Manuel Tapia, who usually rotated his goalkeepers, relegated him back to the bench.
The Swedes were more rested, having already qualified, and the 8-0 thrashing they handed the representatives of the largest island in the Caribbean was the biggest win of the tournament.
In that match, Swedes Tore Keller and Gustav Wetterstrom each scored a hat trick, the only time two teammates have achieved that feat in a single game.
However, for the first time a team from the Central American region managed to place among the top eight in a senior World Cup, something that only Mexico and Costa Rica achieved much later.
