The Copa Suecia (in English: Sweden Cup) was an official Argentine football cup competition held once from 1958 to 1960 by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).Ganadores de Copas Nacionales on AFA website It was competed by clubs in the Argentine Primera División. Atlanta won the tournament in the final held in 1960.Copa Suecia by José Carluccio on Historia y Fútbol website
History Given that the World Cup was held in faraway Sweden in 1958, the Argentine league competition was interrupted after the third round and it was not restarted until three months later. As a result, AFA organized a cup competition in order to keep the teams in readiness and also let the clubs receive some economic benefits throughout the prolonged intermission. The Swedish ambassador in Argentina, Carl-Herbert Borgenstierna, donated the trophy and hence the name of the tournament.
The 16 teams of the Primera División were divided into two groups (A and B), and each group played a round-robin. The top team from each group would contest a single-legged final. If two teams had the same number of points in a group, a single-legged play-off would be competed to determine the qualification.Atlanta, aquel campeón de la Copa Suecia, El Gráfico, 7 May 2011
Atlanta started very well in this year by three consecutive wins in the league. It also made a strong debut in the Group B of the Copa Suecia by defeating River Plate 4–1. Eventually it was the top team of its group, having the same number of points with Rosario Central. A play-off was contested and Atlanta won by 1–0.Argentina - Copa Suecia 1958 on RSSSF
Racing Club was the qualified team in the Group A and they played the final in 1960. Atlanta won the match 3:1 and was crowned the champion. It remains the only official top flight tournament title in Atlanta's history. Moreover, it was the first time that one of the so-called "little teams" of Argentina won an official cup in the professional era, aside from the "Big Five" (River Plate, Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Independiente, and Racing Club).
Initially, the tournament drew strong crowds. However, public interest declined soon due to various factors. The competition was harmed by the lack of commitment of some of the competing clubs that presented too many substitutes. Moreover, interest was lost due to the dismal performance of the Argentina national football team in World Cup 1958. Last but not least, once the Primera División was resumed, there was a lack of available match dates and the scheduling of the remaining part of the tournament became very difficult. As a result, the tournament became a prolongated competition, with some matches played in 1959 and the final was held in 1960, two years and nine days after the commencement."43 años de la Copa Suecia" on Sentimiento Bohemio website
Group stage
Group A PosTeam Pts GP W D L GF GA GD1Racing 211410133416182Newell's Old Boys1813823241593Estudiantes (LP)1514554272254Tigre1513553272525Huracán13144552327-46Vélez Sarsfield 13143742530-57Boca Juniors 9143381825-78Central Córdoba (R)61422101533-18 Qualified to the final
Group B PosTeam Pts GP W D L GF GA GD1Atlanta 1714734261882Rosario Central1714815332943Lanús15146352728-14Argentinos Juniors1514635302645Independiente1314536292456San Lorenzo 13144552327-47River Plate 11144372330-78Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)11144372534-9 Qualified to Tie breaking play-off
Tie breaking play-off Team 1ScoreTeam 2StadiumCity Rosario Central 0–1 Atlanta Estadio Coloso del Parque Rosario Qualified to the final
Final
Details
GK Néstor ErreaDF Óscar ClariaDF Julio NuinMF Norberto De SanzoMF Carlos GriguolMF Rodolfo BetinottiFW Mario GriguolFW Alberto M. GonzálezFW Domingo RodríguezFW Roberto BellomoFW Walter RoqueManager: Manuel Giúdice
GK Osvaldo Negri DF Norberto AnidoDF Juan Carlos MurúaMF Néstor De VicenteMF Vladislao CapMF Julio GianellaFW Manuel MurúaFW José M. FerreroFW Juan José PizuttiFW Rubén SosaFW Raúl BelénManager: José Della Torre
Top goalscorer Source: Argentina - List of Topscorers - Domestic Cups by Pablo Kersevan and Pablo Ciullini on the RSSSF
Player Goals Club Domingo L. Zabaleta Lanús
References