The 1969 Campeonato Metropolitano final was the final match of the 1969 Campeonato Metropolitano, the first of the two league championships held during the 78th season of the Argentine Primera División. The match was contested between Chacarita Juniors (who played their first Primera División final) and River Plate (contesting their 3rd final).

The match was held in a neutral venue, in this case the Racing Club Stadium in Avellaneda, on 6 July 1969.A 50 años del histórico título obtenido por Chacarita on afa.org.ar. 5 Jul 2019

Chacarita defeated River 4–1 to win their 1st. (and only to date) title in the upper division of Argentine football.Argentina - First Level 1969 by Osvaldo José Gorgazzi on the RSSSF

Background

Having started his tenure as manager in 1968, Argentino Geronazzo is regarded as the main responsible in the success of that team. A master of tactics, after arriving at the club he made changes to the squad, shifting the positions of several players who would later prove crucial, and daring to unleash his talented players.Chacarita 69 on El Gráfico. 14 Feb 2008 Geronazzo is regarded as an innovative, restless, and tactical coach, and one of the first to spy on rivals.Y dicen que Bielsa está loco... by Mariano Hamilton at Revista Un Caño

Most of their players emerged from the youth divisions plus the addition of Abel Pérez (from Boca Juniors), Rodolfo Orife from Estudiantes de La Plata, and Juan C. Puntonero from Newell's Old Boys.

Federico Pizarro then replaced Geronazzo and had the great virtue of maintaining the team's system and style of play. Thus, quietly, without dazzling stars but with a remarkable collective spirit, Chacarita Juniors began to earn points in the 1969 Metropolitano and ended up sharing the first position in their group with Boca Juniors.

Before the semifinal v Racing, Pizarro resigned due to a disagreement with the Chacarita executive committee, being replaced by Víctor Rodríguez, who was the manager in two last matches of the tournament.

Qualified teams Team Previous app. Chacarita Juniors (none) River Plate 1932, 1936

Venue

The match was held in Estadio Presidente Perón, owned by Racing Club de Avellaneda. The stadium had been officially inaugurated in September 1950. The following year, it was selected as the main venue for the 1951 Pan American Games, hosting the opening ceremony and all football matches.

On 1 November 1967, the stadium hosted the second leg of the 1967 Intercontinental Cup, where Racing defeated Celtic 2–1. The match drew approximately 120,000 spectators, marking the highest attendance ever recorded at a stadium in Argentina.

Road to the final Participant teams were divided into two groups of 11 teams each. They played a double round-robin tournament plus two derbies (vs Platense and Boca Juniors in the cases of Chacarita and River, respectively)Campaña de River Plate en 1969 by José Carluccio, 23 May 2013 El campeonato del Metropolitano 1969 on chacaritajuniors.com.ar (archived) totalising 22 matches played.

The first two teams of each zone qualified to the semifinals, which (just like the final) were decided on one single match and held in neutral venues."Argentina: 1ra. División AFA 1969 Campeonato Metropolitano" by José Carluccio. 10 Nov 2009

Chacarita JuniorsRound River Plate OpponentResult (home / away) Group stage OpponentResult (home / away) Platense 2–1 (A) 3–2 (H) Matchday 1 Argentinos Juniors 2–1 (A) 4–2 (H) Lanús 1–7 (A) 3–0 (H) Matchday 2 Boca Juniors 1–1 (A) 2–0 (H) Colón 5–0 (H) 1–0 (A) Matchday 3 Los Andes 1–0 (H) 0–0 (A) Vélez Sarsfield 2–2 (A) 2–1 (H) Matchday 4 Newell's Old Boys 2–1 (A) 4–0 (H) Independiente 1–0 (H) 1–2 (A) Matchday 5 Estudiantes LP 3–1 (H) 0–1 (A) Atlanta 1–1 (A) 2–1 (H) Matchday 6 Huracán 1–0 (A) 0–0 (H) Boca Juniors 0–0 (H) 1–0 (A) Matchday 7 Platense 0–4 (H) 1–1 (A) Banfield 2–1 (A) 3–2 (H) Matchday 8 Quilmes 3–2 (A) 1–1 (H) Rosario Central 0–0 (H) 1–2 (A) Matchday 9Unión 0–0 (H) 1–0 (A) Gimnasia y Esgrima LP 1–0 (A) 2–1 (H) Matchday 10 Deportivo Morón 3–1 (A) 3–0 (H) San Lorenzo 0–2 (H) 0–2 (A) Matchday 11 Racing 2–2 (H) 1–3 (A) Group A winners Pos.Team Pts W T L Pl 1 Boca Juniors 30126422 2 Chacarita Juniors 30134522 3 Vélez Sarsfield 2698522 4 Independiente 25105322Final standings Group B winners Pos. Team Pts W T L Pl 1 Racing 35147122 2 River Plate 31127322 3 Estudiantes (LP) 27115622 4 Huracán 2488622 Racing 1–0 (N) Semifinals Boca Juniors 0–0 (N)

Notes

Match

Summary Chacarita scored two goals in the first half (both by Neumann). In the first minutes of the second half, forward Ángel Marcos start a run from the midfield to the opposite area, where he catched a pass from Leonardo Recúpero. Marcos dribbled a defender and goalkeeper Hugo Carballo, then moving to the left, when Miguel Ángel López tried to intercept him, Marcos made a nutmeg to score the third goal for Chacarita. Fifty years later, he regarded it as the best goal of his career.

Details

GK 1 Eliseo PetrocelliDF 4 Jorge A. GómezDF 2 Abel PérezDF 6 Ángel Bargas DF 3 Franco FrassoldatiMF 8 Leonardo RecúperoMF 5 Raúl PoncioMF 10 Juan C. PuntoneroFW 7 Ángel MarcosFW 9 Rodolfo OrifeFW 11 Horacio NeumannManager: Víctor Rodríguez

GK 1 Hugo CarballoDF 4 Roberto Ferreiro DF 2 Miguel Ángel LópezDF 6 Juan C. GuzmánDF 3 Abel VieytezMF 8 Eduardo DreyerMF 5 Jorge RecioMF 10 Roberto GutiérrezFW 7 Juan C. TrebucqFW 9 Daniel Onega FW 11 Oscar MasManager: Ángel Labruna

Aftermath

Argentino Geronazzo, regarded by the media and his own players as the main builder of that Chacarita team, stated about his influence on that team that his best contribution to that team was "Having left on time", adding seriously: "when I left, the players had to assume their responsibility. I, as coach, absorbed everything and without me they had to mature alone. That's why they were champions".

Regarding the players, Ángel Marcos was the key figure of Chacarita, apart from being considered the best player in the club's history. Another player from the youth divisions, Carlos García Cambón said in 2019: "I was trained by great master Ernesto Duchini. Winning a title in a small club is something wonderful because when you are champion with a big one, the following year it is already forgotten". Speaken of the factors that made Chacarita become a champion, García Cambón stated that Argentino Geronazzo deserved credit for bringing together youth players with the new ones, all under a footballing philosophy that materialized on the pitch in 1969, also praising the executive committee for their support to the team.

Once the match concluded, the bus that was transporting Chacarita players and staff from Avellaneda to General San Martín Partido took almost six hours to complete the trip. They were escorted by a fire engine while being greeted by their fans, arriving to Estadio de Chacarita Juniors about 1:00 am.

Chacarita repeated their good performance in the 1970 (where the team finished 1st of group A and lost in semifinal v Boca Juniors)Argentina - First Level 1970 on the RSSSF and 1971 seasons (finished 3rd. in Campeonato Metropolitano)Argentina - First Level 1971 on the RSSSF

Also in 1971 Chacarita Juniors was invited (as Argentine champions) to participate in the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy, where the team made a surprising debut defeating Bayern Munich 2–0 (goals by Marcos and Rodolfo Fucceneco).Partidos Soñados de equipos argentinos on elgrafico.com.ar. 24 Aug 2022 The line-up was: Daniel Carnevali; Raúl Forteis, Jorge Buzzo, Ángel Bargas, Franco Frassoldati; Luis Recúpero, Alberto Poncio, Juan Carlos Puntorero (Rodolfo Fucceneco); Ángel Marcos, Carlos María García Cambón, Horacio Neumann (Pedro Vicente Patti). The team was coached by Armando Mareque.

Chacarita qualified to play the final v host FC Barcelona (which had defeated Kispest Honvéd on penalties) but lost 1–0.Trofeo Joan Gamper (Barcelona-Spain) 1966-2025 on the RSSSFEl día que Chacarita jugó el Trofeo Joan Gamper, venció al Bayern Munich y maravilló al Camp Nou by Jeremías Rodríguez on infobae.com. 15 Aug 2018

References