18 November 1934 - This Is Why We Now Have Penalty Shootouts

On 18 November 1934, Nacional and Peñarol finally decided the Uruguayan Championship for the previous season, six months after their first playoff.

The teams had finished the 1933 season tied for first in the table, so they met for a playoff on 27 May 1934 at the Estadio Centenario. In the 70th minute, with the match scoreless, a shot taken by a Peñarol player went out of bounds, but hit a medicine cabinet and rebounded back onto the pitch. The referee, Telésforo Rodríguez, failed to stop play and Nacional took possession, driving up the field and getting a goal from Héctor Castro. Peñarol immediately protested the goal and assaulted Rodríguez, resulting in his departure from the game due to injury and the ejection of three Peñarol players. The assistant referee then halted the match due to the lack of light.

Approximately a month later, the league officially disallowed Castro's goal and instructed the two teams to play the last 20 minutes of the match behind closed doors on 25 August. But despite two extra-time periods, the match finished as a scoreless draw.

They met for a second playoff on 2 September, but again neither team managed to score. That forced a third playoff, played on 18 November, when they finally managed to find the net. Peñarol were leading 1-0 at the break after a goal from Braulio Castro (42'), but Héctor Castro's second-half hat-trick (53', 61', 77') proved decisive and the match finished as a 2-3 Nacional victory (Peñarol's other goal came from Juan Pedro Arremón in the 58th minute).

29 November 1904 - Héctor, The Nacional Hero

On 29 November 1904, former Uruguayan international forward and manager Héctor Castro was born in Montevideo.

Nicknamed El Manco ("The Maimed") because he accidentally amputated his right forearm with an electric saw at the age of 13, Castro began his professional career in 1923 with Montevideo's Club Nacional, with whom he won the 1924 Uruguayan championship. In 1926, he started a successful run with the Uruguayan national team, winning the 1926 version of the international tournament that would later be known as the Copa América and the 1928 Olympics

He also earned honors in the 1930 World Cup, memorably scoring the last goal in Uruguay's 4-2 win over Argentina in the Final (pictured above).

He left Nacional in 1932 for Argentinian club Estudiantes, but returned to Nacional 1933 and won another national title before retiring as a player in 1936. In 1939, Castro returned to Nacional as manager, winning four consecutive Uruguayan championships (1940-43) before retiring in 1943. He returned for another season in 1952 and led the club to yet another Uruguayan title.

Castro passed away in Montevideo on 15 September 1960 at the age of 55.

30 July 1930 - The First World Cup Final

On 30 July 1930, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup Final before a standing-room-only crowd of over 100,000 at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.

FIFA chose Uruguay as the host country because its national team were reigning world champions, having taken the gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Argentina had claimed the silver, after playing Uruguay to a 1-1 draw on 10 June 1928, then falling 2-1 in the replay three days later. So the two sides were very familiar with one another leading up to the 1930 World Cup.

Uruguay scored first in the Final, with a 12th-minute goal from striker Pablo Dorado, who shot the ball through the legs of Argentinian keeper Juan Botasso. Argentina rallied, however, and took a 2-1 lead into halftime with goals from right forward Carlos Peucelle (20') and center forward Guillermo Stábile (37'). Stábile's goal was his eighth of the tournament, making him the top scorer.

The second half, though, belonged to the home side. Inside-left forward Pedro Cea scored the equalizer in the 57th minute, then outside-left forward Santos Iriarte netted the eventual match-winner in the 68th minute. Center forward Héctor Castro added another for good measure in the 89th minute, completing Uruguay's victory.

18 November 1934 - This Is Why We Now Have Penalty Shootouts

On 18 November 1934, Nacional and Peñarol finally decided the Uruguayan Championship for the previous season, six months after their first playoff.

The teams had finished the 1933 season tied for first in the table, so they met for a playoff on 27 May 1934 at the Estadio Centenario. In the 70th minute, with the match scoreless, a shot taken by a Peñarol player went out of bounds, but hit a medicine cabinet and rebounded back onto the pitch. The referee, Telésforo Rodríguez, failed to stop play and Nacional took possession, driving up the field and getting a goal from Héctor Castro. Peñarol immediately protested the goal and assaulted Rodríguez, resulting in his departure from the game due to injury and the ejection of three Peñarol players. The assistant referee then halted the match due to the lack of light.

Approximately a month later, the league officially disallowed Castro's goal and instructed the two teams to play the last 20 minutes of the match behind closed doors on 25 August. But despite two extra-time periods, the match finished as a scoreless draw.

They met for a second playoff on 2 September, but again neither team managed to score. That forced a third playoff, played on 18 November, when they finally managed to find the net. Peñarol were leading 1-0 at the break after a goal from Braulio Castro (42'), but Héctor Castro's second-half hat-trick (53', 61', 77') proved decisive and the match finished as a 2-3 Nacional victory (Peñarol's other goal came from Juan Pedro Arremón in the 58th minute).

29 November 1904 - Héctor, The Nacional Hero

On 29 November 1904, future Uruguayan international forward and manager Héctor Castro was born in Montevideo.

Nicknamed El Manco ("The Maimed") because he accidentally amputated his right forearm with an electric saw at the age of 13, Castro began his professional career in 1923 with Montevideo's Club Nacional, with whom he won the 1924 Uruguayan championship. In 1926, he started a successful run with the Uruguayan national team, winning the 1926 version of the international tournament that would later be known as the Copa América and the 1928 Olympics

He also earned honors in the 1930 World Cup, memorably scoring the last goal in Uruguay's 4-2 win over Argentina in the Final (pictured above).

He left Nacional in 1932 for Argentinian club Estudiantes, but returned to Nacional 1933 and won another national title before retiring as a player in 1936. In 1939, Castro returned to Nacional as manager, winning four consecutive Uruguayan championships (1940-43) before retiring in 1943. He returned for another season in 1952 and led the club to yet another Uruguayan title.

Castro passed away in Montevideo on 15 September 1960 at the age of 55.

30 July 1930 - The First World Cup Final

On 30 July 1930, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup Final before a standing-room-only crowd of over 100,000 at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.

As previously mentioned, FIFA chose Uruguay as the host country because its national team were reigning world champions, having taken the gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Argentina had claimed the silver, after playing Uruguay to a 1-1 draw on 10 June 1928, then falling 2-1 in the replay three days later. So the two sides were very familiar with one another leading up to the 1930 World Cup.

Uruguay scored first in the Final, with a 12th-minute goal from striker Pablo Dorado, who shot the ball through the legs of Argentinian keeper Juan Botasso. Argentina rallied, however, and took a 2-1 lead into halftime with goals from right forward Carlos Peucelle (20') and center forward Guillermo Stábile (37'). Stábile's goal was his eighth of the tournament, making him the top scorer.

The second half, though, belonged to the home side. Inside-left forward Pedro Cea scored the equalizer in the 57th minute, then outside-left forward Santos Iriarte netted the eventual match-winner in the 68th minute. Center forward Héctor Castro added another for good measure in the 89th minute, completing Uruguay's victory.