25 April 1936 - A Born Fighter

On 25 April 1936, Leonel Sánchez, Chile's record cap-holder for an outfield player, was born in Santiago.

A left winger, Sánchez began his professional career in 1953 with Universidad de Chile, where he would remain for seventeen years and win six league titles (1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969). In 1955, he made his first appearance for the Chilean national team in a 1-1 draw with Brazil. He would go on to earn a team-record 84 caps between 1955 and 1968. (The record was later beaten by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who currently sits at 89 appearances).

He was a key member of the team that finished third in the 1962 World Cup, scoring four goals to tie five other players as the tournament's top scorer. He scored two of those goals in Chile's opening match, a 3-1 group stage win over Switzerland.

Chile's next match, played on 2 June, was the infamous "Battle of Santiago" in which several fights broke out and two Italian players were sent off. One of the Italians ejected was Mario David, who was sent off for kicking Sánchez in the head. Sánchez had first punched David, but escaped punishment. Sánchez also broke the nose of Italy's Humberto Maschio with a punch, but somehow again avoided punishment as Chile won the match 2-0. They eventually lost to Brazil in the semi-finals, but finished in third place with a 1-0 win over Yugoslavia in the consolation match.

Sánchez left Universidad in 1969 over a contract dispute and played for three other Chilean teams before retiring in 1973.

22 December 2011 - School Lets Out For Universidad de Chile

On 22 December 2011, a loss to Católica ended Universidad de Chile's unbeaten streak at 36. But they consoled themselves with their second of three straight league titles.

UDC, who won the 2011 Apertura Final over Católica the previous June, last lost on 13 July, falling 0-2 to Magallanes in the Copa de Chile. Afterward, they went on a tremendous run that included the Copa Sudamerica, which they won over LDU Quito on 14 December to extend their unbeaten run to 35 games in all competitions, bettering their 33-game streak from 1999. For their 36th game, they beat Católica 1-2 in the first leg of the 2011 Clausura semi-finals on 18 December, then hosted Católica for the second leg four days later.

After conceding a 42nd-minute goal to Católica's Kevin Harbottle, UDC drew level with a strike from Osvaldo González in the 59th minute. The game remained 1-1 until stoppage time, when José Luis Villanueva scored for the visitors to set the final margin as a 1-2 win for Católica.

Although the goal put the two teams levels on points and goal differential, UDC still advanced by virtue of having finished higher than Católica in the classification phase. They went on to defend their title successfully, beating Cobreloa in the final, then defended it again in the 2012 Apertura.

25 April 1936 - A Born Fighter

On 25 April 1936, Chile's record cap-holder Leonel Sánchez was born in Santiago.

A left winger, Sánchez began his professional career in 1953 with Universidad de Chile, where he would remain for seventeen years and win six league titles (1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969). In 1955, he made his first appearance for the Chilean national team in a 1-1 draw with Brazil. He would go on to earn a national record 84 caps between 1955 and 1968.

He was a key member of the team that finished third in the 1962 World Cup, scoring four goals to tie five other players as the tournament's top scorer. He scored two of those goals in Chile's opening match, a 3-1 group stage win over Switzerland.

Chile's next match, played on 2 June, was the infamous "Battle of Santiago" in which several fights broke out and two Italian players were sent off. One of the Italians ejected was Mario David, who was sent off for kicking Sánchez in the head. Sánchez had first punched David, but escaped punishment. Sánchez also broke the nose of Italy's Humberto Maschio with a punch, but somehow again avoided punishment as Chile won the match 2-0. They eventually lost to Brazil in the semi-finals, but finished in third place with a 1-0 win over Yugoslavia in the consolation match.

Sánchez left Universidad in 1969 over a contract dispute and played for three other Chilean teams before retiring in 1973.