CHAMPIONS ONCE MORE
This article was made in honor of the dedication to the memory of Mr. Pedro Petrone.

After being crowned champions of the 1924 Olympic Games, Uruguay hosted the South American Championship — Campeonato Sudamericano. In this edition, participated Argentina, Paraguay and Chile and Uruguay itself. Brazil withdrew from the competition. It is good to mention that Uruguay was only the host country, as Paraguay organized the tournament. At first, it was to have been organized in Santiago, but the leaders claimed that they did not have enough infrastructure for such a feat. Consequently, the matches were played on Uruguayan soil, more precisely at Parque Central.

The Uruguayan footballers were in constant ecstasy with their nation, they were received with the best possible favors and the title of best footballers in the world. About the campaign carried out on Parisian soil, Adolpho Klingelhoefer commented in one of his lines:


— Uruguay has an absolute knowledge of the game, they dominate the ball in a remarkable way, they have a confidence and a finesse of execution similar to that of the best English professional teams, or, better, that of the famous Corinthians of the good times, the great British amateur team.


The first match of Uruguay was scheduled for 10/19/1924 under the command of Eduardo Jara.

AN UNSTOPPABLE PETRONE.

Chile was the opponent. They didn't pose any threat to the Uruguayan team. Compared to the Olympic team, Uruguay had lost José Leandro Andrade and José Vidal. Right half-back Ramón Bucetta and centre-half Pedro Zingone were substituted for the two. Under overcast weather, both teams took to the pitch for the initiation protocol. Alongside the referee Eduardo Jara, two Paraguayan players were the linesmen of the match. An audience of just over 10.000 people attended the match.

The Chileans tried to offer danger to the Uruguayan gate, but they were not efficient. The Olympic champions were far superior to their opponents and recorded several advances against Ramírez's gate. In one of these advances, Héctor Scarone collided with an opponent and had to leave the field for a while. It took something close to forty minutes for the first goal of the match to be scored. Through Pedro Petrone, who advanced towards the opposing goal and sent a violent and completely unstoppable shot. The first half ended with the score 1:0 for Uruguay. Celeste's dominance did not reflect the score.


PEDRO PETRONE

Scarone returned for the second half; not completely recovered. However, the right inside forward was fit to play. Following Uruguay's various offensive actions, Petrone scored the second goal of the match. Centre-half Zingone scored the third; Romano, through a header, scored the fourth and Petrone completed the hat-trick right at the end of the match. Exceptional start for Celeste Olímpica.

Sunday, 26/10/1924, the match against the organizers of the championship was scheduled: Paraguay. In place of right half-back Ramón Bucetta, Juan Carlos Alzugaray was selected to play.

That match was considered to be very disputed by the Paraguayans, who, for many, deserved a better result. Nevertheless, Uruguay remained superior against Fleitas Solich's team. Through goals scored by Petrone, Romano and Cea, Uruguay won its second victory in the tournament. Uruguay 3:1. Nasazzi, Petrone, Cea and Romano were the main Uruguayan names.

ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP FOR URUGUAY.

For the last match against Argentina, only a draw was needed to give Uruguay the fourth South American championship. Even with a very inefficient attack in the competition, Argentina had proved that its defense was more solid than ever. After all, the Platenses had not conceded a single goal in the tournament.

For the last match of the tournament, Ángel Barlocco replaced Scarone and the return of the veteran Alfredo Zibechi as the team's centre-half was big news.

This match was marked not only by the Uruguayan conquest — the second major achievement of the year —, but also by the exceptional performance of Argentine goalkeeper Americo Tesoriere. This, perhaps, was  Argentina's arquero best performance in his entire career. After the final whistle, Tesoriere was carried by the Uruguayan players, therefore representing his brilliant performance in that final.

Regarding Tesoriere's performance, the exceptional Argentine goalkeeper himself commented:


— I was always a jealous critic of my performance. My scrupulousness did not allow me to forgive myself for the simplest error committed. My demands were my nightmare after playing a match; This or that caused my tribulation, to the point that for several days I could not overcome the disenchantment that reigned in my spirit. I confess that I have experienced many disappointments throughout my career, due to excessive awareness on my part. On Sunday the fight with myself ceased. I have finally won the eight-year battle to achieve perfection in my position on the field!



CONCLUSION

The Uruguayan style of play was very clear: technically advanced, fast and scientific. From defense to attack there were homogeneous aspects.

Both full-backs didn't play in line, no, José Nasazzi remained a little behind Arispe. A scientific defense, very well thought out to break down offensive lines and intercept both on the ground and in the air.

The line of half-backs was not as impressive as it was at the Olympic Games, as the absences of José Vidal and José Leandro Andrade lowered the quality of the line. However, the return of Alfredo Zibechi as centre-half in the last game was a catalyst for the half-back line.


PEDRO CEA

The offensive line revolved around the inside trio, mainly Pedro Petrone, who, for many, was the star of the team alongside José Nasazzi. Pedro Cea, the organizer, did very well in his combinations with Ángel Romano and Pedro Petrone. On the other hand, Héctor Scarone didn't stand out as much as his teammates.

Infiltrations, quick combinations and ball centralizations were constant in the Uruguayan offensive line, due to, of course, the versatility and quality that Petrone had in his actions.

Of the three matches played, Chile's was won with extreme ease; Paraguay brought up a good fight; Argentina had a Tesoriere in one of his best career performances, therefore he didn't give in to the constant Uruguayan bombings. Uruguay's victory was well commented by the Europeans, who were waiting for a tour that would be carried out by Nacional Montevideo in 1925. The Europeans, who had been dazzled by the Uruguayans, were not surprised by yet another achievement. After all, Uruguayan football was at its peak.

This was a tournament in which Uruguay entered as a strong favorite for another victory, even though the Sudamericano team was weaker than that of the Olympic Games. The only team that could dethrone Uruguay was Argentina, but they failed in offensive efficiency.

Uruguay ended the tournament with 8 goals scored and only one goal conceded. Pedro Petrone was the competition's top scorer with 4 goals; 3 of which were scored against Chile.

Of the best Uruguayan players in the tournament,  Pedro Petrone and José Nasazzi stood out.