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At the Olympiastadion in Munich, Italy won its first match of the 1974 World Cup in Germany, introducing Haiti to the world.

Until June 15, 1974, the football world had never heard of Haiti. For the small Caribbean state, it was a great achievement, almost historic.

Italy: Discovering Haiti in Germany

The small Caribbean island had its moment of glory that day. Although it ended in defeat for the Caribbean team, it was a true achievement. The team had been on the sidelines for 50 years. Then, under the guidance of Italian Ettore Trevisan in 1973, they won the CONCACAF group, securing a remarkable qualification for the World Cup.

However, the coach had a dispute with the federation, so in Germany, the team was entrusted to his assistant, Antoine Tassy. The World Cup baptism of fire was against the Italians. It was also the first time that Italy played in Bavaria. The Azzurri entered the match as reigning vice-world champions, but with several new faces compared to Mexico ’70. The predictions were obviously in our favor for the match against Haiti.

Valcareggi lined up with: Zoff, Spinosi, Facchetti, Benetti, F. Morini, Burgnich, A. Mazzola, F. Capello, Chinaglia, Rivera, Riva.

The Caribbean team responded with: Francillon, Bayonne, Auguste, François, Nazaire, Jean Joseph, Vorbe, Antoine, Sanon, Desir, G. Saint Vil.

So, everything was set in Munich. A historic moment in football was about to begin.

Houston, We Have a Problem: Haiti Takes the Lead

Unfortunately, in the first 45 minutes, Italy failed to break through. The Haitians focused on defending and counterattacking, running tirelessly. The Italians pushed forward, but the standout player was the Haitian goalkeeper, Francillon. At halftime, it was 0-0. Then, the second half began. Within seconds, Emmanuel Sanon, a legend in his country, dribbled past Spinosi and scored past Zoff. Haiti took the lead.

Back home, celebrations erupted in the squares. Someone went overboard and fired a couple of shots. Result: two deaths. In Munich, everyone was alive but shocked. Zoff also saw his shutout record interrupted: 1143 minutes, broken by Donnarumma at Euro 2020.

Italy: A Comeback Is Urgently Needed

Italy’s luck was that the surprise didn’t last long. Exactly seven minutes. That’s how long it took for Chinaglia to assist Rivera, who scored and leveled the game. After the fear of another “Korea” like in 1966 subsided, the Azzurri moved more freely.

So, in the 64th minute, Benetti‘s shot was deflected by Auguste, changing the scoreline. Valcareggi substituted Chinaglia for Anastasi: the Lazio player didn’t take it well and cursed out his coach. However, the coach’s decision paid off because in the 78th minute, the powerful shot from the Sicilian forward sealed the final 3-1 victory.

Relief for Italy, unaware that they would be eliminated by Poland in the group stage. Haiti, on the other hand, deflated immediately: they conceded 7 goals to the Poles and 4 to Argentina. They sadly returned home and, to this day, eagerly await the chance to play, remarkably, in another World Cup.