As hosts of the World Cup in 1962 Chile managed to make their mark and leave a nasty stain.
Their achievement was in reaching the semi-finals of the tournament, a feat never matched by them before or since. The stain was the brutality of some of their performances.
They kicked out at the superior Brazilians in losing the semi-final 4-2 and their antics in the 2-0 win over Italy in the group game dubbed the 'Battle of Santiago' remain an all-time World Cup low.
The referee, Ken Aston, is credited with later introducing the idea of red and yellow cards, and the Italy clash was probably where he found his inspiration. Aston sent off two Italians, but there could easily have been many more dismissals from both sides as the fists and feet flew.
To concentrate on football matters, this was the last time Chile won a group game at the World Cup. They went on to beat the Soviet Union in the quarter-finals, but then fell to Brazil, the eventual winners, in another physical contest that ended with two players being dismissed.
In 1966 Chile drew with North Korea but lost against Italy and the Soviet Union. In 1974 they drew with East Germany and Australia before losing to West Germany and in 1982 they lost to Algeria, Austria and West Germany.
In 1998 Chile progressed to the knockout stages, where they were beaten by Brazil, but they got there with successive draws against Italy, Austria and Cameroon.
In 1990 and 1994 they were absent from the tournament, the consequence of a bizarre chain of events when they met Brazil in a qualifier at the Maracana in September 1989.
Needing to win to preserve their hopes of qualification, Chile were trailing 1-0 when a firework was thrown on to the pitch. The Chilean keeper, Roberto Rojas, collapsed to the ground, apparently with a cut to his head. His team-mates refused to continue and the match was abandoned, with the Chilean officials demanding a replay.
But investigations revealed Rojas had been unhurt until he deliberately cut himself. He received a life ban, which was later lifted. The match was awarded to Brazil, signalling the elimination of Chile, who were also disqualified from the 1994 World Cup.
Brazil's dominance continued through the qualifying group for 2010 as they inflicted two of Chile's five defeats. But a strong second half to the campaign took the Chileans through. After losing four of the first nine games, they won six and drew two of the last nine, crucially overcoming Argentina and Paraguay to take second place on goal difference.
They show a talent for beating the lesser teams and occasionally springing a surprise against better opposition, while in Humberto Suazo they also have the top scorer in the South American qualifying group - and that combination should again take them beyond the group stage in South Africa.
IN A NUTSHELL
So near...
The kids are all right - free-scoring Chile lead the South American charge to the quarter-finals.
Yet so far...
The competition is too hot for Chile, whose failure shows there are only two South American sides who have what it takes to win modern World Cups.
Will be remembered for...
Good football, some tough tactics and maybe achieving more than any Chile side since 1962.
Stat attack
With 10 goals, Chile's Humberto Suazo was the top scorer in the South American qualifying group.
Key player
All eyes will be on Suazo. If he can reproduce the scoring form from the qualifiers and from his club matches in Mexico with Monterrey, then Chile could extend their stay in South Africa.
The Boss
The high point of Marcelo Bielsa's reign - in addition to qualifying - was the win over his native Argentina. He gives youth a chance and is known to prefer an attacking style. But he is also known as 'The Madman' because of his disciplinarian nature and obsession with detail; press conferences have been known to last longer than matches!
Odds: 50-1
Colours: Red shirts, blue shorts
Nickname: La Roja (The Red One)
Official website: www.anfp.cl
Last competitive match
Santiago - 14 October, 2009
Chile 1 Ecuador 0
Scorer: Suazo (53)
Line-up:
1 Claudio Bravo (C)
3 Waldo Ponce
4 Roberto Cereceda (2 Ismael Fuentes, 76)
5 Rodrigo Millar
7 Alexis Sanchez
8 Arturo Vidal (18 Gonzalo Jara, 67)
9 Humberto Suazo
10 Jorge Valdivia
15 Jean Beausehour (11 Esteban Paredes, 31)
16 Manuel Iturra
17 Gary Medel
Subs not used:
6 Gonzalo Fierro
12 Miguel Pinto
13 Hector Mancilla
14 Rodrigo Tello
Qualifying record
2nd, South American Group
Campaign in full
Argentina 2 Chile 0
Chile 2 Peru 0
Uruguay 2 Chile 2
Chile 0 Paraguay 3
Bolivia 0 Chile 2
Venezuela 2 Chile 3
Chile 0 Brazil 3
Chile 4 Colombia 0
Ecuador 1 Chile 0
Chile 1 Argentina 0
Peru 1 Chile 3
Chile 0 Uruguay 0
Paraguay 0 Chile 2
Chile 4 Bolivia 0
Chile 2 Venezuela 2
Brazil 4 Chile 2
Colombia 2 Chile 4
Chile 1 Ecuador 0
Leading scorer
10 - Humberto Suazo
World Cup pedigree
Third place - 1962
Second round - 1998
First round - 1930, 1950, 1966, 1974, 1982
Fifa world ranking: 17
Our prediction
Should reach the second round. After that it's up to Suazo.
Source: fanhouse.co.uk/
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