On 13 December 1973, Haitian hitman Emmanuel Sanon bagged a brace in the host nation’s 2-1 comeback victory over Guatemala at the Concacaf Championship, which served as the confederation’s preliminary competition for the held in the following year.
That triumph was the islanders’ fourth in as many outings at the continental showpiece and guaranteed that they finished top of the pile and would fly the flag for Concacaf at the global bonanza on West German soil. Les Grenadiers had fired their way through qualifying to become only the second Caribbean country to grace FIFA’s flagship men’s competition after Cuba had broken new ground at the 1938 instalment.
Former Haitian international Antoine Tassy, better known as Zoupim, guided the nation to its maiden World Cup, a richly deserved accomplishment that had been over a decade in the making. The euphoric supporters’ expectations were somewhat tempered after the side were drawn into a daunting-looking group comprising one of the pre-tournament favourites, Italy, whose backline had not been breached in – wait for it – nearly two years, as well as Olympic titlists Poland and South American aces Argentina.
Italy 3-1 Haiti | First group stage
Goalscorers: Gianni Rivera (52’), Romeo Benetti (66’) and Pietro Anastasi (79’) for Italy; Emmanuel Sanon (46’) for Haiti
The opening 45 minutes proved to be a rather one-sided affair, with Les Grenadiers managing to repel the Italian siege, thanks in no small part to the heroics of Henri Francillon between the sticks. To the amazement of all those inside Munich’s Olympiastadion, the sides went in all square at the break.
The second period was barely a minute old when a rather hopeful round-the-corner pass from Azzurri left-back Giacinto Facchetti was headed firmly away by centre-half Wilner Nazaire. The clearance fell kindly to string-pulling Haitian midfielder Philippe Vorbe, who hit a majestic first-time through-ball on the half-volley with the outside of his boot and into the path of the fleet-footed Sanon.
Undeterred by Luciano Spinosi’s hands-on efforts to stop him in his tracks, “Manno” won the foot race between the pair before bearing down on the advancing Dino Zoff. Time appeared to stand still as the Haitian TV commentators held their breath in excited anticipation before letting out decibel-defying cries of “Goal for Haiti!”.
“As soon as the ball fell into my path, I spotted “Manno” making a run in behind, and Spinosi was the only defender tracking him. I played a pass beyond them and Sanon got on his bike. […] With a drop of the shoulder, he waltzed his way past Zoff and slotted it into the net. It was the greatest moment of our careers and lives,” Vorbe told FIFA in a mini-documentary that spotlights the rookies’ exploits at the 1974 instalment.
A deafening silence engulfed the whole arena when Sanon caressed the ball into the goal. Having gone no fewer than 1,142 minutes without picking the ball out of the net, Zoff had been beaten by an unheralded 22-year-old who plied his trade for amateur Haitian outfit Don Bosco. However, the joy would turn out to be short-lived for the tournament newbies. Indeed, it took the Italians all of six minutes to restore parity, with Gianni Rivera lashing home the leveller.
The European powerhouses then found their scoring boots and came up with a further two goals as the floodgates threatened to open. Although Italy ultimately came out on top in a 3-1 success, the momentous feat in the 46th minute, as the islanders netted for the first time on the World Cup stage, will forever be etched into Haitian hearts and minds.
Following the unbridled joy of qualifying for the global extravaganza and the ecstasy of scoring their maiden goal in tournament history, things turned sour for the Concacaf side. They were on the receiving end of a 7-0 pummelling at the hands of the Poles in their second outing, and then left West Germany with no points to show for their efforts after suffering a 4-1 defeat to Argentina in their final-group stage contest, in which Sanon was again on target.
Following a campaign in which the opening goal against the Italians was the undisputed highlight, the Haitian national team would spend a number of decades in the wilderness. Indeed, the country’s fans were made to wait until the – a whole 52 years on from their last foray on the global stage – to see their heroes grace , and they will have high hopes that a successor to Sanon’s throne will announce themselves on North American soil.
Sources: FIFA Official
