#6 Haiti – 1974
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The 1973 CONCACAF Championships doubled up as the 1974 World Cup Qualifiers for the North and Central American regions and the hosts Haiti were considered to be top contenders to go through. The 1970s were the golden age of Haitian football and the team had narrowly missed out on qualification for the 1970 World Cup.
Haiti already had players like Henri Francillon (1860 Munich) and Emmanuel Sanon (Beershot) playing in European leagues and the team was considered to be the strongest in the region after Mexico and arguably, Costa Rica. But the latter did not get through the qualifying stages for the CONCACAF Championships whereas Haiti thrashed Puerto Rico 12-0 on aggregate to reach the main qualifying round.
Mexico’s indifferent form came back to haunt them and when Sanon’s double led to a victory over Guatemala in what would be their fourth straight win in the tournament, Haiti were guaranteed a spot in the World Cup in West Germany.
A 1-0 reverse at the hands of Mexico in the inconsequential final game would not dampen Haitian spirits as they celebrated the CONCACAF Cup victory and a maiden World Cup qualification.
At the World Cups, Haiti were handed a tough group alongside Italy, Argentina and Poland. Sanon would score two goals in the World Cup, but he could not prevent a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of eventual group winners Poland and a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Argentines.
But the greatest moment of Sanon’s career had already come in the opening game against Italy. After a goalless first half, Sanon would beat Dino Zoff to give Haiti a 1-0 advantage. That goal would end Zoff’s record 1142 minute no-goal streak in international matches. Italy would rally to win 3-1, but Haiti had already made their history.
