University of Chile and Colo Colo will face each other this Saturday in the 194th edition of the Superclásico, a match that is part of the 23rd round of the 2023 National Championship and will take place at the Santa Laura stadium.
The Plaza Chacabuco stadium has only hosted three official matches between the Blues and the Albos (in the 70s), but the impossibility of using the Nacional stadium, where Universidad de Chile historically hosted its main rival, made Unión Española's field confirmed as the venue for the most important match in Chilean football.
That's why, in the lead-up to a new derby, we review five Superclásicos where the Chuncho was the home team against the Cacique and left their mark on our football.
1) THE "GINO" SUPERCLÁSICO
On July 12, 1992, Universidad de Chile faced Colo Colo at a packed Nacional stadium and secured a triumph that still resonates in the hearts of the university's fans. That day, the Chuncho won the derby again, after three years since their return to the Primera División, thanks to a brace from Eduardo "Gino" Cofré and a colossal Sergio Bernabé Vargas, who saved a penalty and performed a rabona against Claudio Borghi: a resounding 2-0 for Arturo Salah's team over a Cacique filled with stars.
2) OLYMPIC LAP WITH ALBA'S VENDETTA
In mid-December 1999, César Vaccia's University of Chile, the champion of the longest National Tournament in the history of Chilean football (44 rounds), closed a memorable campaign against Colo Colo in Ñuñoa. Before the match, the blue squad repeated the Olympic lap they had taken days before against Santiago Morning. This did not sit well with the white side, and it was demonstrated on the field with an overwhelming 3-0 victory, courtesy of Marquinhos, Luis Ignacio Quinteros, and José Luis Sierra... Yes, it was the perfect vendetta to overshadow the blue party.
3) WITH SAMPAOLI, A 'MANITA' FOR THE BOOKS
It was April 2012, and the Blues, under the coaching of Jorge Sampaoli, were experiencing one of the most glorious periods in their history, fighting tooth and nail in that season's CONMEBOL Libertadores, anticipating an unprecedented tricampeonato, and excelling in every match. And that great sporting moment for the Chuncho would be fully reflected against their archrival, with a devastating 5-0 victory, courtesy of Marcelo Díaz, Matías Rodríguez (2), Igor Lichnovsky, and Ángelo Henríquez... That thrashing remains to this day Universidad de Chile's biggest triumph in the Superclásico.
4) CHUNCHO'S VICTORY, (BUT) TITLE FOR CACIQUE
It was the 2006 Torneo de Apertura final and the Estadio Nacional once again served as the stage. Claudio Borghi's Colo Colo arrived with a slight advantage after winning the first leg 2-1 with a last-minute goal from Matías Fernández, and on July 2, the rematch took place, with the Azules winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from Luis Pedro Figueroa. With the aggregate tied 2-2, the champion was to be decided from the penalty shootout, and there, the Cacique was more accurate: 4-2, leaving as lasting images of that night Claudio Bravo's save against Mayer Candelo and Miguel Aceval's decisive shot, causing total delirium among the popular fans.
5) A HEATED AND CONTROVERSIAL DRAW
On Sunday, April 20, 1997, one of the most memorable Superclásicos of recent times was played. In the 10th round of the Apertura Tournament of that year, the first short championship in Chilean football, Universidad de Chile and Colo Colo drew a heated and controversial 1-1. The Albos had the chance to break the deadlock with a penalty, but Sergio Vargas saved Ivo Basay's shot. After that, the blues opened the scoring through Víctor Hugo Castañeda, who celebrated by wearing the shirt on the corner flag, responding to the same celebration that Marcelo Espina had done a year earlier in the Copa Chile. But just when it seemed that the home team would secure the victory, Vargas caught the ball outside the box after being pushed by Héctor Tapia, resulting in a free-kick for the visitors and a goal by Pedro Reyes in the 90th minute... That match ended with the university players confronting the referee team and the goalkeeper kicking and destroying the referees' dressing room door.