protagonist in South American football, ranking among the top 20 strongest football nations of the decade. In the Pan-American Championship of 1952 the Peruvians defeated Panama and Mexico, tied with Brazil and lost to Chile and Uruguay in close matches. Players such as Alberto Terry, Guillermo Barbadillo, Valeriano López, Félix Castillo, and Óscar Gómez Sánchez contributed to Peru's competitive play throughout the 1950s. During 1953 and 1954, Peru achieved its only two titles of the decade, twice winning the Copa del Pacífico (Pacific Cup), a trophy disputed between Chile and Peru every time the two sides play. In the 1955 South American Championship, the national squad's campaign took them to a third-place finish. Nonetheless, the team fared poorly at the Pan-American Championship held in Mexico, and the South American Championship in Montevideo. The team made a slight recovery as the decade closed, reaching fourth place at the 1957 and 1959 South American Championships, and defeating England 4–1 in an exhibition match. During the 1960s, Peru showed signs of improvement, winning the Bolivarian Games in Barranquilla and qualifying for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. However, these would be the only achievements of the decade, as Peru failed to place in the top four spots of the 1963 South American Championship, did not qualify for the Chile and England World Cups, and was unable to regain the Copa del Pacífico. 1970s: Second golden generation The story of the second golden generation started in late 1969, when la Blanquirroja qualified for the Mexico 1970 World Cup. Thanks to the goals of "Cachito" Ramírez, the squad tied Argentina at a game popularly known as "La Bombonera" (in reference to the Estadio Alberto J. Armando where the game was played). The squad, managed by "Didi" Pereira, followed a 4–2–4 formation that typically comprised José Fernández, Orlando de la Torre, Héctor Chumpitaz, and Nicolás Fuentes as the defenders; Ramón Mifflin and Roberto Challe as the midfielders; Julio Baylón, Pedro Pablo León, Teófilo Cubillas, and Alberto Gallardo as the forwards; and Luis Rubiños as the goalkeeper. The participation of Peru in the 1970 FIFA World Cup was particularly memorable when the squad caused surprise as they advanced into the quarterfinals by defeating Bulgaria 3–2 and Morocco 3–0, and despite losing 3–1 to Germany. Although Peru lost the quarterfinal game to Brazil by 4–2, la Blanquirroja would go on to win the Copa del Pacífico, were invited