Francisco Las Heras
Personal information
Full name Francisco José Las Heras Risso
Date of birth (1949-08-21) 21 August 1949 (age 74)[1]
Place of birth Santiago, Chile
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Universidad de Chile
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1967–1972 Universidad de Chile 84 (11)
1972–1975 Unión Española 56 (13)
1975–1977 Tecos 28 (3)
1977–1979 Unión Española 68 (4)
1980 Coquimbo Unido 26 (0)
1981 Deportes Aviación
International career
1975 Chile 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francisco José Las Heras Risso (born 21 August 1949) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for Universidad de Chile, Unión Española, Coquimbo Unido and Deportes Aviación, winning titles with the first two, and also played for Mexican club Tecos.[1] Internationally, he represented Chile at the 1975 Copa América.

Life and career

Las Heras, the son of Francisco Las Heras Marrodán who played football for Chile in the 1940s,[2] attended the Instituto Alonso de Ercilla in Santiago[3] and studied at the University of Chile.[4] He began his football career in the youth system of the Primera División club associated with that university, Universidad de Chile, and made his first-team debut at the age of 17,[4] contributing to their 1967 title.[2] He appeared infrequently for the next couple of seasons[1] as the team won another Primera title, in 1969,[2] as well as two Torneo Metropolitanos,[5] but became a regular from 1970 onwards.[1]

In 1973, Las Heras signed for Unión Española,[1] with whom he won two Primera titles in three seasons as well as reaching the final of the 1975 Copa Libertadores.[2] Facing the Argentine superstars of Independiente, Unión Española won the first leg 1–0 with a late goal, but lost the second leg 3–1 – the goal scored by Las Heras with a penalty – in a controversial match in which the Chilean players blamed weak refereeing for the defeat. In the days before the away goals rule, a play-off in a neutral country decided the result: Independiente beat Unión Española 2–0 to win their fourth consecutive Copa Libertadores.[4][6][7]

Las Heras was included in Chile's squad for the 1975 Copa América. He made his debut on 17 July, in the starting eleven for Chile's first group match, a 1–1 draw with Peru in Santiago, and started all three remaining group matches. Chile finished second in their group, but only the group winners progressed to the next stage of the competition.[8] Those were his only appearances at senior international level.[1]

After his international commitments ended, Las Heras joined Tecos, newly promoted to the Mexican Primera División. He played in 26 matches, half in the starting eleven, half as substitute, as they qualified for the playoffs. He made the last of his 30 league appearances on matchday 10 of the following season,[9] before returning to Union Española. He won his third Primera División title with the club in 1977.[10] After two more years, he moved on to another Primera club, Coquimbo Unido,[1] and then spent the 1981 season with Deportes Aviación of the Segunda División.[11]

After retiring from football, Las Heras worked in the pharmaceutical industry.[10]

Honours

Universidad de Chile

Unión Española

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Las Heras Risso, Francisco". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rodríguez Cáceres, Jorge. "Grandes dinastías de la Selección: Padres e hijos que jugaron por 'La Roja'" [Great dynasties of the Chilean national team: Fathers and sons who played for 'La Roja']. Guioteca (in Spanish). El Mercurio. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Gran Gala de Clausura por nuestro Centenario" [Grand Closing Gala for our Centenary] (in Spanish). Congregación de los Hermanos Maristas. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Domínguez Vásquez, Hermes (31 May 2017). "Pancho Las Heras, finalista en Copa Libertadores: 'Da pena que los chilenos pierdan con equipos sin historia'" [Pancho Las Heras, Copa Libertadores finalist: 'It's a pity that Chilean teams lose to teams with no history']. La Nación (in Spanish). Santiago. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b Espina, Eduardo (17 November 2005). "Chile 1968". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
    Espina, Eduardo (11 December 2005). "Chile 1969". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  6. ^ "A cuarenta años del triunfo de Unión Española en la final de ida por Copa Libertadores" [40 years on from Unión Española's triumph in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final] (in Spanish). Canal del Fútbol. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b Beuker, John; Ciullini, Pablo (28 February 2013). "Copa Libertadores de América 1975". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  8. ^ Tabeira, Martín (31 January 2013). "Copa América 1975". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  9. ^ "Francisco Las Heras Risso". Medio Tiempo. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  10. ^ a b Hernández, Denís (20 September 2017). "La voz de los 70" [The voice of the 70s]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Santiago. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  11. ^ Barraza Diaz, Carlos (14 December 2017). "Deportes Aviación: Recuerdos y Memorias de un cuadro fugaz" [Deportes Aviación: Memoirs and recollections of a short-lived team]. SolamenteFútbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  12. ^ "La 'U' campeón Copa Francisco Candelori" [The 'U' champions of the Copa Francisco Candelori]. Uestadisticas.cl (in Spanish). 3 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014.

External links

Chile squad – 1975 Copa América
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