Uruguay. Almost ‘normal’ season – Nacional and Penarol dominated. Yet, there was change, hardly noticeable, but a change. It happened in the Second Division. Second Division was still 10-team league, smaller than First Division. Six teams battled for promotion and 4 were outsiders, too weak for more than trying to avoid relegation. Nine of the ten teams were from Montevideo. 
Cerrito finished last with 9 points.
Racing was slightly better – 9th with 11 points. They also scored one goal more than Cerrito did: 8. Just above them finished the team representing change:
Huracan (Paso de la Arenas) ended 8th with 13 points. The only provincial club in the top two divisions. It was not the first provincial playing in the Second Division, but it looked like they were going to stay there, at least for a while, unlikely the few such clubs before. They also shared the record of goals scored with Rentistas – 25. High scorers, but equally disastrous in defense, allowing 25 goals as well, the worst record in the league. Yet, it was perhaps the first sign of change – the total monopoly of Montevideo cracked, if only a little bit.
Italiano ended 7th with 13 points and ahead of Huracan because of more wins. With them, the group of outsiders ended. Liverpool was 6th with 20 points, Oriental – 5th with 21,
Villa Teresa – 4th with 21,
Sud America – 3rd with 23. Standing from left: Nelson Peña, Alejandro Larrea, Alejandro Cano, Pablo Fuentes, Walter Alvarez, Miguel González.
Agachados: Aníbal Miqueiro, Carlos Cordero, Luis Heimen, William Noble, Carlos Larrañaga.
Rentistas – 2nd with 24, and
Miramar Misiones won the championship with 25 points from 9 wins, 7 ties, 2 losses, 23-11 goal-difference. Happily promoted to top flight for the next season.
First Division provided the usual drama of the eternal battle between Nacional and Penarol, no other team coming close to the leaders.
River Plate finished last with 16 points.
Fenix ended 12th with 18 points, but were relegated, having the worst accumulated record in the last 3 years. They had weird season anyway: won only twice, but tied 14 of total 24 matches.
Rampla Juniors – 11th with 19 points. Standing from left: Ruben Baecque, Roberto Silva, Andres Ortuno, Javier Baldriz, Carlos Barcos, Manuel Anzorena. Front row: Jorge Perazza, Hector Codevilla, Fernando Barboza, Carlos Alvarez, Jorge Torres.
Cerro – 10th with 20 points. Standing from left: Jorge Ramas, Ramón Castro, Washington Aires, Carlos Martínez, Juan J. Rodríguez, Carlos De León. Crouching: Mario Vázquez, Carlos Berrueta, Héctor Morán, Danilo Baltierra, Enrique Escobal.
Danubio – 9th with 22 points.
Defensor Sporting – 8th with 22 points.
Huracan Buceo – 7th with 24 points.
Progreso – 6th with 24 points. However, Progreso, most likely thanks to accumulated 3-year record, was to play Copa Libertadores play-off against the loser of the Championship play-off.
Bella Vista – 5th with 24 points.
Wanderers – 4th with 26 points.
Central Espanol – 3rd with 28 points. Standing from left: Daniel Sánchez, Alain Sulbrig, Martin Lasarte, César Pereira, Victor de los Santos, Gustavo Aloy.
Crouching: Jorge Yañez, Jose I. Villarreal, Miguel Caillava, Daniel Vicente Viera, Alfredo Nocetti.
Penarol lost to Nacional by a point, finishing with 34 points. But there was still Championship play-off to be played, so there was hope.
Nacional was first at the end of the regular season with 35 points. 13 wins, 9 ties, 2 losses, 33-15 goal-difference. Their record was almost identical to Penarol’s, the only differences were that Penarol had 8 ties, 3 losses, and received 17 goals. It was fair to have championship play-off under the circumstances, but at the end justice prevailed: Nacional had marginally better season than Penarol, so it was just they won the play-off and the title. Standing from left: Santiago Ostolaza, Julio Cesar ‘Gladiador’ Ribas, Gualberto Velichco, Faral, Juan Jacinto Rodriguez. Front: Mauricio Silvera, Rafael Villazan, Fernando Barboza, Juan Ramon, Pintos Saldana, Sergio Olivera.
Not a very impressive squad, especially when compared to some of the great sides Nacional had in the past, but champions, as most of their predecessors. 25th title for the club, but in the 1980s the club had little success, so the victory was mostly a relief. Prevailing over Penarol was always sweet, but the squad was clearly not very strong and promising. And there was nothing to be done to remedy the situation: money was short and Uruguayan players went abroad as soon as they could, so even Nacional had depleted pool of players to chose from: not even second-rate players stayed in the country . Foreigners of good quality were also hard to find. Money…