LONDON — They say that history counts for nothing in the modern game. And they are so wrong.

On July 16, 1950, Uruguay beat its northern neighbor, Brazil, in Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro to win the World Cup.

This July 16, Uruguay crossed the Río de la Plata estuary to knock Argentina, the host, out of the South American championship, the Copa América, in the quarterfinals.

In both contests, spanning 61 years to the day, Uruguay called on precedent to defy almost incalculable odds. Uruguay has only 3.5 million people; Argentina has more than 10 times that population, and Brazil has 60 times as many.

But give them a level playing field, and a ball, and as long as there has been organized soccer, Uruguayans have punched above their weight. The current team eliminated Argentina, Lionel Messi and all, on a penalty shootout under a full moon in the “Elephant’s Graveyard” stadium in Santa Fe on Saturday.