At the 1990 FIFA World Cup, in the Round of 16 match against Brazil, Basualdo broke clean through on goal, only to be hacked down by Brazil's captain Ricardo Gomes, who was duly sent off.[8]
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, he worked as the coach of Peruvian teams Universitario de Deportes, Cienciano, Deportivo Quito, El Porvenir, Santiago Morning and Universidad de Chile, Real Mataram.
In 2006, he had a brief spell at Club El Porvenir, in Argentina, where he was relegated after drawing one match and losing six. During his brief stay at the Gerli club, Basualdo was the protagonist of an event that would generate the total repudiation of the fans. During matchday 5 of the 2006 Clausura Tournament, his team was supposed to visit Huracán in Parque de los Patricios, but instead of being on the substitutes' bench guiding his team, Basualdo went to Brazil to play Showbol, which for many was seen as a lack of commitment to the club from the South.[9]