1978 FIFA World Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup
, was held in Argentina
between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina
who beat the Netherlands
3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth team (after Uruguay
, Italy
, England
and West Germany
), to be both hosts and world champions. The official match ball was the Adidas Tango.
, considered publicly whether they should participate in the cup. Despite this, all teams eventually participated without restrictions. Allegations that Dutch star Johan Cruijff refused to participate because of political convictions were refuted by him 30 years later. More controversy surrounded the host, Argentina, as all of their games in the first round kicked off at night, giving the Argentines the advantage of knowing where they stood in the group. This issue would arise again in Spain 1982, which prompted FIFA to change the rules so that the final two group games in subsequent World Cups would be played simultaneously.
There were also allegations that the government of Argentina offered a large grain shipment to Peru in exchange for victory in their second-round match. Peru, having conceded six goals in their previous five games, proceeded to let in six against the hosts, allowing Argentina to reach the Final.
: 16 teams qualified, divided into four groups of four. Each group played a round-robin
with two points for a win and one for a draw, and goal difference used to separate teams level on points. The top two teams in each group would advance to the second round, where they would be split into two groups of four. The winners of each group would play each other in the final, and the second place finishers in the third place match. For the 1978 World Cup, FIFA introduced the penalty shootout
as a means of determining the winner in knockout stages should the match end on a draw after 120 minutes. The method, however, was not put in practice as both the third-place match and the final were decided before 120 minutes. The first World Cup to feature a penalty shootout was the 1982 World Cup
, in the semifinal match between France and West Germany.
won Group 2 ahead of world champions West Germany, after holding the Germans to a goalless draw and then beating Tunisia
and Mexico
. The Germans then thrashed Mexico 6–0, and finally played out a second goalless draw against Tunisia. Although they failed to qualify for the second round, Tunisia made history by beating Mexico 3–1 while losing 0–1 at half time. It was the first time that any African team had won a match at the World Cup finals.
Peru
pushed the Netherlands
into second place in Group 4, where Scotland
missed out on goal difference for the second successive tournament. Teófilo Cubillas
was outstanding for Peru, scoring twice against Scotland in Peru's 3–1 win and hitting a hat-trick in their 4–1 victory over Iran
. Rob Rensenbrink of the Netherlands also scored three times against Iran, scoring all the goals as the Dutch won 3–0. Scotland drew with Iran 1–1 and the only highlight of their campaign was a 3–2 victory over the Netherlands in their final group game which was not enough to prevent elimination. Iran, the reigning Asian champions
, went out of the tournament winless. The Netherlands
's Rob Rensenbrink's goal against Scotland
was the 1000th goal of World Cup history. Scotland's Willie Johnston
was expelled from the World Cup after he was found to have taken a banned stimulant during the opening game against Peru
.
The biggest surprise of all came in Group 3, where Austria
finished ahead of Brazil
. The Austrians beat Spain
and Sweden
, while Brazil were held to draws by the same two teams. The draw with Sweden was especially controversial, due to Welsh referee Clive Thomas
blowing the final whistle just as Zico
headed the ball into the net. At the final minutes of the Brazil vs Sweden match, the Brazilians were awarded a corner kick that resulted in a goal (which would have given Brazil a 2–1 victory). However, the goal was not awarded, because the referee Clive Thomas
had whistled the end of the game as the ball was being kicked into the area. The Brazilian players were not happy with the decision, but the final result remained a 1–1 draw. Brazil needed to beat Austria in their final group game to be sure of progressing to the second round, and managed a 1–0 win thanks to a goal from Roberto Dinamite. Brazil and Austria thus finished with the same number of points and the same goal difference, but Austria won the group by virtue of having scored more goals.
Group 1 had the strongest line-up of teams in the first round, featuring Italy
, the host Argentina
, France
and Hungary
. The two places in the second round were claimed before the final round of games, with Italy and Argentina both beating France and Hungary. The match between Italy and Argentina decided who topped the group, and a goal from Roberto Bettega
midway through the second half was enough to give that honour to Italy. It also forced Argentina to move out of Buenos Aires and play in Rosario.
The 1978 World Cup marked the only occasion during which a national team did not wear its own kit to play a match. The incident happened during the game between France and Hungary. The worldwide television broadcast of the games was in colour, but Argentina only had black-and-white television equipment in place; the teams' jerseys were indistinguishable on the black-and-white TV sets, resulting in the French side electing to wear the jerseys of a local team from Mar del Plata, Club Atlético Kimberley; the jerseys had vertical green and white stripes.
, West Germany were surprisingly beaten by Austria 2–3 which marked their end as World Champions.
Group B was essentially a battle between Argentina and Brazil, and it was resolved in controversial circumstances. In the first round of group games, Brazil beat Peru 3–0 while Argentina saw Poland off by a score of 2–0. Brazil and Argentina then played out a tense and violent goalless draw, so both teams went into the last round of matches with three points. Argentina stalled their match that was supposed to be simultaneous to the Brazil and Poland game so Argentina would know how much they had to beat Peru by to advance to the final. Brazil beat Poland 3–1 and because Argentina stalled, they knew that they had to beat Peru by four clear goals which they managed to do with what some saw as a suspicious degree of ease. Trailing 2–0 at half-time, Peru simply collapsed in the second half, and Argentina eventually won 6–0. Rumors suggested that Peru might have been bribed into allowing Argentina to win the match by such a large margin (especially because the Peruvian goalkeeper, Ramón Quiroga
, was born in Argentina); however, nothing could be proved, and Argentina met the Netherlands in the final. Brazil, denied a final place by Argentina's win over Peru, took third place from an enterprising Italian side with Nelinho
scoring a memorable goal, and were dubbed "moral champions" by coach Cláudio Coutinho
, because they did not win the tournament, but did not lose a single match either.
's wrist, which the Dutch claimed allowed tension to build in front of a hostile Buenos Aires
crowd. Mario Kempes
opened the scoring for the hosts before Dick Nanninga equalized a few minutes from the end. Rob Rensenbrink had a glorious stoppage-time opportunity to win it for the Netherlands but his effort came back off the goal post. Argentina won the final 3–1 after extra time, after Daniel Bertoni
scored and Kempes, who finished as the tournament's top scorer with six goals, added his second of the day. The Netherlands, because of the controversial game events, refused to attend the post-match ceremonies after the match ended.
They had lost their second World Cup final in a row, both times to the host nation, after losing to West Germany in 1974. Argentina became the first team to win the World Cup after failing to win two matches at the finals (losing to Italy and drawing with Brazil).
The official mascot of this World Cup was Gauchito, a boy wearing an Argentina strip. His hat (with the words ARGENTINA '78), neckerchief
and whip
are typical of gaucho
s.
Abraham Klein
CAF Youssou N'Diaye
CONCACAF Alfonso González Archundia
CONMEBOL Ramón Barreto
Arnaldo Cézar Coelho
Ángel Norberto Coerezza César Orosco Juan Silvagno
UEFA Ferdinand Biwersi
Charles Corver
Jean Dubach Ulf Eriksson
Antonio Garrido
John Gordon
Sergio Gonella
Alojzy Jarguz Erich Linemayr
Dušan Maksimović Ángel Franco Martínez Károly Palotai
Pat Partridge
Adolf Prokop
Nicolae Rainea
Francis Rion Clive Thomas
Robert Wurtz
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5 goals Rob Rensenbrink Teófilo Cubillas
4 goals Leopoldo Luque
Hans Krankl
3 goals
Dirceu
Roberto Dinamite
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Paolo Rossi
Johnny Rep
2 goals
Daniel Bertoni
Nelinho
Heinz Flohe Dieter Müller
Roberto Bettega
Ernie Brandts
Arie Haan
Zbigniew Boniek
Grzegorz Lato
Archie Gemmill
1 goal
René Houseman
Daniel Passarella
Alberto Tarantini
Erich Obermayer
Walter Schachner
Reinaldo
Zico
Marc Berdoll
Bernard Lacombe
Christian Lopez
Michel Platini
Dominique Rocheteau
Rüdiger Abramczik
Bernd Hölzenbein
Hansi Müller
Károly Csapó
András Tóth
Sándor Zombori
Iraj Danaeifard
Hassan Rowshan
Romeo Benetti
Franco Causio
Renato Zaccarelli
Víctor Rangel
Arturo Vázquez Ayala
Dick Nanninga René van de Kerkhof
Willy van de Kerkhof
César Cueto José Velásquez Kazimierz Deyna
Andrzej Szarmach
Kenny Dalglish
Joe Jordan
Juan Manuel Asensi Dani Thomas Sjöberg
Mokhtar Dhouieb
Néjib Ghommidh
Ali Kaabi
Own goals Berti Vogts
(for Austria) Andranik Eskandarian
(for Scotland) Ernie Brandts
(for Italy)
Final
3rd and 4th place
Eliminated at the second group stage
Eliminated at the first group stage
. Less than a year before the World Cup was held in Argentina, in September 1977, Interior Minister General Albano Harguindeguy, stated that 5,618 people had recently disappeared to detention camps throughout Argentina. The 1978 World Cup's River Plate Monumental Stadium is located one mile away from the infamous Naval Mechanics School (known by its acronym ESMA
), concentration camp where prisoners in the Dirty War
reportedly could hear the roars of the crowd during the World Cup match; prompting echoes of Hitler's manipulation of sports during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, was held in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
who beat the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth team (after Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
, Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
), to be both hosts and world champions. The official match ball was the Adidas Tango.
Host selection
Argentina was chosen as the host nation by FIFA in London, England on July 6, 1966. Mexico withdrew from the bidding process after having been awarded the 1970 competition two years earlier.Qualification
England failed to qualify for the second World Cup in succession, losing out to Italy. European champions Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union also failed to make it through the qualifying tournament. Newcomers to the finals were Iran and Tunisia; Austria qualified for the first time since 1958, while France, Spain and Hungary were back for the first time since 1966.Controversy
A controversial fact surrounding the 1978 World Cup was that Argentina had suffered a military coup only two years before the cup. Because of this, some countries, most notably the NetherlandsNetherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, considered publicly whether they should participate in the cup. Despite this, all teams eventually participated without restrictions. Allegations that Dutch star Johan Cruijff refused to participate because of political convictions were refuted by him 30 years later. More controversy surrounded the host, Argentina, as all of their games in the first round kicked off at night, giving the Argentines the advantage of knowing where they stood in the group. This issue would arise again in Spain 1982, which prompted FIFA to change the rules so that the final two group games in subsequent World Cups would be played simultaneously.
There were also allegations that the government of Argentina offered a large grain shipment to Peru in exchange for victory in their second-round match. Peru, having conceded six goals in their previous five games, proceeded to let in six against the hosts, allowing Argentina to reach the Final.
Format
The format of the competition stayed the same as in 19741974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
: 16 teams qualified, divided into four groups of four. Each group played a round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
with two points for a win and one for a draw, and goal difference used to separate teams level on points. The top two teams in each group would advance to the second round, where they would be split into two groups of four. The winners of each group would play each other in the final, and the second place finishers in the third place match. For the 1978 World Cup, FIFA introduced the penalty shootout
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
as a means of determining the winner in knockout stages should the match end on a draw after 120 minutes. The method, however, was not put in practice as both the third-place match and the final were decided before 120 minutes. The first World Cup to feature a penalty shootout was the 1982 World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
, in the semifinal match between France and West Germany.
First round
The first round produced several surprises. PolandPoland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
won Group 2 ahead of world champions West Germany, after holding the Germans to a goalless draw and then beating Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
and Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
. The Germans then thrashed Mexico 6–0, and finally played out a second goalless draw against Tunisia. Although they failed to qualify for the second round, Tunisia made history by beating Mexico 3–1 while losing 0–1 at half time. It was the first time that any African team had won a match at the World Cup finals.
Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
pushed the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
into second place in Group 4, where Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
missed out on goal difference for the second successive tournament. Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...
was outstanding for Peru, scoring twice against Scotland in Peru's 3–1 win and hitting a hat-trick in their 4–1 victory over Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
. Rob Rensenbrink of the Netherlands also scored three times against Iran, scoring all the goals as the Dutch won 3–0. Scotland drew with Iran 1–1 and the only highlight of their campaign was a 3–2 victory over the Netherlands in their final group game which was not enough to prevent elimination. Iran, the reigning Asian champions
1976 AFC Asian Cup
-Group B:---------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Goalscorers:3 goals: Gholam Hossein Mazloumi Nasser Nouraei Fathi Kamel2 goals: Alireza Azizi Alireza Khorshidi Hassan Roshan...
, went out of the tournament winless. The Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
's Rob Rensenbrink's goal against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
was the 1000th goal of World Cup history. Scotland's Willie Johnston
Willie Johnston
William McClure "Willie" Johnston is a Scottish former professional football player, best remembered for his time at Rangers and West Brom.-Career:...
was expelled from the World Cup after he was found to have taken a banned stimulant during the opening game against Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
.
The biggest surprise of all came in Group 3, where Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
finished ahead of Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. The Austrians beat Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
and Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, while Brazil were held to draws by the same two teams. The draw with Sweden was especially controversial, due to Welsh referee Clive Thomas
Clive Thomas
Clive Thomas is a Welsh former football referee, who operated in the English Football League and for FIFA during his career. He came from Treorchy in the Rhondda Valley.-Career:...
blowing the final whistle just as Zico
Zico
Arthur Antunes Coimbra , better known as Zico , is a Brazilian coach and former footballer. He is the current head coach of the Iraq national football team. Often called the "White Pelé", he is commonly considered one of the most skilled finishers and one of the best passers ever and possibly the...
headed the ball into the net. At the final minutes of the Brazil vs Sweden match, the Brazilians were awarded a corner kick that resulted in a goal (which would have given Brazil a 2–1 victory). However, the goal was not awarded, because the referee Clive Thomas
Clive Thomas
Clive Thomas is a Welsh former football referee, who operated in the English Football League and for FIFA during his career. He came from Treorchy in the Rhondda Valley.-Career:...
had whistled the end of the game as the ball was being kicked into the area. The Brazilian players were not happy with the decision, but the final result remained a 1–1 draw. Brazil needed to beat Austria in their final group game to be sure of progressing to the second round, and managed a 1–0 win thanks to a goal from Roberto Dinamite. Brazil and Austria thus finished with the same number of points and the same goal difference, but Austria won the group by virtue of having scored more goals.
Group 1 had the strongest line-up of teams in the first round, featuring Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, the host Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
and Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
. The two places in the second round were claimed before the final round of games, with Italy and Argentina both beating France and Hungary. The match between Italy and Argentina decided who topped the group, and a goal from Roberto Bettega
Roberto Bettega
Roberto Bettega is an Italian former footballer. Bettega was regarded as a player of noteworthy intelligence and at his prime was one of the most feared strikers . Bettega is mostly remembered for his time at his hometown club Juventus...
midway through the second half was enough to give that honour to Italy. It also forced Argentina to move out of Buenos Aires and play in Rosario.
The 1978 World Cup marked the only occasion during which a national team did not wear its own kit to play a match. The incident happened during the game between France and Hungary. The worldwide television broadcast of the games was in colour, but Argentina only had black-and-white television equipment in place; the teams' jerseys were indistinguishable on the black-and-white TV sets, resulting in the French side electing to wear the jerseys of a local team from Mar del Plata, Club Atlético Kimberley; the jerseys had vertical green and white stripes.
Second round
In the all-European Group A, the Netherlands got off to a flying start by thrashing Austria 5–1, Johnny Rep scoring two of their goals. In a rematch of the 1974 final, the Dutch then drew 2–2 with West Germany, who had previously shared a goalless game with Italy. The Italians beat Austria 1–0, and so the Netherlands faced Italy in their last group game knowing that the winners would reach the final. Erny Brandts scored an 18th-minute own goal to put Italy ahead at half-time, but he made up for his mistake by scoring at the right end in the fifth minute of the second half. Arie Haan got the winner for the Dutch with 15 minutes remaining, and the Netherlands had reached their second successive World Cup Final. In the game known as the miracle of CordobaMiracle of cordoba
The Miracle of Cordoba describes the game of football between defending World Champions Germany and Austria that occurred on 21 June 1978 at the conclusion of the second round of the 1978 FIFA World Cup, in Córdoba, Argentina...
, West Germany were surprisingly beaten by Austria 2–3 which marked their end as World Champions.
Group B was essentially a battle between Argentina and Brazil, and it was resolved in controversial circumstances. In the first round of group games, Brazil beat Peru 3–0 while Argentina saw Poland off by a score of 2–0. Brazil and Argentina then played out a tense and violent goalless draw, so both teams went into the last round of matches with three points. Argentina stalled their match that was supposed to be simultaneous to the Brazil and Poland game so Argentina would know how much they had to beat Peru by to advance to the final. Brazil beat Poland 3–1 and because Argentina stalled, they knew that they had to beat Peru by four clear goals which they managed to do with what some saw as a suspicious degree of ease. Trailing 2–0 at half-time, Peru simply collapsed in the second half, and Argentina eventually won 6–0. Rumors suggested that Peru might have been bribed into allowing Argentina to win the match by such a large margin (especially because the Peruvian goalkeeper, Ramón Quiroga
Ramón Quiroga
Ramón Quiroga Arancibia was an Argentine-born Peruvian international football goalkeeper, who was nicknamed "El Loco" in Peru and "Chupete" in Argentina. He obtained 40 caps playing for the Peru national football team. He began his career playing for the Argentine club Rosario Central...
, was born in Argentina); however, nothing could be proved, and Argentina met the Netherlands in the final. Brazil, denied a final place by Argentina's win over Peru, took third place from an enterprising Italian side with Nelinho
Nelinho
Nelinho, real name Manoel Rezende de Mattos Cabral, is a former association footballer who played right back...
scoring a memorable goal, and were dubbed "moral champions" by coach Cláudio Coutinho
Cláudio Coutinho
Cláudio Pêcego de Moraes Coutinho was a Brazilian football manager that coached Brazil from 1977 to 1980 and Los Angeles Aztecs in 1981...
, because they did not win the tournament, but did not lose a single match either.
Final
The final, Argentina vs Netherlands, was also controversial, as the Dutch accused the Argentines of using stalling tactics to delay the match. The host team came out late and questioned the legality of a plaster cast on René van de KerkhofRené van de Kerkhof
Reinier "René" Lambertus van de Kerkhof is a former Dutch football player, who played for FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven....
's wrist, which the Dutch claimed allowed tension to build in front of a hostile Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
crowd. Mario Kempes
Mario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi is a retired Argentine footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres...
opened the scoring for the hosts before Dick Nanninga equalized a few minutes from the end. Rob Rensenbrink had a glorious stoppage-time opportunity to win it for the Netherlands but his effort came back off the goal post. Argentina won the final 3–1 after extra time, after Daniel Bertoni
Daniel Bertoni
Ricardo Daniel Bertoni is a former Argentine footballer who played in a Right Winger role.He played 31 times for the Argentina national football team between 1974 and 1982. in both the 1978 and the 1982 FIFA World Cups...
scored and Kempes, who finished as the tournament's top scorer with six goals, added his second of the day. The Netherlands, because of the controversial game events, refused to attend the post-match ceremonies after the match ended.
They had lost their second World Cup final in a row, both times to the host nation, after losing to West Germany in 1974. Argentina became the first team to win the World Cup after failing to win two matches at the finals (losing to Italy and drawing with Brazil).
Mascot
Neckerchief
A neckerchief, necker or less commonly scarf is a type of neckwear associated with Scouts, cowboys and sailors. It consists of a triangular piece of cloth or a rectangular piece folded into a triangle. The long edge is rolled towards the point, leaving a portion unrolled...
and whip
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
are typical of gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
s.
Venues
| Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent... |
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent... |
Córdoba Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with... |
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| Estadio Monumental Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, is a stadium in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina at the intersection of Figueroa Alcorta and Udaondo. It is the home venue of Club Atlético River Plate and is named after former club president Antonio Vespucio Liberti... |
Estadio José Amalfitani Estadio José Amalfitani The Estadio José Amalfitani is a stadium located in the Liniers neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The venue is mainly used for football matches and is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sársfield. The stadium is nicknamed El Fortín or El Fortín de Liniers... |
Estadio Córdoba Estadio Olímpico Chateau Carreras The Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, formerly known as Estadio Córdoba and popularly Estadio Olímpico Chateau Carreras, is a stadium in the Chateau Carreras neighborhood of Córdoba, Argentina.... |
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| Capacity: 76,000 | Capacity: 49,540 | Capacity: 46,083 | |
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| Mar del Plata Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"... |
Rosario | Mendoza Mendoza, Argentina Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993... |
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| Estadio José María Minella Estadio José Maria Minella The Estadio José María Minella is a stadium in Mar del Plata, Argentina.The stadium was built for the 1978 World Cup. It has capacity for 35,354 spectators, although some of the capacity is standing only, like many Argentine stadiums.... |
Estadio Gigante de Arroyito Estadio Gigante de Arroyito The Estadio Gigante de Arroyito is a stadium in the Lisandro de la Torre barrio of the city of Rosario, Argentina... |
Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza Estadio Malvinas Argentinas The Estadio Malvinas Argentinas is a stadium, in the city of Mendoza, Argentina, at General San Martín Park.It was built in 1976 in preparation for the 1978 World Cup... |
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| Capacity: 43,542 | Capacity: 41,654 | Capacity: 34,875 | |
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Match officials
AFC Farouk Bouzo Jafar NamdarJafar Namdar
Jafar Namdar is an Iranian former football referee.-Refereeing career:Namdar officiated as a referee at the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups.When he refereed Australia vs Chile at the 1974 FIFA World Cup Namdar became only the second Asian referee to officiate as a referee at a FIFA World Cup...
Abraham Klein
Abraham Klein (referee)
Abraham Klein , was an Israeli international football referee.-1970 World Cup:Klein refereed some of the most important FIFA World Cup matches between 1970 and 1982...
CAF Youssou N'Diaye
CONCACAF Alfonso González Archundia
CONMEBOL Ramón Barreto
Ramón Barreto
Ramón Ivanoes Barreto Ruiz is a Uruguayan professional association football referee. He is the only referee in the history of the FIFA World Cup to have been appointed to two consecutive Final matches: in 1974 in Munich, and in 1978 in Buenos Aires.Barreto was first selected as a World Cup Finals...
Arnaldo Cézar Coelho
Arnaldo Cézar Coelho
Arnaldo David Cézar Coelho was the first Brazilian, indeed first non-European to take charge of the FIFA World Cup final when he officiated in the 1982 final between Italy and West Germany....
Ángel Norberto Coerezza César Orosco Juan Silvagno
UEFA Ferdinand Biwersi
Ferdinand Biwersi
Ferdinand Biwersi is a former football referee from Germany.Biwersi was a referee for the German Football Association between 1965 and 1978. He refereed 121 games in the Fußball-Bundesliga and 27 games in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in this time. One of his last matches was the record Bundesliga...
Charles Corver
Charles Corver
Charles George Reinier Corver is a former Dutch football referee.He was decorated twice by the Queen and the football association ....
Jean Dubach Ulf Eriksson
Ulf Eriksson
Ulf Eriksson is a retired football referee from Sollefteå, Sweden and a former football player. He was a referee officiating at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, including the match between Argentina and Poland.-References:...
Antonio Garrido
António Garrido (referee)
António José da Silva Garrido is a former Portuguese football referee.He is known for having refereed three matches in the FIFA World Cup, two in the 1978 and one in the 1982, the match for the 3rd and the 4th place. He also refereed one match in the 1980 UEFA European Football Championship in...
John Gordon
John Gordon (referee)
John Robertson Proudfoot Gordon was a Scottish football referee. He was born in Inverness.Gordon was selected to officiate at the 1978 FIFA World Cup but was suspended later that year by the Scottish FA for improper behaviour. He, along with assistants Rollo Kyle and David McCartney, admitted to...
Sergio Gonella
Sergio Gonella
Sergio Gonella is an Italian businessman and a noted football referee. He was the first Italian appointed to referee the FIFA World Cup final, which occurred when he took charge of the 1978 final between Argentina and the Netherlands...
Alojzy Jarguz Erich Linemayr
Erich Linemayr
Erich Linemayr is a retired Austrian football referee. He is known for have refereed three matches in the FIFA World Cup. Two in 1974 and one in 1978. He also refereed two matches in the 1980 UEFA European Football Championship in Italy. He refereed the European Cup final in 1979.-References:*...
Dušan Maksimović Ángel Franco Martínez Károly Palotai
Károly Palotai
Károly Palotai is a retired Hungarianfootball player and referee. He was an Olympic Gold winner as a player before turning to refereeing...
Pat Partridge
Pat Partridge
Patrick "Pat" Partridge is a retired English football referee, and former President of the Association of Football League Referees and Linesmen. His occupation outside football was as a farmer. He originates from Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, and took the name of his father, Patrick Partridge,...
Adolf Prokop
Adolf Prokop
Adolf Prokop , is a former football referee from East Germany. He is mostly known for supervising two matches in the FIFA World Cup, one in 1978 and one in 1982. He was also active at UEFA Euro 1984 and refereed the 1984 European Cup Winners' Cup Final.-External links:*...
Nicolae Rainea
Nicolae Rainea
Nicolae Rainea is a retired Romanian football referee, mostly known for have refereed five matches in the FIFA World Cup: one in 1974, two in 1978 and two in 1982. He also refereed two matches in the 1980 UEFA European Football Championship in Italy and supervised the European Cup final in...
Francis Rion Clive Thomas
Clive Thomas
Clive Thomas is a Welsh former football referee, who operated in the English Football League and for FIFA during his career. He came from Treorchy in the Rhondda Valley.-Career:...
Robert Wurtz
Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1978 FIFA World Cup squads1978 FIFA World Cup squads
-Argentina:Head coach: César Luis MenottiNote that this squad is numbered alphabetically by surname, unlike traditional numbering systems where the goalkeeper has shirt number 1 and so forth.-France:Head coach: Michel Hidalgo...
.
Seeding
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| (hosts) (defending champions) (1974 runners-up) |
Results
Group 1
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 |
----
----
----
----
----
Group 2
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 0 |
----
----
----
----
----
Group 3
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 |
----
----
----
----
----
Group 4
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 3 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 1 |
----
----
----
----
----
Group A
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 2 |
----
----
----
----
----
Group B
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0 |
----
----
----
----
----
Third place match
Final
Awards
| Golden Boot Winner | Best Young Player | FIFA Fair Play Trophy |
|---|---|---|
 Mario KempesMario Kempes Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi is a retired Argentine footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres... |
 Antonio CabriniAntonio Cabrini Antonio Cabrini is an Italian football former player. He played left-back, mainly with Juventus. He won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with the Italian national team.... |
Scorers
6 goals Mario KempesMario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi is a retired Argentine footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres...
5 goals Rob Rensenbrink Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...
4 goals Leopoldo Luque
Leopoldo Luque
Leopoldo Jacinto Luque is a former Argentine football striker.In a career spanning he played for Unión de Santa Fe, Rosario Central, River Plate, Racing Club de Avellaneda and Chacarita Juniors...
Hans Krankl
Hans Krankl
Johann "Hans" Krankl is a retired Austrian footballer. He was last manager of LASK Linz.-Club career:A prolific striker, Krankl is regarded by many as the greatest ever Austrian player. He started his professional career at Rapid Wien and stayed there for 8 years, apart from a year at Wiener AC...
3 goals
Dirceu
Dirceu
Dirceu José Guimarães, known as Dirceu , was a football player from Brazil. He played as an attacking midfielder with many teams, in particular Botafogo and the Brazilian national team. He died at only 43 years old in a road accident. He played 84 games and scored 18 goals for Atlético Madrid...
Roberto Dinamite
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge is a German former football player.He had his greatest career success with German club Bayern Munich, where he won the Intercontinental Cup, the European Cup, as well as two league titles and two domestic cups.A member of the German national team, Rummenigge won the...
Paolo Rossi
Paolo Rossi
Paolo Rossi is an Italian former football striker. In 1982, he led Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup title, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot/top scorer honors, and the Golden Ball. After his performance at the 1982 FIFA World Cup he became a hero in the hearts of all Italians...
Johnny Rep
2 goals
Daniel Bertoni
Daniel Bertoni
Ricardo Daniel Bertoni is a former Argentine footballer who played in a Right Winger role.He played 31 times for the Argentina national football team between 1974 and 1982. in both the 1978 and the 1982 FIFA World Cups...
Nelinho
Nelinho
Nelinho, real name Manoel Rezende de Mattos Cabral, is a former association footballer who played right back...
Heinz Flohe Dieter Müller
Dieter Müller
Dieter Müller is a former German footballer, who is currently the chairman of Kickers Offenbach.He appeared in twelve senior matches, scoring nine goals for Germany. He played in the 1976 European Football Championship and the 1978 FIFA World Cup. In his spell with 1...
Roberto Bettega
Roberto Bettega
Roberto Bettega is an Italian former footballer. Bettega was regarded as a player of noteworthy intelligence and at his prime was one of the most feared strikers . Bettega is mostly remembered for his time at his hometown club Juventus...
Ernie Brandts
Ernie Brandts
Ernstus "Ernie" Wilhelmus Johannes Brandts is a former Dutch football defender, who played for PSV Eindhoven, Roda JC Kerkrade, MVV Maastricht and De Graafschap....
Arie Haan
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden...
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in...
Archie Gemmill
Archie Gemmill
Archibald "Archie" Gemmill is a Scottish former footballer, most famous for a goal he scored against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA World Cup...
1 goal
René Houseman
René Houseman
René Orlando Houseman is a retired Argentine footballer, who played as a right winger.In his career he played for Defensores de Belgrano, Huracán, River Plate, Colo Colo , Amazulu , Independiente and Excursionistas.During his international career he also played for Argentina, and participated at...
Daniel Passarella
Daniel Passarella
Daniel Alberto Passarella is a former Argentine football centre back and former manager of the Argentine and Uruguayan national football teams. He was captain of the Argentina team that won the 1978 World Cup...
Alberto Tarantini
Alberto Tarantini
Alberto Tarantini is an Argentine former football player. He played as a defensive left back early in his career, and later as a wing back....
Erich Obermayer
Erich Obermayer
Erich Obermayer is a former Austrian football player.-Club career:Obermayer came aged 16 from FC Wien and played 20 years for Austria Wien...
Walter Schachner
Walter Schachner
Walter "Schoko" Schachner is a football manager and former Austrian national player .As he always brought chocolate to the games when he was a boy, he got the nickname schoko...
Reinaldo
José Reinaldo de Lima
José Reinaldo de Lima, born on January 11, 1957, is a former Brazilian football player and striker, popularly known as Reinaldo or Rei .-Clubs and Years active:During his career , he played for:...
Zico
Zico
Arthur Antunes Coimbra , better known as Zico , is a Brazilian coach and former footballer. He is the current head coach of the Iraq national football team. Often called the "White Pelé", he is commonly considered one of the most skilled finishers and one of the best passers ever and possibly the...
Marc Berdoll
Marc Berdoll
Marc Berdoll is a former French association football striker, who earned sixteen caps for the French national team....
Bernard Lacombe
Bernard Lacombe
Bernard Lacombe is a retired French football player. He played forward, mainly with Olympique Lyonnais, Girondins Bordeaux and the French national team.-Career:...
Christian Lopez
Christian Lopez
Christian Lopez is a retired French international footballer who played defender. He earned 39 caps for the France national football team from 1975 to 1982, and participated in two World Cups . During his career he played for AS Saint-Étienne and Toulouse FC .-References:...
Michel Platini
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
Dominique Rocheteau
Dominique Rocheteau
Dominique Rocheteau is a former football striker from France, who is currently the head of the National Commission of Ethics of the French Football Association....
Rüdiger Abramczik
Rüdiger Abramczik
Rüdiger Abramczik is a former German football player and coach, best known for his ability to cross the ball ....
Bernd Hölzenbein
Bernd Hölzenbein
Bernd Hölzenbein is a former German football player . He is best known for being fouled in the final against Netherlands, which led to the Germans' equalising penalty....
Hansi Müller
Hansi Müller
Hans-Peter "Hansi" Müller is a former German footballer.-Club career:Playing for his hometown side VfB Stuttgart, he took part to the UEFA Euro 1980 with West Germany, aged 22, after a brief taste of action at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where started all four games. The tournament would prove to...
Károly Csapó
Károly Csapó
Károly Csapó is a Hungarian football player who participated in the 1978 and 1982 World Cup where Hungary was eliminated in the first round.- References :* * * * *Magyar Version Of Wikipedia...
András Tóth
András Tóth (footballer born 1949)
András Tóth was a Hungarian football player who played for Újpesti Dózsa.Tóth is most famous for playing at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He played 17 games and scored 1 goal for the Hungarian national team....
Sándor Zombori
Sándor Zombori
Sándor Zombori is a Hungarian football player who participated in the 1978 World Cup where Hungary was eliminated in the first round....
Iraj Danaeifard
Iraj Danaeifard
Iraj Danaeifard is a retired Iranian football player.-Club career:Danaeifard became involved in football very early. His father, Ali Danaeifard was one of the founders of Taj F.C. football club. He became famous in Iran while playing for the club, winning the Iranian league in 1971. He also...
Hassan Rowshan
Hassan Rowshan
Hassan Rōshan is an Iranian football coach, manager, and former player. He usually played as a striker. As of 15 July 2011, He is Head of Technical Committee of Esteghlal.- Early life :...
Romeo Benetti
Romeo Benetti
Romeo Benetti is a former Italian footballer. Benetti was a spiteful, brutal pioneer of the Italian midfielder enforcer who also took his defensive duties very seriously and epitomised the ultra-defensive, dont-lose-at all-costs attitude of Italy in the early 1970s with a hard tackle and stamina...
Franco Causio
Franco Causio
Franco Causio is an Italian, World Cup winning former footballer who played for Juventus for many years in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:Causio was born in Lecce , and moved to Juventus when he was 17....
Renato Zaccarelli
Renato Zaccarelli
Renato Zaccarelli was a former Italian footballer, who played in the midfield role.During his career he played for Catania, Novara, Hellas Verona F.C., and Torino, which won the Serie A title in 1976...
Víctor Rangel
Víctor Rangel
Víctor Rangel Ayala is a retired Mexican footballer, currently manager of Atlético Mexiquense of the Mexican Primera Division A....
Arturo Vázquez Ayala
Arturo Vázquez Ayala
Arturo Vázquez Ayala is a retired Mexican footballer.During his club career he played for UNAM Pumas. He scored 1 goal for the Mexico national football team in the 1978 FIFA World Cup.-External links:*...
Dick Nanninga René van de Kerkhof
René van de Kerkhof
Reinier "René" Lambertus van de Kerkhof is a former Dutch football player, who played for FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven....
Willy van de Kerkhof
Willy van de Kerkhof
Wilhelmus "Willy" Antonius van de Kerkhof is a former Dutch footballer.van de Kerkhof and his twin brother René were squad members of the Dutch national team that made the World Cup final in 1974 and became key players in the team that made the 1978 final...
César Cueto José Velásquez Kazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna
Kazimierz Deyna was a Polish footballer, who played as an offensive midfielder in the playmaker role and was one of the most highly regarded players of his generation.-Early life:...
Andrzej Szarmach
Andrzej Szarmach
Andrzej Szarmach is a former Polish football player.He played in the Polish national team during its "golden age" in the 1970s...
Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
Joe Jordan
Joe Jordan (footballer)
Joseph "Joe" Jordan is a Scottish football coach and former player and manager. He is currently first team coach for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, under manager Harry Redknapp....
Juan Manuel Asensi Dani Thomas Sjöberg
Thomas Sjöberg
Thomas Sjöberg, , is a former Swedish footballer.- Career :Sjöberg played much of his career with Malmö FF in Allsvenskan during the 1970s...
Mokhtar Dhouieb
Mokhtar Dhouieb
Mokhtar Dhouib is a retired Tunisian footballer.He played for the Tunisia national football team in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. In Tunisia's first ever World Cup finals match, he scored the third goal in a 3–1 win over Mexico.-References:...
Néjib Ghommidh
Néjib Ghommidh
Néjib Ghommidh is a retired Tunisian footballer.He played for the Tunisia national football team in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. In Tunisia's first ever World Cup finals match, he scored the second goal in a 3–1 win over Mexico.-References:...
Ali Kaabi
Ali Kaabi
Ali Kaabi is a retired Tunisian footballer.He played for the Tunisia national football team in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. In Tunisia's first ever World Cup finals match, he scored the first goal in a 3–1 win over Mexico, and thus is Tunisia's first ever World Cup goalscorer.-References:...
Own goals Berti Vogts
Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria...
(for Austria) Andranik Eskandarian
Andranik Eskandarian
Andranik Eskandarian is an Armenian Iranian-American footballer. He played as a defender for the F.C. Ararat Tehran, Taj F.C. and New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League....
(for Scotland) Ernie Brandts
Ernie Brandts
Ernstus "Ernie" Wilhelmus Johannes Brandts is a former Dutch football defender, who played for PSV Eindhoven, Roda JC Kerkrade, MVV Maastricht and De Graafschap....
(for Italy)
FIFA Retrospective Ranking
In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition. The rankings for the 1978 tournament were as follows:Final
3rd and 4th place
Eliminated at the second group stage
Eliminated at the first group stage
Controversy
The government of Argentina that hosted the 1978 World Cup was a military dictatorship that seized power in 1976 during the National Reorganization ProcessNational Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
. Less than a year before the World Cup was held in Argentina, in September 1977, Interior Minister General Albano Harguindeguy, stated that 5,618 people had recently disappeared to detention camps throughout Argentina. The 1978 World Cup's River Plate Monumental Stadium is located one mile away from the infamous Naval Mechanics School (known by its acronym ESMA
ESMA
The Navy Petty-Officers School of Mechanics , commonly referred to by its abbreviation ESMA, is a facility of the Argentine Navy that was employed as an illegal detention center during the dictatorial rule of the National Reorganization Process...
), concentration camp where prisoners in the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
reportedly could hear the roars of the crowd during the World Cup match; prompting echoes of Hitler's manipulation of sports during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.