1978 FIFA World Cup
| 1978 FIFA World Cup - Argentina Argentina '78 |
|
|---|---|
 Official Logo |
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| Teams | 16 (from 106 entrants) |
| Host | Argentina |
| Champions |  Argentina (1st
title) |
| Matches played | 38 |
| Goals scored | 102 (average 2.684 per match) |
| Attendance | (average per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Mario Kempes 6 goals |
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the World Cup, was held in Argentina between June 1 and June 25. Argentina was chosen as hosts by FIFA in July 1966. 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 sixth team (after Uruguay, Italy, West Germany, Brazil, and England) to be world champions.
Qualification
England failed to qualify for the second World Cup in succession, narrowly losing out to Italy. Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union also failed to make it through the qualifying tournament. Newcomers to the finals included Iran and Tunisia, and France were back for the first time since 1966.
Summary
First Round
The format of the competition stayed the same as in 1974: 16 teams qualified, divided into four groups of four. 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.
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 Netherlands, considered publicly whether they should participate in the cup. Despite this, all teams eventually participated without restrictions although the Dutch team attended without its star, Johan Cruijff, who refused to participate. Controversy surrounded the host, Argentina, as all of their games in the first round kicked of at nights to give Argentina the advantage of knowing where they stood in the group. This will come in special use in the Second Group Round and in Spain 1982 which prompted FIFA to change the World Cup format.
The first round produced several surprises. Poland 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 played out a second goalless draw against Tunisia, and only redeemed themselves with a 6-0 thrashing of Mexico. Although they failed to qualify for the second round, Tunisia made history by beating Mexico 3-1. 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. Teofilo 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.
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. 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 Italy-Argentina game 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.
Second Group Round
In the all-European Group A, the Netherlands got off to a flying start by thrashing Austria 5-1, Jonny 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. Adrianus Haan got the winner for the Dutch with 15 minutes remaining, and the Netherlands had reached their second successive World Cup Final. West Germany were surprisingly beaten by Austria 2-3 which marked their end as World Champions.
Group B was essentially a battle between the hosts, Argentina and Brazil, and it was resolved in controversial circumstances. Again, the host played the last of two games within the day. In the first round of group games, Brazil beat Peru 3-0 while Argentina saw off Poland 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. On the last two games, Brazil beat Poland 3-1. Argentina's game with Peru kicked off soon after and went into it knowing exactly what they had to do to reach the final: beat Peru by four clear goals. Argentina managed it 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. Dark rumours suggested that Peru might have been somehow illicitly induced not to try too hard; but nothing could be proved, and Argentina met the Netherlands in the final. Brazil, denied a final place by Argentina's 6-0 win over Peru, took third place from an enterprising Italy side.
The Final
The final, Argentina vs Netherlands, was also controversial, as the Dutch accused the Argentineans 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 Kerkhof's wrist -- allowing tension to build for the visitors in front of a hostile
This was one of the few World Cups not to make a profit, as the tournament's losses amounted to $750 million [2].
Venues
| Cordoba | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Estadio Monumental | Estadio José Amalfitani | Estadio Chateau Carreras | |
| Capacity: 76,000 | Capacity: 49,540 | Capacity: 46,083 | |
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 |
 |
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| Mar del Plata | Rosario | Mendoza | |
| Estadio José María Minella | Estadio Gigante de Arroyito | Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza | |
| Capacity: 43,542 | Capacity: 41,654 | Capacity: 34,875 | |
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 |
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Mascot
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 gauchos.
Seeded teams
Argentina, 
West Germany, 
Brazil, and 
Netherlands
Match officials
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Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1978 FIFA World Cup squads.
Results
First round
All times local (UTC-3)
Group 1
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Italy |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 |
| Argentina |
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
 France |
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
 Hungary |
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -5 |
| June 2, 1978 13:45 |
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Italy  |
2–1 | France |
Mar del Plata, Estadio José Maria Minella Ref: Rainea (Romania) Attendance: 38,100 |
| Rossi 29' Zaccarelli 54' |
(Report) | Lacombe 1' |
| June 2, 1978 19:15 |
|||
Argentina .svg) |
2–1 | Hungary |
Ref: Garrido (Portugal) Attendance: 71,615 |
| Luque 14' Bertoni 83' |
(Report) | Csapó 9' |
| June 6, 1978 13:45 |
|||
| Italy |
3–1 | Hungary |
Mar del Plata, Estadio José Maria Minella Ref: Barreto (Uruguay) Attendance: 26,533 |
| Rossi 34' Bettega 35' Benetti 61' |
(Report) | A. Tóth 81' pen |
| June 6, 1978 19:15 |
|||
| Argentina |
2–1 | France |
Ref: Dubach (Switzerland) Attendance: 71,666 |
| Passarella 45' pen Luque 73' |
(Report) | Platini 60' |
| June 10, 1978 (13:45)[1] |
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France  |
3–1 | Hungary |
Mar del Plata, Estadio José Maria Minella Ref: Coelho (Brazil) Attendance: 23,127 |
| Lopez 23' Berdoll 38' Rocheteau 42' |
(Report) | Zombori 41' |
| June 10, 1978 19:15 |
|||
| Argentina |
0–1 | Italy |
Ref: Klein (Israel) Attendance: 71,712 |
| (Report) | Bettega 67' |
Group 2
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Poland |
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
 West Germany |
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 |
 Tunisia |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
 Mexico |
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | -10 |
| June 1, 1978 15:00 |
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| West Germany |
0–0 | Poland |
Ref: Coerezza (Argentina) Attendance: 67,579 |
| (Report) |
| June 2, 1978 16:45 |
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Tunisia  |
3–1 | Mexico |
Rosario, Estadio Gigante de Arroyito Ref: Gordon (Scotland) Attendance: 17,396 |
| Kaabi 55' Ghommidh 79' Dhouib 87' |
(Report) | Vázquez Ayala 45' pen |
| June 6, 1978 16:45 |
|||
| West Germany |
6–0 | Mexico |
Córdoba, Estadio Chateau Carreras Ref: Bouzo (Syria) Attendance: 35,258 |
| D. Müller 15' H. Müller 30' Rummenigge 38', 73' Flohe 44', 89' |
(Report) |
| June 6, 1978 16:45 |
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Poland  |
1–0 | Tunisia |
Rosario, Estadio Gigante de Arroyito Ref: Martínez (Spain) Attendance: 9,624 |
| Lato 43' | (Report) |
| June 10, 1978 16:45 |
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| West Germany |
0–0 | Tunisia |
Córdoba, Estadio Olímpico Chateau Carreras Ref: Orosco (Peru) Attendance: 30,667 |
| (Report) |
| June 10, 1978 16:45 |
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| Poland |
3–1 | Mexico |
Rosario, Estadio Gigante de Arroyito Ref: Namdar (Iran) Attendance: 22,651 |
| Boniek 43', 84' Deyna 56' |
(Report) | Rangel 52' |
Group 3
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria |
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Brazil |
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
 Spain |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Sweden |
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| June 3, 1978 13:45 |
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Austria  |
2–1 | Spain |
Ref: Palotai (Hungary) Attendance: 40,841 |
| Schachner 9' Krankl 76' |
(Report) | Dani 21' |
| June 3, 1978 13:45 |
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Brazil  |
1–1 | Sweden |
Mar del Plata, Estadio José Maria Minella Ref: Thomas (Wales) Attendance: 32,569 |
| Reinaldo 45' |
(Report) | Sjöberg 37' |
| June 7, 1978 13:45 |
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| Austria |
1–0 | Sweden |
Ref: Corver (Netherlands) Attendance: 41,424 |
| Krankl 42' pen | (Report) |
| June 7, 1978 13:45 |
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| Brazil |
0–0 | Spain |
Mar del Plata, Estadio José Maria Minella Ref: Gonella (Italy) Attendance: 34,771 |
| (Report) |
| June 11, 1978 13:45 |
|||
Spain .gif) |
1–0 | Sweden |
Ref: Biwersi (West Germany) Attendance: 46,765 |
| Asensi 75' | (Report) |
| June 11, 1978 13:45 |
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| Brazil |
1–0 | Austria |
Mar del Plata, Estadio José Maria Minella Ref: Wurtz (France) Attendance: 35,221 |
| Roberto Dinamite 40' | (Report) |
Group 4
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Peru |
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 |
 Netherlands |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
 Scotland |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 |
 Iran |
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -6 |
| June 3, 1978 16:45 |
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Peru  |
3–1 | Scotland |
Córdoba, Estadio Chateau Carreras Ref: Eriksson (Sweden) Attendance: 37,927 |
| Cueto 43' Cubillas 72', 77' |
(Report) | Jordan 14' |
| June 3, 1978 16:45 |
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| Netherlands |
3–0 | Iran |
Mendoza, Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza Ref: Archundía (Mexico) Attendance: 33,431 |
| Rensenbrink 40' pen, 62', 79' pen | (Report) |
| June 7, 1978 16:45 |
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Scotland  |
1–1 | Iran |
Córdoba, Estadio Chateau Carreras Ref: N'Diaye (Senegal) Attendance: 7,938 |
| Eskandarian 43' (own goal) | (Report) | Danaeifard 60' |
| June 7, 1978 16:45 |
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| Netherlands |
0–0 | Peru |
Mendoza, Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza Ref: Prokop (East Germany) Attendance: 28,125 |
| (Report) |
| June 11, 1978 16:45 |
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| Peru |
4–1 | Iran |
Córdoba, Estadio Chateau Carreras Ref: Jąrguz (Poland) Attendance: 21,262 |
| Velásquez 2' Cubillas 36' pen, 39' pen, 79' |
(Report) | Rowshan 41' |
| June 11, 1978 16:45 |
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| Scotland |
3–2 | Netherlands |
Mendoza, Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza Ref: Linemayr (Austria) Attendance: 35,130 |
| Dalglish 44' Gemmill 47' pen, 68' |
(Report) | Rensenbrink 34' pen Rep 71' |
Second Group Round
Group A
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands |
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 |
| Italy |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| West Germany |
2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| Austria |
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -4 |
| June 14, 1978 13:45 |
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| Netherlands |
5–1 | Austria |
Córdoba, Estadio Chateau Carreras Ref: Gordon (Scotland) Attendance: 25,050 |
| Brandts 6' Rensenbrink 35' pen Rep 36', 53' W. van de Kerkhof 82' |
(Report) | Obermayer 79' |
| June 14, 1978 13:45 |
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| West Germany |
0–0 | Italy |
Ref: Maksimović (Yugoslavia) Attendance: 67,547 |
| (Report) |
| June 18, 1978 16:45 |
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| West Germany |
2–2 | Netherlands |
Córdoba, Estadio Chateau Carreras Ref: Gordon (Scotland) Attendance: 25,050 |
| Abramczik 3' D. Müller 70' |
(Report) | Haan 27' R. van de Kerkhof 84' |
| June 18, 1978 16:45 |
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| Italy |
1–0 | Austria |
Ref: Rion (Belgium) Attendance: 66,695 |
| Rossi 14' | (Report) |
| June 21, 1978 13:45 |
| Austria |