FIFA World Cup History

Argentina 1978 FIFA World Cup

Year: 1978

Participants: 16

Countries: Austria, Argentina, Brazil, France, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, West Germany

Championship: Argentina 3, Netherlands 1 (overtime)

Top goal scorer: Mario Kempes, Argentina (6)

The soccer-crazy country of Argentina was rewarded as its national team beat the Netherlands in a heated 3-1 battle in the final in Buenos Aires. The Dutch were helpless against the stellar play of goaltender Ubaldo Fillol and hurt by referee Sergio Gonella, who often seemed like an extra attacker for Argentina with his blatant calls. In fact, controversial officiating plagued much of this World Cup, and there was much scuttlebutt that there was no way Argentina would have won this Cup in any other country.

The deck seemed to be stacked against Brazil, which was in a second-round group with Argentina, which beat Peru 6-0 in one of the most controversial games in Cup history. Argentina needed to win by at least four goals to advance, and it won by six against Quiroga, Peru's Argentine goaltender. It seemed to many that Peru simply had given the home team the necessary margin of victory. Also, Argentina stayed at one venue for the entire Cup, while every other team had to travel.

The Cup was played two years after the military coup that ousted former Argentine president Isabel Peron, but concerns about terrorism turned to relief when the Cup ended without incident.