Soccer World Cup History: 1978 World Cup Argentina

Number of participating teams: 16

Top scorer: Argentina’s Mario Kempes (6 goals)

Number of games: 38

Total goals scored: 102

Average goals per game: 2.68

Highest scoring game: West Germany’s 6-0 win over Mexico on June 6 and Argentina’s 6-0 win over Peru on June 21

Total attendance: 1,610,215

Average attendance: 42,374

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

Same as 1974: The 16-team field was divided into four groups, and a second group stage replaced the knockout quarterfinal round. The top two teams in each group would then be placed into two groups of four with the winners meeting in the final.

THE FINAL

Argentina and the Netherlands gathered for the final, the vociferous and intimidating crowd at Buenos Aires’s Estadio Monumental giving the hosts a tremendous psychological advantage. The stadium was such a cauldron of tension and electricity—fans pounded drums on the terraces, lit flares and threw more streamers onto the field than the average tickertape parade—that the Dutch players voiced their concern to FIFA officials prior to the match about leaving the stadium alive should they win.

Argentina’s Mario Kempes found the back of the net just before halftime. His strike partner, Leopoldo Luque, made a glorious run down the left and drew the defence with him before crossing the ball into the middle where Kempes ran onto it and hammered it past Dutch goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed.

The Dutch took over the game in the second half and after being thwarted so many times they managed a goal with eight minutes left in regulation when substitute Dirk Nanninga concluded a sweeping move by Arie Haan and headed a cross from Rene van de Kerkhof past Fillol. Later on, forward Robbie Rensenbrink’s shot from inside the six-yard box beat the Argentine goalkeeper but hit the post. Rensenbrink’s unbelievable miss cost his country the World Cup.

It was Argentina who came out revived in extra time, Kempes taking control of the game when he dribbled past three Dutch players before smashing in a rebound past Jongbloed in the 105th minute. Bedlam erupted at Estadio Monumental as the locals could smell blood, and it was Kempes who delivered the fatal blow, bursting through the Dutch defence again before setting up Daniel Bertoni to score with five minutes remaining.

Group 1