Argentina Wins World Cup.

« Dutch team responded with two unanswered goals to earn the victory.

In the consolation match Brazil squeaked past Italy, 2-1, in what was the final high-profileappearance of Brazilian star Roberto Rivelino, a three-time World Cup participant. The championship match was held at Río de la Plata stadium in Buenos Aires on Sunday, June 25.

In a classic match-up, a methodical, disciplined European teamplayed against a spontaneous, mercurial South American squad.

According to Argentina's coach, Cesar Menotti, quoted in Sports Illustrated, “The two bravest sides have come through.” The 70,000 fans could barely contain themselves.

Before the opening whistle they unleashed a blizzard of confetti that obscured the stands from view.

Dutchsympathizers barely numbered in the hundreds.

“Every one of them will be needed,” deadpanned one Dutch sportswriter to Sports Illustrated. In a tense moment just before game time, Argentinean captain Daniel Passarella trotted off the field to chat with coach Menotti.

The referee was aghast.

Equallyperturbed, the Dutch team headed for its own bench.

Nine minutes later Passarella returned.

The squads exchanged ceremonial pennants and the match was finallyunderway. Kempes put Argentina on the scoreboard for the first time 37 minutes into the proceedings on a play set up by Luque and midfielder Osvaldo Ardiles.

TheNetherlands launched many attacks on Argentina's goal in the second half but was turned away time and time again.

Then, with the minutes waning, Tarantinimissed a tackle on forward Reinier Van der Kerkhof, allowing him to center the ball to Dirk Nanninga.

His header tied the score at one apiece.

The crowdcollectively gasped a few minutes later when Van der Kerkhof's twin brother, Willy, banged a shot off the crossbar of Argentina's goal.

The score remained tied whenthe final whistle blew. Visibly weary, the two teams took the field for two 15-minute overtime periods.

Frustration and on-field roughness increased.

When a Dutch player decked wingerDaniel Bertoni—and no foul was called—tempers increased.

Kempes broke the tension—and the tie—when he retrieved his own missed shot and fired it past Dutchgoalie Jan Jongbloed.

Then, in the second overtime period, a Kempes-to-Bertoni play gave Argentina a virtually insurmountable two-goal lead.

Flat-footed withfatigue, the Netherlands all but conceded defeat.

The game ended.

The celebrations began. For Argentina it was a big win.

Yet, the full force of the triumph did not immediately strike Kempes.

“It all hit me a month later,” he later recalled for Goooal: A Celebration of Soccer. “It was then that I understood that we had paved the road for the birth of Argentina soccer.

All the victories that came after can be traced to that title.” Despite all of General Videla's efforts to the contrary, Kempes kept the achievement within the realm of sports.

“There was a lot at stake, and the missionwas completed.

I'm not talking about politics, because I've never been interested in politics.

I'm speaking only of soccer.” Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.

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