Section A（89) Having reached the final in 1930, Argentina had to wait a while before winni

Section A

(89) Having reached the final in 1930, Argentina had to wait a while before winning the FIFA World Cup, which they eventually did on their own soil in 1978. The great support for the home team helped carry them to victory over the Netherlands in final.

(90) Argentina was outplayed by Italy in the opening round group games, but charged back to reach the final with a 6-0 win over Peru. In Daniel Passarella, Osvaldo Ardites and Mario Kempes, top scorer with six goals, they had outstanding players. They beat the Dutch 3-1 after extra time in the final.

A long-awaited success

Rarely has the run-up to a FIFA World Cup been so filled with controversy as the 11 th tournament (比赛), held in Argentina. Football, in fact, took a back seat as many nations were debating whether or not to boycott the tournament in protest against General Videla's totalitarian regime (极权主义政权) and its violation of human rights. (91) Finally, however, despite a widespread call to stay away, the world's footballing nations all made the trip to Argentina. All, that is, except those that had failed to qualify, such as England (for the second time running), Yugoslavia and the USSR. (92) Other "minor" footballing nations such as Iran and Tunisia had their first outings and France was back in the world's top football competition after twelve years in the wilderness.

But for its reappearance at the highest level, the French team--coached by Michel Hidalgo--made an unexceptional comeback, beaten 1-2 by both Italy and Argentina. (93) Michel Platini and his team-mates failed to reach the second round despite defeating Hungary_ 3-1 in their last game.

(82)