The mixed lineup for the match showcased two nailed-on starters in Rodon and Ampadu, complemented by several players eager to establish themselves in the first team and a few bright youngsters. Oh and Alex Cairns in goal.
The game began with a disastrous start for Leeds, finding themselves down 1-0 after just 31 seconds. They were caught on the break—a recurring theme throughout the night—when Kieffer Moore executed a superb finish across the keeper. Yet Leeds wasted no time in attempting to respond, dominating possession in the early exchanges and should have levelled the score in the 8th minute. A beautiful ball set Dan James free, and after a clever touch he was inevitably cleaned out by the onrushing goalkeeper resulting in a nailed on penalty. Joel Piroe stepped up but struck the post, it has become clear that just like Patrick Bamford before him, he should never be allowed near a spot kick ever again.
Though Wrexham were largely quiet, they did rattle the crossbar with a stunning 30-yard free kick taken by Broadhead, but the threat on the Leeds goals were few and far between. In midfield, Sean Longstaff proved to be the heartbeat for Leeds, recovering from a few errant passes to dominate play and emerge as the standout player in the first half.
Despite their control in midfield, Leeds looked less composed at both ends of the pitch. A hydration break that was actually required for the players rather than for selling adverts provided an opportunity for coach Daniel Farke to voice his frustrations, which spurred Leeds to regroup and equalize in the 28th minute. Longstaff finally connected with a well-timed pass, resulting in a smooth assist that Piroe out into the net with a clever Cruyff turn finish.
The Wrexham coaching staff grew increasingly frustrated with the pitch side mic clearly picking up a “fuck me, we keep going fucking backwards.” However, on the 41st minute, Wrexham did go forwards and launched a counterattack following a missed opportunity by Willy Gnonto. Bailey Cadamarteri showcased sharp finishing skills by rounding Cairns and slotting the ball home, putting Wrexham ahead once again.
Throughout the first half the US commentators (Joe Tolleson and Tony Meola) encountered some hiccups in identifying Leeds players, with Joe Rodon being called Phil Roden my own personal highlight. They had an equaliser to talk about just before half time though as Leeds struck back yet again, maintaining patience and composure on the edge of the box. A well-worked exchange between Callum Mills and Longstaff resulted in an exquisite strike into the top corner by Longstaff, allowing Leeds to enter the break level.
Among the youthful players, Alfie Cresswell emerged as the most impressive, while Callum Mills displayed some neat touches. However, Jayden Leinou appeared to struggle, facing challenges that highlighted his inexperience. Ampadu continued to be a standout performer in midfield.
At half time, Leeds made the expected personnel changes, introducing six new players, including some of their bigger names. Harry Wilson made an immediate impact, delivering a clever flick to Dan James, who setup a chance for Gnonto—a shot that was ultimately saved by the Wrexham keeper. Leeds started the second half strong, looking to build momentum as they seemed to find their rhythm early on. Wilson displayed creativity, but a few promising situations just saw his passes not quite connect.
As Wrexham made seven substitutions around the hour mark, the game became increasingly scrappy. With 15 minutes remaining, Leeds reshuffled their wingers, bringing on Pickles and Chadwick, both of whom appeared promising. Chadwick in particular working hard to put the Wrexham defenders under pressure.
Right at the death, Leeds gifted Wrexham another goal. Tanaka lost possession in midfield, leading to a swift counterattack where Smith outmaneuvered Rodon and cut inside Bogle to fire a shot past Perri, for the decisive goal. All three goals Wrexham scored on the night were pretty much handed to them on a plate.
Towards the end, Leeds made a couple of late substitutions; Charlie Crew nearly made an immediate impact, his dipping delivery into the box forced the Wrexham keeper into a mistake, but Wilson unfortunately scooped the rebound over the crossbar.
The match concluded on a disappointing note for Leeds, yet it served as a decent workout, emphasizing their dominance in possession throughout the game. Notably absent were four nailed on starters for opening day—Bijol, Muhremovic, Gabi, and DCL—as well as Noah Okafor. The prospect of potential new signings still loomed, suggesting that further reinforcements could see them solidify their lineup with starters in James Trafford and Julian Brandt.
Overall, there is a sense of optimism surrounding Leeds’ squad. In my opinion this is how they appear poised to start on the opening day of the season, pending any additional signings:
All 4 groups had something worth playing for heading into the final round of the opening stage of the 1978 World Cup. There was something riding on almost every game, from qualification, to jockeying for position for the second group stage which was to come. All 8 games would be played over two days, but thanks to some jiggery pokery by the organisers, Argentina were in a position where, had it been needed, they would have known exactly what to do in their final game to qualify for the second stage, a portent of what was to come later in the competition
As it was Group 1 was the only section that the two qualifiers were known, with Italy and Argentina having won both their games, leaving France and Hungary to play out the only dead rubber. They would kick off the final round in slightly farcical circumstances. Both teams turned up for the match in Mar Del Plata with their change strips of white shirts, which meant a 40 minute delay to the kick off until some more shirts could be sourced from a local club. As it was the French ended up playing the game in the green and white stripes of Club Atletico Kimberley, giving the 3rd Division side its most famous moment. The game was shown live on the BBC and was worth the wait. John Motson described the action which saw France take the lead on 23 minutes, Christian Lopez with a 25 yard effort that faded away into the top corner. The lead was doubled 15 minutes later as Marc Berdoll dragged a shot into the net from the right hand side of the box as the Hungarian defence stood back and watched. Hungary hit back through Sandor Zombori four minutes before the break with a delightful chip over the keeper from the edge of the box. But France regained their two goal lead a minute later when the Hungarian defence again froze allowing Dominique Rocheteau to force the ball home. There were no more goals in the second half, but not for the want of trying. France hit the woodwork twice and the Hungarians also hit the post with a free kick but headed home pointless. France also were out, but with reputation enhanced, after performing well in every game.
Group 2 was the first to reach a conclusion later that evening, with West Germany needing to avoid defeat against Tunisia to continue the defence of their crown. Again the BBC had live coverage of this one with David Coleman and Bobby Charlton in the commentary box in Cordoba. The Germans were happy not to risk too much in getting the require point and were restricted to long range efforts as the Tunisians defended doggedly. The match ended in a 0-0 draw meaning that the Africans were hoping for some help from a hapless Mexico side who were playing Poland at the same time.
For almost an hour in Rosario, the Mexicans did look like holding up their side of the bargain. In a game broadcast live on ITV, with Martin Tyler on commentary duty, it took the Poles 42 minutes to break the deadlock, Zbignew Boniek rifling an effort into the roof of the net from 6 yards out following a cut back from Grzegorz Lato. But Mexico gave the Tunisians hope with a lucky equaliser seven minutes into the second half, a pull back by Ignacio Flores hitting the slow reacting Victor Rangel but with enough power to wrong foot Jan Tomaszewski and fall into the net. Poland though were far too good an opponent for the Mexicans to hold out and just four minutes later the Polish skipper Kazimierz Deyna scored a classy second with a well struck shot from the edge of the box. Boniek wrapped things up and put the Tunisians out with sim minutes remaining with a superb 30 yard effort to win the group for the Poles and send the West Germans through as runners up.
The final match of Saturday 10th June saw Argentina take on Italy for top spot in Group 1 at the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires. ITV had the live coverage of this one with Gerald Sinstadt and Jack Charlton on duty. With the other games having been played, Argentina knew that they could avoid the Germans with a loss, but would have to leave the capital city for the second round. Whether this was on their mind is difficult to know, but lose they did as Italy took the spoils with a Roberto Bettega goal on 67 minutes, ending a sweeping Italian move with a lovely finish. They would head into Group A alongside West Germany with Argentina facing Poland in Group B.
The remaining games in Groups 3 & 4 would be played on Sunday 11th June. Scotland’s clash with Holland would take place at 8:45pm UK time, a kick off time that meant it might be beyond the reach of a six year old on a school night. However I believe that a bargain had been struck with my parents, that I was given the choice of watching the afternoon game or staying up and watching some of the Scotland game later on. Being obsessed with the tournament at this stage, I plumped for the former, hoping that Mum and Dad would relent and let me watch the Scotland game anyway. So at 5:45 I was in front of the TV for Spain v Sweden from the Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires with Gerald Sinstadt and Jack Charlton having nipped across the city after the late shift the night before. It was a bit of a dud, Spain getting the win they needed but only by a single goal from Asensi (who had scored against Leeds in the 1975 European Cup). Despite the win Spain needed Austria to get something from Brazil in the other game taking place in Mar Del Plata if they were going to qualify. Brazil though won the game 1-0 with a goal from Roberto Dinamite five minutes before half time. That meant Brazil had won the group and would head into Group B with the Poles and Argentina. Austria finished runners up and would meet West Germany and Italy.
And so to the evening fixtures. Peru needed to beat Iran to seal their qualification, and they did with a comfortable 4-1 win. Jose Velasquez put them ahead in two minutes with a free header from a corner. The match was won with two penalties scored by Teofilo Cubillas in three minutes late in the first half, and despite Iran getting a goal back through Hassan Rowshan just before half time, Cubillas completed his hat-trick with 11 minutes left, another outside of the foot finish netting him his fifth goal of the tournament.
That meant Peru were through and all they had to do now was sit and wait from the result of the Holland v Scotland game to see who their opponents would be in the second round. The Dutch merely needed to avoid losing by three clear goals to a Scotland side who had been a disaster in the tournament so far. All McLeod’s men needed a Miracle in Mendoza to progress. Surely that would be beyond them….wouldn’t it?
After the defeat against Peru, this was a make or break fixture for Scotland and an expectant nation had the choice of both BBC and ITV to watch the events that would unfold against the minnows of the group, Iran.
John Motson would be in the commentary box for the BBC, but I have the ITV coverage of the game which once again saw Hugh Johns on commentary, this time with no technical glitches, and Ian St John alongside him. Johns set the tone stating that Scotland were taking on the “cheerful amateurs from Iran” who had simply “come along for the ride” at the World Cup.
Scotland, knowing that a win was imperative, made five changes from the side that had surrendered meekly to the Peruvians. Most striking was the absence of skipper Bruce Rioch, omitted from the 16 completely, replaced in the side and as captain by Archie Gemmil. Don Masson, the villain of the first game after his missed spot kick, was also out , as well as Willie Johnston who had been sent home in disgrace following a failed drugs test. Lou Macari of Manchester United and John Robertson, fresh from winning the first division with Nottingham Forest, came in. The other changes were in the full back positions with Tom Forsyth and Stuart Kennedy replaced by Willie Donachie and Sandy Jardine.
The Iranians were a total unknown quantity and had lost 3-0 to the Netherlands in the opening game. They made one change with Iraj Danaiefard coming in for Hassan Nayebagha.
Scotland started well, Joe Jordan getting in behind the Iranian defence but shooting into the side netting, and there were claims for a penalty moments later as a big goalmouth scramble saw a shot hit an Iranian hand but appeals were waved away by the Senegalese referee Youssou N’Diyae.
Iran were not here to make up the numbers though, as the ITV team believed and soon had a shot of their own as Mohammad Sadeghi fired high and wide. That effort gave the Iranians confidence and they began to gain the upper hand. “This is very slack thinking by this Scottish side” commented Johns as the men in blue continually gited the ball to the Iranians. Twice in quick succession the minnows had good chances, Hossein Faraki poking an effor past Alan Rough that was cleared off the line, and then Ghafour Jahani fired over the bar. “This is nerve shattering for Scotland” said Johns as the after effects of the Peru result still seemed to be hanging over them.
All in all it was a dreadful opening 15 minutes from Ally Mcleod’s men, who were struggling to even complete a simple 10 yard pass, with Archie Gemmil, Asa Hartford and Kenny Dalglish all guilty of gifting the ball to the opposition. Dalglish did almost redeem himself with a header from a corner but was denied a goal by some acrobatics in the Iranian goal from Nasse Hejazi who turned the ball over the bar.
Iran’s team was made up of part time players and Hugh Johns was having fun with their full time occupations. Hejazi, the keeper, was in the Army and Johns pondered “what bombs will be thrown at him today.” Sadeghi was a policeman and after being on the end of a foul from Hartford, Johns commented that “I bet he’d like to get his book out for Hartford…a touch of the grievous bodily harms.“
Ian St John, alongside him was not having fun. “Some of the passing is diabolical” as Scotland continued to struggle, particularly with the Iranian offside trap which had caught them out on umpteen occasions, even though Johns claimed it was “quite amateurish in its construction.“
It would take a stroke of outrageous fortune just before half time for Scotland to finally make a breakthrough. A long ball over the top of the defence by Hartford saw Jordan chasie the ball alongside defender Andranik Eskandarian. As the two converged on the ball, the Iranian keeper also got involved and as he was about to collect it, Eskandarain attempted to hack the ball clear but only succeded in comically slicing it into his own net. “Oh would you believe it” said Johns as the ball hit the net.
Despite the goal, Ian St John was not impressed with the first half performance, stating “We like to see the best team win and the best team is certainly not Scotland at the moment.” As the teams came back out for the second half, he was in no doubt as to the task that had faced Ally Mcleod in the dressing room at half time. “I’d be giving em a rollicking…we are treating it like a practice game…There’s been so many things wrong he would have needed half an hour, not fifteen minutes.”
His mood was not brightened when after the Scots won a free kick on the edge of the box, the set piece wizardry that they worked was for Gemmil to roll the ball to Hartford to blaze over the crossbar. He fumed “I really don’t believe that…We’ve been away weeks in a training camp…if that’s the best we can come up with it’s ridiculous.”
Despite the woes on the pitch, the Tartan Army in the sparse crowd of 7,938 were in good voice. On the field things were going from bad to worse as Donachie and Martin Buchan clashed at the back, both going for the same ball, the Man City full back kicked the Manchester United centre half in the head, producing a wound that began to bleed profusley. That forced a substitution which saw Tom Forsyth come on, and his first contribution was to almost allow the Iranians to score, going for the same ball as Kenny Burns and leaving a clear path to goal which was wasted.
Scotland were now in danger of losing total control of the game and their inadequacies were giving the Iranians a lot of confidence. So much so that it was no surprise that they got the equalizer on the hour. PC Sadeghi was patrolling on the right wing and he found some room to get in a cross, it was only half cleared by the defence and Danaeifard skipped past Gemmill and fired a shot past Alan Rough at his near post. “He’s scored…Danaeifard” shouted Johns, before adding “No-one will say Iran didn’t deserve that…a total tragedy for Scotland. A total disaster.”
Ally McLeod looked distraught on the bench, all the bullish talk of going to Argentina to win the World Cup blowing up in his face inside the first five days of the tournament. And it almost got worse as Scotland were all over the place and should have been behind as a superb ball freed Ebrahim Ghasempour, but in his excitement he overran the ball and allowed Rough to rush out and make the save.
This narrow escape sparked the Scots into life and they started to get forward a little more, with Joe Jordan the targetman who they seemed to be pinning all their hopes. He did force a chance with a header at the back post which Tom Forsyth nodded goalwards but as Dalglish flicked the ball over the line and appeared to give Scotland the lead again, the referee had blown his whistle giving Iran a free kick and ending the threat.
Scotland’s plan seemed to be chip the ball up to Jordan and see what havoc he could wreak, but the answer was very little. Even a great like Kenny Dalglish was struggling and when he could only hit a cross straight to the keeper when he had three men waiting in the box, he was immediately substituted by McLeod, throwing on Joe Harper, who had been in the commentary box for the last game, as his last toss of the dice.
He was Plan B, but it was Plan A that almost rescued Scotland at the death. Jordan had taken a pummeling from the Iranian defence and after winning another free kick, finally he got the delivery he was looking for and powered a header goalwards, only to be denied by Hejazi, defusing the last bomb thrown at him with a fine parry off the line.
At full time the Scots were distraught, none more so than Ian St John who declared that “this is a worse result than the Peru result…I don’t really know what to say…they’ve played so badly in the two games…a shocking performance all round.”
It was a result that left thier hopes in tatters, needing a miracle in the final round of matches to make progress. All they would have to do is beat the Dutch, World Cup runners up four years ago, by three clear goals to progress. On the performances in the previous two games there seemed to be absolutely no hope of doing so…..would there?
After a couple of days rest, the action in Argentina kicked off again with a two day burst of action featuring all 16 teams. Tuesday 6th June saw Italy and Hungary start the second round with a match shown live on ITV with Gerry Harrison and Jack Charlton on commentary duty. The Italians, having seen off the French in the first match took the lead in this one with a goal from Paolo Rossi. A long range shot by Tardelli was deflected, forcing the Hungarian keeper to palm the ball into the path of the Italian striker and he tapped home. A minute later and Italy were 2-0 up, a long ball into the box by Causio causing confusion in the Hungarian defence and Roberto Bettega strolled into the box between the two centre halves to tuck away the second. Italy sealed victory in the second half with a strike from the edge of the box by Bonetti. The Hungarians, badly hampered by the suspension of Nyalasi and Torisick following their red cards against Argentina, were given a consolation by the Uruguayan referee with 8 minutes to go when he awarded them a soft penalty which Andras Toth stroked home.
The evening saw two games take place, both in Group 2. On ITV, Martin Tyler and Ian St John described how Poland snuck past the surprise packets from Tunisia. The Africans had stunned Mexico in their opening game and were close to taking a point from the side that had finished third at the last World Cup. However an error by defender Ali Kaabi, as he swiped and missed a looping ball into the box, allowed Grzegorz Lato to swoop and fire the ball across the keeper and into the net.
Hammadi Agrebi of Tunisia during the FIFA World Cup match between Tunisia and Poland at Estadio Dr. Lisandro de la Torre, Rosario, Argentina on 6th June 1978 ( Photo by Michel Barrault / Onze / Icon Sport via Getty Images )
Over on BBC, John Motson was in place to cover the West Germany v Mexico match. The World Champions had been disappointing in their opening game draw against the Poles but bounced back in style to dismantle the hapless Mexicans. Dieter Muller opened the scoring on 15 minutes with a good turn and strike from 25 yards out. Hansi Muller doubled the lead on the half hour finishing a sweeping move that saw him played in on the right hand side of the area by Heinz Flohe and smashing the ball home from the angle. Eight minutes later it was 3-0, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge breaking from midfield and despite a heavy touch as he entered the penalty area, he was alive enough to slide the ball under the onrushing keeper and into the net. Just before half time Flohe made it 4-0 with the pick of the goals, a free kick rolled to him 35 yards out was despatched into the top corner with a tremendous shot. The Germans added two more in the second half, Rummenigge notching the fifth after a cross from the left was knocked into his path by Hansi Muller allowing him to drive the ball home from 15 yards, and then Flohe completing the scoring in the last minute, ending another swift counter attack with a powerful shot past the keeper.
The pick of the days games was the nightcap between Argentina and France from Buenos Aries. The match was shown live on the BBC with Barry Davies and Bobby Charlton in the commentary box. The French had to win to survive in the tournament but were unfortunate to go behind right at the end of the first half. Leopoldo Luque forced his way into the box and attempted to get a shot away under pressure from the big defender Marius Tresor. The Frenchman slid to block the effort, but saw the ball cannon into his arm. With the whole stadium appealing for a penalty, the Swiss referee Jean Dubach consulted his Canadian linesman before trotting back to stand on the penalty spot and award the kick. Argentina’s captain Daniel Passarella strode up to emphatically despatch the spot kick to give the hosts the lead. France suffered a further set back ten minutes into the second half when they were forced to make a change in goal. A dipping volley by Jose Daniel Valencia forced Jean-Paul Bertrand-Desmanes to backpedal and tip the ball over the bar, but he crashed into the post in doing so and had to be replaced by Dominique Baratelli. Despite the bad fortune they had suffered the French responded and were level on the hour. Some nice build up play saw Bernard Lacombe break into the box and with Ubaldo Fillol racing out to block him, the French striker lofted the ball over the keeper, but saw his effort come back off the cross bar. Fortunately for the French it fell into the path of Michel Platini who drove the ball into the empty net to make it 1-1. Minutes later the French should have been ahead, Platini playing a lovely through ball into the path of Didier Six, but despite him sliding the ball past the keeper, it was just inches the wrong side of the post. However a moment of magic sealed the game for Argentina with 17 minutes left as Luque scored one of the goals of the tournament, flicking the ball up 20 yards from goal and with French defenders allowing him as much time and space as he desired, the moustachioed forward allowed the ball to settle enough for him to drive the ball powerfully on the volley past the keeper and into the top corner, eliminating the French and setting up a group decider against the Italians.
The following day saw four games of a much more pedestrian nature unfold. In the afternoon Group 3 took centre stage with ITV showing the clash between Austria and Sweden. Gerald Sindstat and Jack Charlton were on hand for a tedious game which was won by a Hans Krankl penalty just before half time. That goal was enough to send the Austrians into the second phase with a game to spare.
That game would be against Brazil, who would need a result to ensure qualification for the last eight after a 0-0 draw against Spain, a game shown live on BBC 1 with David Coleman and Bobby Charlton in the commentary box. It was another tame affair, Brazil going close with a few long range free kicks, although the closest they came to scoring was through a Spanish defender looping a header against his own woodwork.
The evening was all about Scotland who would take on Iran, with a win imperative for Ally McLeod’s men after their loss to Peru in the opening game. That win for the South Americans saw them take a fairly negative approach to their match with Holland which took place simultaneously with the Scotland game. The Peruvians, knowing they still had Iran to come, were cautious in the extreme against a Dutch side who already had a win under their belt. The 0-0 draw that played out was a risky one for the Dutch, potentially setting up a winner takes all clash with the Scots in the final game. That, of course, was only the case if the Scots racked up the win against the amateurs from Iran. Unfortunately for the Tartan Army, that was not to be the case.
The Scotland team line up for the National Anthems prior to the FIFA World Cup match between Scotland and Peru in Cordoba, 3rd June 1978. Peru won 3-1. Left-right: Bruce Rioch, Alan Rough, Stuart Kennedy, Kenny Dalglish, Don Masson, Kenny Burns, Tom Forsyth, Joe Jordan, Martin Buchan, Willie Johnston, Asa Hartford, Graeme Souness, Jim Blyth and Derek Johnstone. (Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The eyes of the whole of the United Kingdom were focused on the central Argentinian city of Cordoba on the evening of Saturday 3rd June 1978 as Scotland kicked off their World Cup campaign against Peru. The South American side were seen as nothing more than the first step on the road to conquering the football world for Ally McLeod’s Army, who entered the tournament as one of the favourites and on the back of a triumphant send off from Hampden Park before they set off to South America.
Both BBC and ITV had elected to show the game live on TV, clearing the Saturday night schedules to broadcast the match via Satellite. Those choosing to watch the game on BBC had just had the Val Doonican Music Show to refresh the palate after the afternoon game between Sweden and Brazil. World Cup Grandstand was hosted by Frank Bough and featured Denis Law and Jock Stein on their panel. Viewers on ITV had been treated to Nicholas Parsons and The Sale of the Century as the meat in the sandwich of their World Cup coverage, with Austria’s win over Spain covered in the afternoon. Brian Moore was host for ITV, foregoing the commentary duties for the tournament to anchor the production in the studio.
With Argentina having only just introduced colour TV, there were worries over possible technical hitches, and on the night when they would have the most viewers, things started to go wrong. Both channels had sent multiple commentary teams, one to cover the game purely for the Scottish viewing public, the other to provide commentary for the rest of the UK. However issues with the audio meant that both channels lost one team of commentators for the majority of the coverage. BBC viewers had David Coleman with Archie McPherson’s Scottish coverage lost. ITV had the opposite problem with Hugh Johns and Ian St John’s words drifting off into the ether, leaving Arthur Montford to relay the action alongside Joe Harper, one of the Scottish squads unused players on the night.
Harper, the Aberdeen striker, had been left out of the side, with Kenny Dalglish and Joe Jordan preferred up front and Derek Johnstone selected on the bench. Ally McLeod in fact made just one change from the side that had been beaten by England a fortnight earlier in the home internationals. Martin Buchan came into the heart of the defence alongside Kenny Burns, with Tom Forsyth switching to full back in place of Willie Donachie. Bruce Rioch captained the side from midfield alongside Don Masson with Asa Hartford and Willie Johnstone expected to provide the width.
Peru in the main were unknown quantities, but had finished second in South American qualifying behind Brazil. Having failed to qualify in 1974, Tefilio Cubilas was their outstanding player, voted as the best young player of the tournament at the 1970 tournament in Mexico, where the Peruvians had made the quarter-finals before being outclassed by the magnificent Brazilians.
Perhaps because they were reperesenting the whole of the United Kingdom, Scotland lined up for “God Save The Queen” as the national anthems were played. As a six year old English boy sat at home, I can testify that the majority of people were supporting Scotland. My house it seemed had been designated as the “host nation” for the football loving men of my street, as most of them piled into our house with their cans of Double Diamond and Skol, to watch the game. An 8:45pm kick off was already way past my bedtime, but as it was such a special occasion, I had been allowed to stay up and watch the game, and settled in for the drama that was about to unfold.
Scotland started well, Dalglish and Hartford linking up well for the Manchester City man to shoot just wide. Then Masson broke down the right hand side before shooting straight at Quiroga. There were the odd warning sign of the Peruvian danger though when Cubilas had the first effort on target, a 30 yard effort that was straight at Alan Rough.
Kenny Dalglish had started brightly on what was big night for him personally, as he equalled the record of Billy Bremner as the most capped Scotland international with his 54th appearance. He marked the occasion by helping to create the opening goal of the game in the 15th minute. Willie Johnstone found the Liverpool striker who played the ball into the box. Hartford cleverly stepped over the ball to allow Rioch to move onto it and strike a sweet shot which Quiroga did well to parry but only into the path of Joe Jordan who tucked the ball into the net. “Goal…Jordan scores and Scotland are one up” said Arthur Montford on ITV commentary, his last words before his audio feed cut out as well, leaving Brian Moore to pick up the pieces back in the London studio.
Moore only had to fill in for a minute or so before Montford was restored to commentary and he was soon relaying Scottish anxiety as the Peruvians started to make their way into the game. Juan Monante hit the side netting with a curled free kick from the left hand side and the Rough was forced into action as Munante played in Guillermo La Rosa whose effort was brilliantly saved by the Partick Thistle stopper. The goal had really woken the Peruvians up and Scotland were in scramble mode to keep them at bay, Juan Oblitas winning a corner as he finished a swift counter attack with a shot that Rough was forced to turn behind. From the set piece, Scotland could only half clear and Rodolfo Manzo hit an effort just wide.
As the first half drew to a close, Peru were in total control, Scotland’s threat sporadic, although Rioch did once again draw a save from Quiroga, Dalglish just unable to lift the rebound over the Peruvian keeper. But the main threat was coming from the men in the glorious white shirts with the red sash, Munante again going close and Cubilas also denied from long range again by Rough. Then just before half time Peru did level things up, Cesar Cueto bursting through the Scottish defence to sweep the ball past Rough. “Must be an equaliser and is. Peru are level and one would have to say deservedly so” said Montford.
With everyone expected to brush aside Iran, the weakest team in the group, and a game against Holland to come, Brian Moore understood the enormity of the second half for Scotland, introducing the teams for the second half by saying “if Scotland lose here, they could be out of the World Cup.”
The second half started bizarrely with a minutes silence in rememberance of those who had died whilst working for FIFA, and Scotland couldn’t shake off the slumber of the first half as Peru started to run riot. Oblitas burst down the left hand side and picked out an unmarked La Rosa in the box who fortunately headed wide.
That let-off seemed to wake the Scots up a little and they began to make an impression at the other end. Dalglish created a great chance for Jordan with a lovely ball into the box but the Manchester United striker could only plant his header against the post. The big man was taking a heck of a lot of punishment from the Peruvian defenders and one particularly brutal challenge from Toribio Diaz drew a “woof” from Montford but no punishment from Swedish referee Urs Eriksson.
The two left wingers in the game were having games of differing quality. “Oblitas on the left wing causing all sorts of problems” opined Joe Harper in the ITV box. The same could not be said of his opposite number Willie Johnstone who was having a poor game, barely able to beat a man and then overhitting his crosses when he could. The West Brom winger was suffering from hay-fever and had taken Reactavin to try and temper the symptoms. Unfortunately, after the game he would discover that it contained a banned substance and he was expelled from the tournament, sent home in disgrace.
The way things were going, his team mates wouldn’t be long in joining him as they struggled to contain the Peruvian side. Scotland were second best all over the pitch with Harper pointing out that “we’ve got to get a grip on midfield. This is where the game is being lost.” Scotland however weren’t losing and could have regained control of affairs over the next few minutes, but for the brilliance of Ramon Quiroga in the Peruvian goal.
Within a few minutes midway through the second half, he broke Scottish hearts with two moments of brilliance. The first was to deny Joe Jordan, the striker left unmarked in the middle of the goal from a corner but his header was brilliantly turned over the crossbar. “Oh my goodness what a chance for Jordan” said Montford, adding that it was “a miraculous save from Quiroga”. Then just minutes later came the back breaker. Bruce Rioch made his way into the penalty area and knocked the ball past the defender Ruben Diaz, who in his attempt to win the ball was adjudged by the Swedish referee to have tripped him. Montford, more in hope asked “Is the referee giving a penalty…he is!”
Don Masson was the ma who stepped up to take the spot kick, the pressure mounting as Peru delayed things by bringing on Hugo Sotil for De La Rosa. Montford was well aware of the enormity of the kick telling the viewers at home “This may well be the crucial moment in the 1978 World Cup for Scotland”. How right he was, as Masson’s well struck kick was unfortunately at the perfect height for the Peruvian keeper to push behind and prevent Scotland from re-taking the lead. The deflation in Montford’s voice was clear as he disapointingly announced “Well…a golden chance for Scotland” before saying through gritted teeth “it was a fine, fine save.”
His observation that “if ever there was a test of Scottish character, it’s now” was a telling one, and it was a test that Ally Mcleod’s men were not up to . The last 25 minutes would be amongst the most harrowing in the history of Scottish football as the Peruvians took the game by the scruff of the neck. After Velasquez had curled a free kick from 25 yards straight at Rough, the South Americans carved the Scotland defence open again moments later, Cubilas splitting the back line with a lovely ball and Juan Munante only denied by a fine save by Rough.
“Scotland under immense pressure” groaned Montford and it was clear that a goal had to come. It did with 18 minutes to go as Cubilas was left in acres of space 25 yards out and allowed to strike a great shot into the top corner of the net, Rough stood rooted to the spot as the ball flew past him. “What a goal” said Montford who informed the audience that “a World Cup sensation is on the cards”.
Ally McLeod made a double change in response to the goal, replacing the midfield of Rioch and Masson with Archie Gemmil and Lou Macari, but it was to no avail and with 12 minutes left on the watch, Peru extended the lead.
Once again the Scottish defence was split asunder by a delightful pass, this time putting Juan Carlos Oblitas through on goal and forcing Stuart Kennedy to bring him down just outside the box. Having already tested Rough on numerous occasion, this time the keeper was helpless as Cubilas struck a wonderful effort with the outside of his foot past the wall and beyond the despairing keeper. “Cubilas…brilliant third goal for Peru” was all Montofrd could muster before adding “Scotland in disarray from the free kick….their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.”
The game was done, the South Americans comfortably seeing out the last 10 minutes of the game, a result Montford saw as “the first major upset of the World Cup.” Joe Harper alongside him adding “It’s just been disastrous.”
The only saving grace for Scotland was that they would be facing the group minnows, Iran, in the next fixture. If as expected they could get a result in that one, they would still be in a decent position, with the Peruvians taking on the Dutch in their next game. The feeling was that surely the worst was over, and that the game against Iran could be used as a springboard to kickstart the campaign. Unfortunately, Scotland were about to belly flop into another disaster.
Not until Qatar were granted hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup has there been a more controversial choice of host nation than Argentina in 1978. The South American nation at least had a long football traditon when it was awarded the tournament back in 1968 but it was facing a great period of political upheaval. When the country fell under the regime of a military Junta in 1976 there were calls for the competition to be moved as teams feared for their security. There were also severe infrastructure problems with the country still not able to broadcast colour televison pictures. However, as is FIFA’s wont, they pressed ahead with plans for the tournament and by June 1978 the 16 teams were all present and correct in Argentina for the month of football ahead.
There were some notable absentees from the competition of course. For the second tournament in a row, England would not be participating having failed to qualify. South American giants Uruguay, two time winners of the competiton also failed to qualify. shockingly knocked out by Bolivia in the first phase of CONMEBOL qualification. The Bolivian’s World Cup debut would have to wait for another 16 years for a World Cup debut though as they finished 3rd in the second phase and had to face Hungary in a playoff, which they lost 9-2 over two legs. There would also be no European Champions at the World Cup, with Czechoslovakia being knocked out by Britain’s only hope, Scotland. Whilst no nation withdrew from the tournament, there was a severe blow when the best player in the world, Johann Cruyff, withdrew from the Dutch squad. Cruyff’s family had been subjected to a kidnap threat in Barcelona earlier in the year and he felt that he should be at home rather thath thousands of miles away playing football.
Both ITV and the BBC broadcast the opening ceremony and game live. World Cup Grandstand on the BBC featured the iconic theme tune “Argentine Melody” written by Andrew Lloyd Weber, who had of course become famous for his musical Evita and it’s classic “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”. The tune along with the sight of ticker tape became synonomus with the tournament.
Over on ITV, World Cup 78 was anchored by Brian Moore with a panel including Kevin Keegan and Andy Gray, beginning a career in broadcasting, who had missed out on the Scotland squad through injury. Their theme “Action Argentina” was not quite as memorable. Here’s the first 10 minutes of their broadcast of the Opening Ceremony, with Brian Moore advising that we were still waiting for the “satellite pictures to come through to Europe from Argentina”.
Rather than the hosts open the tournament, the honour fell to the current World Champions, West Germany, to kick off proceedings. They had suffered a blow before the tournament began with one of the goalscorers in the 1974 final, Paul Brietner, withdrawing from the squad for political reasons. Brietner held left wing views which were very much at odds with the extreme right wing beliefs of the Argentinan Miltary regime and it was no real surprise when he did not make the trip. The West Germans were not strongly fancied heading into the tournament, having already lost their European crown to Czechoslovakia a couple of years before. Poland, who had famously prevented England from qualifying in 1974, kept most of the side that had gone on to finish 3rd in West Germany, and dominated this match from start to finish. Unfortunately, as had happened in the three previous World Cups, the opening game finished goalless. The BBC had David Coleman and Bobby Charlton on commentary duty with ITV handing the mic to Hugh Johns and Jack Charlton.
There were three games the following day. Group 1 kicked off in the afternoon with the conquerors of England making their bow at the tournament. Italy had been put into a tough group alongside the host nation Argentina, Hungary and an up and coming French side. The opening game against France took place in Mar Del Plata and was broadcast live on ITV with Gerry Harrison and Ian St John in the commentary box. France got off to an absolute dream start, opening the scoring in 31 seconds, the fastest goal in World Cup history. Didier Six made a break down the left wing and crossed for Bernard Lacombe to head home. Italy drew level with an absolute fluke of a goal, a ball in from the left hand side drilled towards goal before pinballing around the area and finally carrerring into the net of Paolo Rossi. Italy won the game nine minutes into the second half when half time substitute Renato Zaccherelli was left totally unmarked 12 yards out and he fired home.
The evening’s live game featured the host nation against Hungary and was the second game in the Estadio Monumental in 2 days. The BBC had live coverage of this one with John Motson partnered with the England manager Ron Greenwood, who had seen his team demolish the Hungarians 4-1 the previous week. The host nation had made the unusual decison to allocate squad numbers alphabetically so there was the unusual sight of Osvaldo Ardilles patrolling central midfield in the number 2 shirt, a goalkeeper in Ubaldo Fillol wearing the number 5 and a midfielder Norberto Alonso on the subs bench wearing number 1. The fervant home crowd were silenced inside 10 minutes as Hungary took the lead. Laszlo Nagy collected a delightful crossfield ball and hit a shot goalwards which was saved by Fillol but only pushed out to Karoly Csapo who tucked away the rebound. It took Argentina just five minutes to equalise. A free kick 20 yards out was struck by Kempes and again a goalkeeper failing to hold a shot was punished as the mustachioed Leopoldo Luque pounced to force home the rebound. Argentina grabbed the winner with just nine minutes left. Again Luque was involved, this time colliding with a defender as the ball came into the box and allowing Daniel Bertoni in to stroke the ball into the net. At this point the Hungarians lost the plot and ended the game with nine men. First Andras Torcsik was dismissed for a second yellow card with two minutes to go and then Tibor Nyalsi was dismissed a minute later for a wild hack on Americo Gallego. The suspensions would leave the Hungarians short of two key players for the remainder of the group stage.
While this game was being played, the second fixture in Group 2 was going on in Rosario with minnows Tunisia taking on Mexico. Neither side was expected to progress any further in the tournament with Poland and West Germany in the same section. The North Africans were making their debut in the tournament, whilst Mexico were back after missing out to Haiti in 1974. The gam wasn’t shown live by either BBC or ITV, but highlights were shown with Martin Tyler commentating for ITV and veteran Alan Weeks, more known for his Ice Skating and Swimming commentaries, on duty for the BBC. The Mexicans, wearing a tremendous change strip and with many magnificent hair cuts on display took the lead in first half stoppage time from the penalty spot, Vazquez Ayala rolling the ball home after an unfortunate hand ball by Amor Jebali. Tunisia levelled 10 minutes into the second half, Ali Kaabi rolling a shot past a wrong footed Mexican keeper. Then with 11 minutes to go the African side took a shock lead as Nejib Ghommidh poked the ball past Reyes to make it 2-1. Three minutes from time Tunisia completed a deserved victory as some good play set Mokhtar Douieb free on the right hand side of the penalty area to smash home a third. Thevictory was the first by an African nation in the World Cup Finals and helped to restore the reputation of the continents football which had been damaged by Zaire’s hapless performances in West Germany four years earlier.
The next day saw the remaining eight nations all make their bow in the tournament. Saturday afternoon saw Group 3 take centre stage. ITV had the match between Austria and Spain with Gerald Sindstat and Jack Charlton on commentary duty. Austria took the lead with a fantastic solo goal from Walter Schacner, collecting the ball midway inside his own half,breaking down the right hand side before drilling a shot past the keeper at the near post. Spain equalised ten minutes later, a cross from the right falling to Dani on the edge of the box who swept the ball home. Austria though won it with 14 minutes left, a ball from the right to the edge of the box fell to Willi Kreuz on the edge of the area and when his shot was only half blocked Hans Krankl was on hand to smash the rebound home.
Meanwhile on the BBC it was the first sighting of Brazil as they took on Sweden. Barry Davies had the mic for one of the appearance of Welsh referee Clive Thomas into World Cup Folklore. Brazil, coming off a display of cynical and at times brutal football in West Germany were looking to re-establish their reputation as the darlings of World football with a young Zico at the fore. Sweden had come through a fairly easy qualification group with Norway and Switzerland, but had done well in West Germany four years earlier, making the second round. Brazil should have been in front early on as Toninho was sent away and through on goal but he put his effort well wide of goal. The Swedish defence was getting caught square in the early stages and Reinaldo was the next player to be put through on goal but he was denied by Ronnie Hellstrom in the Swedish goal. Brazil themselves did not look to clever, their offside trap breaking down disastrously at a corner, as they rushed out but left Thomas Sjoberg completely unmarked, but the Swede smashed his effort over the bar. Hellstrom was keeping Sweden in it at the other end, making a fine smothering block to deny Reinaldo and then seeing Gil drive the rebound well over the bar. Then on 37 minutes Sweden took the lead, latching on to a threaded pass into the area and cooly slotting past Leao to make it 1-0. The Brazillians were rattled, and so was their crossbar as a free kick was floated into the area and again as Brazil’s defence melted away, Lennart Larsson was left completely unmarked to plant a header against the woodwork. As the first half entered injury time, Brazil levelled. A floated ball into the box allowed Reinaldo to sneak in between keeper and defender to squeeze the ball home. Six year old Clarkyboy at home thought the excitement had been too much for the Brazillian striker and I thought he had “pooed himself” as he grabbed his shorts at the back in his celebration.
The second half followed much the same pattern, Brazil looking like the better side but Sweden dangerous on the break. Rivelino went close to putting the Brazillians in front with a defelcted effort that was brilliantly turned around the post by the Swedish keeper. At the other end Leao made a great save to deny Thomas Sjoberg, the keeper having been caught in no man’s land recovering well to touch the Swede’s attempted chip over the cross bar. However the last word on the match would be provided by the Welsh referee Clive Thomas. Brazil won a corner in the last minute of the game. As the clock in the corner of the screen clicked past 45:00 the ball was delivered into the box, where it was met by a powerful header by Zico at the near post and crashed into the net. The header however happened a split second after Thomas had blown the final whistle, and he promptly marched off the field, waving his arms to signify the goal didn’t count and pointing at his watch. He had allowed less than 5 seconds of stoppage time and blamed the Brazillian corner taker for messing around and respotting the ball in the quadrant. A farcical ending to the game, and not for the first time that day it would be someone from the British Isles in the spotlight.
Whilst all eyes in Britain would be on events at the Chateau Carreras stadium in Cordoba on Saturday evening, there was another match going on in Mendoza as Group 4 got underway with the 1974 runners up in action. The Netherlands were facing another World Cup debutant in Iran and breezed their way to a 3-0 victory. Rob Rensenbrink scored twice from the penalty spot and poked in another from six yards out to grab the first hat-trick of the 1978 World Cup finals. With both channels in the UK showing the Scotland game live, it was left to the highlights men Martin Tyler and Alan Weekes to cover this one for ITV and BBC respectively.
Meanwhile, Ally’s Army were kicking off their bid for World Cup glory against Peru. It was a match seen by many as a formality. The Peruvians had other ideas.
England showed what might have been as they brushed aside a Hungarian side heading to Argentina for the World Cup.
Ron Greenwood again made three changes from the side that had seen off Scotland the previous Saturday with Peter Shilton, Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking coming in for Ray Clemence, Paul Mariner and Tony Currie.
Hungary had qualified through a three team group, edging out the Soviet Union and Greece and were set to face the Italian side which had knocked England out, as well as France and the hosts Argentina in the first phase of the World Cup.
Highlights of the game were shown on ITV in the Mid-Week Match with Brian Moore in the commentary box.
England took the lead on 11 minutes, Keegan escaping down the left hand side and pulling the ball back to Peter Barnes who side footed home.
The home side were rampant in the early stages. A quickly taken free kick set Mick Mills away on the right hand side and he crossed for Trevor Francis who put a diving header just wide. Then Brooking had a decent effort from the edge of the box after a nice flick by Keegan in midfield had sent him away, the West Ham man denied by a good save by Gujdar in the Hungarian goal.
England doubled the lead on the half hour with a fortunate penalty. Great work by Barnes on the left saw him scoot pas the full back before digging out a cross for Keegan at the back post. He went up with the keeper but the ball went over both of them and hit Joszef Toth, who was attempting to put pressure on the England man, in the arms, the Hungarian almost cradling the ball as it fell. Phil Neal stepped up to slot the penalty home.
It should have been 3-0 almost immediately as the Hungarian defence fell apart, trying to play offside and getting it horribly wrong allowing Keegan to rush trhough on goal. He was however denied by the onrushing keeper, who did brilliantly to get how to take the ball away from the Hamburg man. Unfortunately he was a good five yards outside his penalty area when he made the save, the punishment of a telling off not really befitting the crime.
England were not to be denied for long though and from the free kick Brooking picked out a completely unmarked Dave Watson beyond the far post and he nodded the ball back across goal for Trevor Francis to head into the net.
Hungary pulled one back on 62 minutes, Nyalisi and Torocsik linking up to get the ball into the penalty area before pulling the ball back across the box to Nagy who drilled home from 10 yards out.
England though wrapped things up with 13 minutes left, Tony Currie who had replaced Brooking, making it two wonderful goals in 11 days, following up his great strike against Wales with another 20 yard beauty past Gujdar.
That goal sent the 75000 inside Wembley home happy and set the nation up for the feast of football to cone in Argentina. Unfortunately it would only be a watching brief for Englishmen, as all eyes turned to the team from north of the border and thier bid to win the World Cup. The giggles at the misfortunes that would befall the Scots could probably have been heard in Buenos Aires.
Scotland headed off to Argentina as Britain’s sole hope in the forthcoming World Cup, but the rampant optimism that was coursing through the veins of every Scotsman may have been tempered slightly at falling to a defeat against a country they had been mocking because they “didnae qualify”.
Over 88000 people packed into Hampden Park to cheer Ally’s Army on against an England side who had lost out on qualification on goal difference to Italy. Ron Greenwood was building his team for a crack at the 1980 European Championships and were looking to clinch the Home International Championship with a win. Greenwood made three changes from the side that had beaten Northern Ireland four days earlier at Wembley, with Brian Greenhoff, Tony Woodcock and Stuart Pearson dropping out replaced by Paul Mariner, Trevor Francis and Peter Barnes. Scotland went as strong as possible with the 11 selected expected to be the side that would line up against Peru in their opening fixture in Cordoba in just a fortnights time.
The game was broadcast live on both BBC and ITV, John Motson on duty for the Beeb in Grandstand and Brian Moore in the box for ITV in World of Sport.
Scotland dominated proceedings and should have been home and hosed in the first half. Luck was kind to both sides in the same incident early on as Willie Johnston’s ball into the box ricocheted around the penalty area before bouncing off Hartford towards goal, where fortune suddenly turned England’s way as the ball looped into the air and off the crossbar.
Crosses were causing England all sorts of problems, Kenny Burns glancing a corner beyond the post and then Asa Hartford heading wide from a Don Masson centre. Then with England’ defence at sixes and sevens Johnston again floated a cross into the box towards Kenny Dalglish at the back post but his header struck a defender on the line, the French referee waving away claims for a penalty.
The second half saw England begin to go forward, Francis escaping on the right hand side and dragging an effort across the face of the goal.
Incredibly England then found themselves in the lead. A cross in from the left hand side saw Alan Rough come to try and claim but the hapless keeper couldn’t get there and Mariner was able to nod the ball back across goal for Steve Coppell to tap into the empty net. Jack Charlton on co-commentary duty for ITV stating that “England winning a game 1-0 they don’t deserve to be involved in.”
The goal was enough to clinch not only the win but the 1978 Home International Championship. It was scant consolation for England who were now left to become the warm-up act for a Hungarian team on their way to Argentina. For Scotland, it was a disappointing way to head off to South America, but nothing could dull the excitement the nation was feeling. They felt ready to brush aside Peru in their World Cup opener and begin the journey to World Cup glory. In reality the wheels were coming loose on their Argentinian bandwagon.
Programme for the fixture – Picture from theracketeer.co.uk
After a win in Cardiff the previous Saturday, England headed to Wembley with the chance of taking a commanding position in the Home International Championship as they took on Northern Ireland.
England made six changes from the side that beat Wales including a debut for Tony Woodcock, fresh from winning the title with Nottingham Forest. Three of the Liverpool team that had won the European Cup at Wembley seven days earlier returned to the line up, with Ray Clemence taking his place in goal, Phil Neal slotting in at right back and Emlyn Hughes returned to the heart of the defence and to skipper the side. Tony Currie, fresh from his stunning goal in Cardiff got the start in midfield and Stuart Pearson replaced the injured Bob Latchford up front.
The Irish side had held the World Cup bound Scots to a draw at Windsor Park in thier first game. Danny Blanchflower’s side was missing one familiar face as Jim Platt started the game in goal instead of Pat Jennings. The squad was a well settled group with 8 of the side the same as the team that had drawn 1-1 with England at Windsor Park the previous season.
The game was shown on Sportsnight on BBC with John Motson in the commentary box. There was a fairly decent crowd of 55,000 inside Wembley for the game but they were treated to a fairly drab first half which only came to life in the final minute.
England got a corner which was aimed for Dave Watson at the far post, the centre half nodding back across the goal and fell to Phil Neal who fired inside the post from around eight yards out, for as Motson informend us“his first goal for the England side.”
Sport, Football, Home Championship, Wembley, London, England, 16th May 1978, England 1 v Northern Ireland 0, Phil Neal (extreme right, arms raised) scores the winning goal past Northern Ireland goalkeeper Jim Platt (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The second half saw a little more action with England far more agressive. Ray Wilkins skipped past a challenge on the edge of the box before firing a shot which Platt fumbled around the post. From the ensuing corner England again picked out Watson whose powerful header was pushed into the air by Platt before it was scrambled away by Chris Nicholl.
Tony Woodcock came close to a debut goal as he broke through from midfield but his shot from the edge of the area was again saved by Platt with Bryan Hamilton tidying up. Again England had a second chance from the ensuing corner, again Platt denying Woodcock with a fine save.
England had one more chance before the final whistle, Currie making headway down the left hand side but his cross to the backpost was miscontrolled by Brian Greenhoff, allowing Platt to calim the ball.
The win gave England four points and with Scotland only able to draw against Wales the following night, a game which featured one of the greatest own goals in history by Willie Donachie, left Ron Greenwood’s men just needing a point from the Championship’s traditional final game against the Argentina bound Scots to reclaim the crown of Britains best.
England missing out on World Cup qualification meant that they had a point to prove when the Home International Championship began in May 1978. The focus of the nation would soon be on how Scotland would fare in Argentina, but for Ron Greenwood’s men, the tournament gave them a chance to show that they were still the top dogs in Britain, and would mark the start of the focus on qualification for the first ever European Championship finals tournament that would take place in Italy in 1980.
The opening fixture took England to Cardiff to take on a Wales side still smarting from being pipped by the Scots for a place in the forthcoming World Cup. The match took place at a Ninian Park stadium that was in the process of getting a facelift, with one end of the ground resembling a building site. There was no such rebuilding of the Welsh side for the tournament, an experienced side taking the field with Terry Yorath leading the team.
England were without their Liverpool players, who were getting some additional time off to celebrate and recover from winning the European Cup just days before. Mick Mills captained the side for the first time in the absence of Emlyn Hughes. Peter Shilton was in goal and there were two other changes form the team which had drawn with Brazil at Wembley four weeks ago. Tony Currie dropped to the bench with Trevor Brooking taking his place and Ray Wilkins came into the side for Kevin Keegan.
As was usual for this opening game of the Home Internationals, the match was shown in highlight form on both ITV and the BBC. ITV had the first showing at 7:30 that evening with Brian Moore on commentary. The BBC showed the game along with Scotland’s 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland in the traditional Match of the Day slot with John Motson on the mic at Ninian Park. The BBC coverage is the one I have used for this game, shown on ESPN Classic in 2008.
England took the lead on eight minutes through Bob Latchford who rose at the near post to power home a header from a Peter Barnes cross for his first international goal. It was the only bright moment for England in a first half which saw them forced into two substitutions through injury and which saw them under constant pressure from the home side. The first change came on 16 minutes when Trevor Cherry was injured in an ariel challenge in midfield, landing awkwardly on his shoulder and having to be stretchered off. He was replaced by his Leeds United clubmate Tony Currie and that forced a reshuffle of the team which saw Wilkins drop to right back and Mills shuffle over to the left back position. Then on the half hour Latchford was forced off with a knock, Paul Mariner coming on to replace him.
Leeds United players were making a significant contribution to the game with Carl Harris proving to be the most dangerous Welshman on show. He made a great run in the first half, tricking his way into sitting Mills on his backside before forcing Shilton into a good save after a shot from the edge of the box.
Wales were really forcing the issue and Shilton was the most worked of the keepers, forced into another good save to deny Micky Thomas. England though were starting to look dangerous on the counter attack and Dai Davies was forced into a superb save to prevent England going 2-0 up. Wilkins started the move and his cross from the right was glanced on by Steve Coppell to Peter Barnes at the back post who was denied by the Welsh keeper getting right across his goal to scramble the ball behind.
At the other end, England’s goalkeeper had a stroke of luck to keep his side in front. A free kick on the left hand side was driven towards the back post where Shilton missed his punch only for makeshift striker Phil Dwyer head straight back to the keeper. Dwyer was normally a centre back for Cardiff City but had been pushed forward to good effect for his club in their fight against relegation from the Second Division and had been given the chance to replicate that form for the national team, getting a debut goal against Iran the previous month.
The hometown hero was not to be denied for long though and he drew Wales level on 63 minutes. A bad mistake by Brooking handed Wales the ball in midfield, Carl Harris drove forward, again making a mug of Mills before floating a cross to the back post where Dwyer rose to head home and make it 1-1.
The goal seemed to spark England into life and Trevor Francis came close to putting the visitors back in front with a clipped shot with the outside of the foot from the corner of the penalty area which was well saved by Davies.
The Welsh keeper though did not get a sniff of the Tony Currie shot which put England back in front with just eight minutes left. The mercurial midfielder collected the ball 30 yards from goal and with nothing else on just smashed the ball into the top corner of the net. “Ohh…well right out of the blue by Tony Currie” said Motson as the ball crashed home.
Sport, Football, Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales, 13th May 1978, Home Championship, Wales 1 v England 3, England’s Tony Currie (Photo by Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)
The goal knocked the stuffing out of the Welsh and England wrapped up the game in the last minute. Steve Coppell fed him the ball on the edge of the area and with a drop of the shoulder to create space, the Manchester City winger rifled the ball home off the underside of the bar to make it 3-1.
The result gave England an early edge in the Home International Championship and set them up nicely for the second game, and the return of the Liverpool players against Northern Ireland at Wembley.
Clarkyboy's Football History 