Cup field halved

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 30

Cup field halved

NZPA-Reuter Buenos Aires

After 24 matches in 11 breathless days of soccer action, the 1978 World Cup finals now head towards the final showdown with Argentina carrying the South American standard against a mighty European challenge, led by the champion, West Germany, and the menacing Italy. Eight of the 16 finalists are on their way home, casualties of the first-round competition. Among them are Scotland, Hungary, France, Sweden and Spain their once-bright hopes now in ruins.

Still in the running are Brazil, although only after an Houdini-like escape act, the Netherlands and Poland, second and third in 1974, Austria and Peru are also still in the hunt. But on the evidence of the first round, Italy must be the favourite with West Germany and Argentina its nearest rivals. The Netherlands lived to fight another day but Scotland stole the glory with ar. epic 3-2 victory yesterday at the end of the opening round.

The Netherlands followed Peru into the second round from group four but the Scots, who needed to beat

the 1974 runners-up by three clear goals to survive, went a long way to wiping out the memory of two humiliating weeks in Argentina. For three minutes after little Archie Gemmill had thrust Scotland into a shock 3-1 lead it seemed the Scots were about to achieve a miracle. They were just one goal away from their target and they fought on with the sort of courage and tenacity totally lacking in their earlier dreary performances. But then the bubble burst when Johnny Rep slammed home a spectacular shot for the Netherlands that put survival once more out of range for the Scots. Three goals by Teofilo Cubillas — two of them penalties — vaulted Peru into the final stages of the World Cup with a convincing 4 I victory over plucky Iran yesterday. Peru needed only to draw the match, but snatched the lead after only 2min. Brazil scraped into the last eight when it beat Austria, 1-0, yesterday, but the manner of its victory did not suggest that it could win the trophy for a record fourth time.

Roberto, one of four men the manager, Mr Claudio Coutinho, was ordered to

bring into the team by Brazilian sports officials, lived up to his nickname of “Dynamite” by firing the thi r t y-ninth-minute goal which gave Brazil victory at Mar del Plata. Austria and Brazil both finished their group three programme with four points, but Austria took top place because of a superior goal difference. Spain beat Sweden, 1-0 with a seventy-fifth-minute goal from Juan Asensi in yesterday’s other group three match, but the result had no significance in view of Brazil’s victory. Following are the final round-one points (top two in each group qualify).—

GROUP ONE W D L F A P Italy 3 0 0 6 2 6 Argentina 2 0 1 4 3 4 France 10 2 5 5 2 Hungary 0 0 3 3 8 0 GROUP TWO W D L F A P Poland 2 10 4 1 5 West Germany 12 0 6 0 4 Tunisia 111 3 2 3 Mexico 0 0 3 2 12 0 GROUP THREE W D L F A P Austria 2 0 1 3 2 4 Brazil 12 0 2 1 4 Spain 111 2 2 3 Sweden 0 12 1 3 1 GROUP FOUR W D L F A P Peru 2 10 7 2 5 Netherlands 111 5 3 3 Scotland 111 5 6 3 Iran 0 2 1 2 8 1