In 1928, Uruguay defeated Argentina 2-1 on penalty kicks to win the Gold Medal in soccer the Summer Olympics. On July 30, 1930, the two sides took the field once again but this time it was in Montevideo as they competed in the first ever World Cup Final.
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1930 World Cup Final – How They Got There ?
Uruguay outscored its three opponents 11-1 during its run to the final.
- Group stage : 1-0 against Peru
- Group stage : 4-0 against Romania
- Semi-finals : 6-1 against Yugoslavia
This 6-1 victory over Yugoslavia also featured a hat track from Pedro Cea and two more goals from Peregrino Anselmo.
Argentina won its four games before the final. The side had a 16-5 total en route to the game including a 6-1 victory over the United States in order to clinch a spot in the final.
Guillermo Stabile got a hat trick in a 6-3 match against Mexico.
First world cup final – Gameplay
Ball controversy
An interesting aspect of this game was that each side provided its own ball at different points in the game. The two sides disagreed on who should bring the ball, thus prompting FIFA to determine that Argentina should provide the ball for the first half while Uruguay does so for the second half. The two balls were wound differently as there was no particular set for how a ball is supposed to be built.
Game summary – First half
The game started out with Argentina getting a lead in the first half.
Pablo Dorado scored first for Uruguay at 12′ but Carlos Peucelle tied the game up at 20′.
Guillermo Stabile then gave the White and Sky Blue a 2-1 lead with a goal at 37′. It was his eighth goal of the World Cup; he led all players in the event in goals scored.
Game summary – second half
As the second half started, Uruguay felt a little more in control thanks in part to how the side was using the ball that it provided beforehand. Pedro Cea tied the game at 57′ to get the home crowd of more than 68,000 people on their feet. This was his fifth goal in the tournament.
Santos Iriarte then drove the ball past Argentine goalkeeper Juan Botasso at 68′ to give Uruguay the lead. Hector Castro, an attacker who lost part of his right arm in a childhood accident, scored the final goal at the 89′ mark to give Uruguay a 4-2 lead and the World Cup title.
Overall, Uruguay had a +12 goal differential in its four games.
This +3 average remains the highest total differential per game on average in World Cup history.
Watch the First World Cup Final highlights here:
After the Match
The people of Uruguay were proud of the team’s achievement in winning the first ever World Cup. The day after winning was officially declared a national holiday in the country.
Meanwhile, Argentinians were not all that thrilled about losing. People formed a mob and threw stones at the Uruguayan consulate building within the country.
All players who competed in this game has since passed on.
Francisco Varallo, a forward for Argentina, was the last surviving player to compete in the game. He died at the age of 100 in 2010.