Dutch, Argentine duel stokes memories of 1978 final

Argentina and the Netherlands prepare to meet again on South American soil in Wednesday’s 2nd World Cup semi-final, 36 years on from their encounter in the final of the 1978 tournament in Buenos Aires. A World Cup played out uneasily in a country under the grip of a dictatorship culminated in the hosts beating the Dutch 3-1 after extra-time in the Monumental Stadium, with Mario Kempes scoring twice. For the Dutch, it was a second consecutive final defeat, after their 2-1 loss to West Germany in 1974, but no European side has come so close to winning the World Cup in South America. The Dutch squad was missing Johan Cruyff but otherwise it was much the same as that of 4 years earlier, with seven players starting both finals, including captain Ruud Krol and Rob Rensenbrink. Kempes put Argentina ahead, but substitute Dick Nanninga equalised and Rensenbrink then hit the post in the dying seconds for the Dutch. It was an agonising miss, and Argentina took full advantage to secure their first World Cup in extra-time as tournament top scorer Kempes netted again before Daniel Bertoni added another, according to AFP.